98-02521 (E)
110298
* E/CN.6/1998/1.
** For chap. II, sects. A-D, see E/CN.6/1998/2.
United Nations
E/CN.6/1998/2/Add.1
Economic and Social Council
Distr.: General
23 January 1998
Original: English
Commission on the status of women
Forty-second session
2-13 March 1998
Item 3 of the provisional agenda*
Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on
Women: review of mainstreaming in the
organizations of the United Nations system
Follow-up to and implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform
for Action
Report of the Secretary-General
Addendum
II. Progress in the follow-up to the
Fourth World Conference on
Women and in mainstreaming a
gender perspective within the United
Nations system
E. Joint work plan of the Division for the
Advancement of Women and the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights**
1.
In resolution 39/5 of the Commission on the Status of
Women and resolution 1997/43 of the Commission on1
Human Rights, the Secretary-General was requested to2
prepare annually a joint work plan for the Centre for Human
Rights (now the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights) and the Division for the
Advancement of Women, which would help to facilitate the
mainstreaming of women’s human rights, through, inter alia,
regular intersecretariat cooperation to ensure that the joint
work plan of the Centre for Human Rights and the Division
for the Advancement of Women reflected all aspects of work
under way and identified where obstacles/impediments
existed and areas for further collaboration, and to inform the
Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on
Human Rights of the plan at their annual sessions.
1. Assessment of the implementation of the current
work plan
2.
In the implementation of the current joint work plan
(see E/CN.6/1997/2, paras. 40-47), the systematic exchange
of information between the Division for the Advancement of
Women and the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights continued and was expanded
in the course of 1997. The Special Adviser on Gender Issues
and Advancement of Women held meetings with the Officer-
in-Charge and staff of the then Office of the United Nations
E/CN.6/1998/2/Add.1
2
High Commissioner for Human Rights/Centre for Human
6.
The Office of the High Commissioner provided
Rights in July 1997. She also met with the newly appointed
comments on the annotated comparison of the draft optional
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
3.
The exchange of information between the Division and
the Office of the High Commissioner regarding the work of
the human rights treaty bodies serviced by them continued on
a regular basis. Information was provided by the Division to
the members of the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women, at the twice-yearly sessions
of the Committee and inter-sessionally, on the practices of the
other treaty bodies, while a briefing note on the results of the
sessions of the Committee was provided to the chairpersons
of the other treaty bodies and the concluding observations of
the other treaty bodies were made available to the members
of the Committee. The Office of the High Commissioner made
available to the Committee and to the Commission on the
Status of Women the reports of the Special Rapporteur on
violence against women, as requested by the Commission on
7.
The Office of the High Commissioner participated in
Human Rights and the Commission on the Status of Women.
the gender mainstreaming workshop (Geneva, September
4.
The Division attended the eighth meeting of persons
chairing the human rights treaty bodies, held at Geneva in
September 1997, and provided input into the preliminary
analysis of the international human rights treaty system
(HRI/MC/1997/MISC.1). A background paper on the
relevance of gender to the enjoyment of rights guaranteed by
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights was
provided by the Division to those members of the Human
Rights Committee preparing the first draft of the Committee’s
revised general comment on article 3 of the Covenant. The
Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of
Women addressed the Human Rights Committee at its fifty-
ninth session, in March/April 1997.
5.
The Office of the High Commissioner and the Division
sought to follow-up the round table of human rights treaty
bodies on “Human Rights Approaches to Women’s Health,
with a Focus on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights”,
held at Glen Cove, New York, in December 1996, which was
a joint endeavour with the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA). The Office of the High Commissioner and the
Division for the Advancement of Women were represented
at the monthly inter-agency working group meetings convened
by UNFPA to develop strategies to implement the Glen Cove
recommendations. The Office of the High Commissioner
ensured that the question of the human rights implications of
human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (HIV/AIDS) was included in the agenda of the
eighth meeting of persons chairing the human rights treaty
bodies, in accordance with the Glen Cove recommendations.
of Discrimination against Women with the existing United
Nations human rights instruments (E/CN.6/1998/7), prepared
by the Division. It also provided input into a report for the
information of the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women on ways and means, outlining
the technical cooperation programme of the Office of the High
Commissioner. The Division participated in a training
seminar on reporting under human rights treaties, organized
by the Office of the High Commissioner, which was held at
Budapest in October 1997. As a result of its participation, the
Division developed a training package on reporting to the
Committee for States parties to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,
which will be posted on the Division’s Web site.
1997) organized by the Division for members of the Inter-
Agency Committee on Women and Gender Equality of the
Administrative Committee on Coordination and the
Organisation
for
Economic
Cooperation
and
Development/Development
Assistance
Committee
(OECD/DAC) Expert Group on Women in Development. The
Office of the High Commissioner also participated in an
expert group meeting on the girl child and provided input into
the aide-mémoire prepared for that meeting. The meeting,
which was organized jointly by the Division, the Economic
Commission for Africa, the United Nations Children’s Fund
and UNFPA, was held at Addis Ababa from 13 to 17 October
1997. The Office of the High Commissioner provided input
into the aide-mémoire prepared for the expert group meeting
on gender-based persecution, held at Toronto, Canada, from
9 to 12 November 1997, in which the Special Rapporteur on
the situation of human rights in the territory of the former
Yugoslavia and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of
human rights in Afghanistan also participated. The Office of
the High Commissioner participated in the expert group
meeting on women’s enjoyment of economic and social rights,
organized jointly by the Division for the Advancement of
Women and the Institute for Human Rights of Abo Akademi
(Turku, Finland, 1-4 December 1997). The Office of the High
Commissioner provided input into the background paper
prepared by the Division for the meeting. The background
paper, with further inputs from both the Office of the High
Commissioner and the Division, served as the basis of the
report on women’s full enjoyment of their human rights,
particularly
those
relating
to
economic
resources
(E/CN.6/1998/11 and E/CN.4/1998/22) , prepared jointly by
E/CN.6/1998/2/Add.1
3
the Office and the Division for the Commission on the Status
13.
During 1998, the cooperation between the Office of the
of Women at its present session and the Commission on
High Commissioner and the Division on the work of treaty
Human Rights at its fifty-fourth session.
bodies and the preparation of the various optional protocols
8.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights met with the members of the Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women during the
Committee’s eighteenth session, in January/February 1998,
to exchange views on how to strengthen cooperation between
the Committee and the Office of the High Commissioner.
9.
In resolution 1996/34, the Economic and Social Council
endorsed the revised system-wide medium-term plan for the
advancement of women, 1996-2001, and requested the
Secretary-General to submit to it, through the Commission
on the Status of Women at its forty-second session, a progress
report on the implementation of the revised plan. The Office
of the High Commissioner provided substantive input under
relevant critical areas of concern for inclusion in the report,
which was prepared by the Division (see E/CN.6/1998/3).
10.
The technical cooperation programme of the Office of
the High Commissioner has prepared a project on the
integration of a gender perspective into technical cooperation
practices and procedures, which is currently being
implemented. The Division for the Advancement of Women
has contributed to various phases of the project.
11.
The Division has provided the Office of the High
Commissioner with a detailed plan of its activities for the
fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human
Rights. The plan was included in the second edition of the
Office’s briefing package on the fiftieth anniversary.
12.
The exchange of information between the Office of the
High Commissioner and the Division was facilitated by
expanding cooperation in the development and maintenance
of their respective Internet sites and databases. Meetings were
held between responsible officers of the Office of the High
Commissioner and the Division to ensure synergistic
development of the Internet sites and databases, which now
allow for fast electronic cross-referencing and easier access
to treaty body and other information. However, in order to
achieve the systematic transfer of information, the Division
and the Office will continue to seek a solution with central
electronic data-processing services in New York to overcome
the current difficulties in data transmission, including the
monitoring of data replication between New York and
Geneva. Both the Office and the Division will continue to
pursue further cross-linking of new information between their
Web sites.
2. Joint work plan for 1998
will continue and be enhanced. The Division will continue the
practice of providing briefing notes on the results of the
sessions
of
the
Committee
on
the
Elimination
of
Discrimination against Women and ensure that the
chairpersons of treaty bodies continue to receive the
concluding comments of the Committee promptly. The
Division, in cooperation with the Office, will continue the
targeted approach in all human rights activities of the United
Nations.
14.
The Division will provide further input for the
elaboration by the Human Rights Committee of the general
comment on article 3 of the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights and will provide input into the
elaboration of the general comment on gender in the
enjoyment of the rights outlined in the International Covenant
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Division will
also seek to provide input for other general comments
prepared or revised by the various treaty bodies.
15.
The Division will contribute, on an ad hoc basis and as
appropriate, information for reports on human rights issues
prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner. For
example, it will contribute to and/or provide comments
regarding the detailed analytical study comparing the
provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and3
Political Rights,
the International Convention on the
3
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the4
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women, the Convention against Torture and Other5
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and6
the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is being7
prepared with a view to identifying duplication of reporting
required under those instruments (see General Assembly
resolution 52/118). The Office will continue to contribute
whenever requested and as appropriate to the preparation of
reports or studies on gender and women’s rights issues.
16.
The Division will also provide targeted input into the
work of the non-conventional human rights mechanisms. For
example, it will provide input into the work of the
Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and
Protection of Minorities, especially with respect to the work
of the Special Rapporteur on systematic rape and sexual
slavery during periods of armed conflict and the Special
Rapporteur on traditional practices affecting the health of
women and children. The Office of the High Commissioner
will contribute to the preparation of the report on traditional
or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls
E/CN.6/1998/2/Add.1
4
(see General Assembly resolution 52/99). The Office has
all”. For this important occasion, the Office has developed a
provided substantive input for, and will actively participate
tentative programme of activities for implementation by all
in, the review of the four critical areas of concern of the
partners in the United Nations system, including the Division
Beijing Platform for Action directly related to the work of the
for the Advancement of Women. The contributions of the
Office, which is to be undertaken by the Commission on the
Division will include close collaboration in the organization
Status of Women at its present session.
of an expert panel, the preparation of a booklet and the
17.
The Special Rapporteur on violence against women will
seek to establish closer and more functional relations with the
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against
Women and the Commission on the Status of Women and
22.
In December 1997, the Office formed a cross-branch
intends to participate in the work of both the Commission (in
gender and human rights of women team, which will work
a panel on violence against women) and the Committee during
closely with the Division for the Advancement of Women,
1998. She will seek closer cooperation and increased input
drawing on its expertise. The Division and the Office are
from the Division for the Advancement of Women in the
exploring possible staff exchanges to mutually benefit from
preparation of her field missions. In that regard, the Division
in-house expertise.
will facilitate closer collaboration between the Special
Rapporteur and the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women. The Division will also
provide information to other specific non-conventional human
rights mechanisms, including the Special Rapporteur on
religious intolerance.
18.
In response to the request of the chairpersons of the
closely with the United Nations High Commissioner on
human rights treaty bodies at their eighth meeting, which was
Human Rights in her efforts to mainstream a gender
endorsed by the General Assembly in resolution 52/118, the
perspective, including the implementation of Economic and
Division will prepare a study analysing the practice of the
Social Council agreed conclusions 1997/2.
The High
various treaty bodies in integrating a gender perspective into
Commissioner will also provide information and support to
their work. The chairpersons may propose possible lines of
the Special Adviser on the general human rights aspects of
action in this regard. The Office of the High Commissioner,
her work.
in organizing training courses on reporting under human
rights treaties, as well as other ad hoc activities, will continue
to invite the Division to participate.
19.
The Office and the Division will discuss the possibility
of a follow-up meeting to the expert group meeting on the
integration of gender perspectives into United Nations human
rights activities and programmes, which was held at Geneva
in 1995 (see E/CN.4/1996/105). The Division will work with
the Office to mobilize extrabudgetary resources to permit the
convening of a second expert group meeting, which will
assess the impact of the first meeting and consider further
strategies required to integrate gender perspectives into
United Nations human rights activities.
20.
The Office will strengthen the integration of a gender
perspective into technical cooperation practices and in so
doing will continue to seek the active collaboration and
expertise of the Division.
21.
One of the guiding ideas for the commemoration of the
fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, under the leadership of the Office of the High
Commissioner, is “Women’s rights — the responsibility of
development of a page on its Web site on how the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights may be interpreted in relation
to the rights of women.
23.
The
Special
Adviser
on
Gender
Issues
and
Advancement of Women, within her overall function of
facilitating, monitoring and advising the Secretary-General
on the overall policy goals of the United Nations with regard
to gender analysis and the mainstreaming of a gender
perspective into all United Nations activities, will cooperate
8
Notes
Official Records of the Economic and Social Council,
1
1995, Supplement No. 6 (E/1995/26), chap. I, sect. C.
Ibid., 1997, Supplement No. 3 (E/1997/23), chap. II,
2
sect. A.
General Assembly resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.
3
General Assembly resolution 2106 A (XX), annex.
4
General Assembly resolution 34/180, annex.
5
General Assembly resolution 39/46, annex.
6
General Assembly resolution 44/25, annex.
7
A/52/3, chap. IV, sect. A, para. 4.
8