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UNITED
NATIONS



FOURTH WORLD                                                 Distr.
CONFERENCE ON WOMEN                                          LIMITED

                                                             A/CONF.177/L.2
                                                             7 July 1995
Beijing, China
4-15 September 1995                                          ORIGINAL: ENGLISH




                REPORT OF THE INFORMAL CONTACT GROUP ON GENDER

                            Note by the Secretariat


1.   At its thirty-ninth session, held at United Nations Headquarters from
15 March to 7 April 1995, the Commission on the Status of Women, acting as
preparatory body for the Fourth World Conference on Women, decided to
establish an informal contact group to seek agreement on the commonly
understood meaning of the term "gender" in the context of the Platform for
Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women (decision 39/3).  The contact
group was to be chaired by the Rapporteur of the Commission, Ms. Selma
Ashipala (Namibia), and to report to the Conference at its pre-session
consultations.

2.   The informal contact group met twice at United Nations Headquarters, on
16 and 31 May 1995.  The group decided that the President of the Conference
should read a statement at the Conference indicating the commonly understood
meaning of the term "gender".  The text of the statement, as agreed by the
informal contact group, is contained in the annex below.


                                     ANNEX

         Statement by the President of the Conference on the commonly
                    understood meaning of the term "gender"


1.   During the 19th meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women, acting
as preparatory body for the Fourth World Conference on Women, an issue arose
concerning the meaning of the word "gender" in the context of the Platform for
Action of the Conference.  In order to examine the matter, the Commission
decided to form a contact group in New York, with the Commission's Rapporteur,
Ms. Selma Ashipala (Namibia), as Chairperson.  The Commission mandated the
informal contact group to seek agreement on the commonly understood meaning of
"gender" in the context of the Platform for Action and to report directly to
the Conference in Beijing.

2.   Having considered the issue thoroughly, the contact group noted that: 
(1) the word "gender" had been commonly used and understood in its ordinary,
generally accepted usage in numerous other United Nations forums and
conferences; (2) there was no indication that any new meaning or connotation
of the term, different from accepted prior usage, was intended in the Platform
for Action.

3.   Accordingly, the contact group reaffirmed that the word "gender" as used
in the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women was
intended to be interpreted and understood as it was in ordinary, generally
accepted usage.  The contact group also agreed that the present report should
be read by the President of the Conference as a President's statement and that
the statement should be part of the final report of the Conference.


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