***************************************************************** This document has been made available in electronic format by the United Nations. Reproduction and dissemination of the document - in electronic and/or printed format - is encouraged, provided acknowledgement is made of the role of the United Nations in making it available. ***************************************************************** UNITED NATIONS Distr. GENERAL E/1993/27 E/CN.6/1993/18 28 May 1993 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH Substantive session of 1993 Geneva, 28 June-30 July 1993 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN ON ITS THIRTY-SEVENTH SESSION* (Vienna, 17-26 March 1993) * The present document is a mimeographed version of the report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its thirty-seventh session. The final report will be issued as Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1993, Supplement No. 7 (E/1993/27). SUMMARY At its thirty-seventh session, the Commission on the Status of Women recommended to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of seven draft resolutions and two draft decisions. In draft resolution I (Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat), the Council would urge the Secretary-General to fully implement the action programme contained in his report (A/47/508) in order to remove the obstacles to the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat and to achieve the targets set for the participation of women in the Secretariat. It would also request the Secretary-General to further develop policy measures aimed at the prevention of sexual harassment in the Secretariat. In draft resolution II (Draft declaration on the elimination of violence against women), the Council would urge the General Assembly to adopt the draft declaration, urge Member States to adopt, strengthen and enforce legislation prohibiting violence against women, and request the Secretary-General to report on implementation of the declaration, once adopted. In draft resolution III (Communications on the status of women), the Council would request the Secretary-General to continue to publicize the communications mechanism of the Commission and to report thereon to the Commission at its thirty-eighth session. It would invite each regional group to appoint, one week before each session of the Commission, a member to the Working Group on Communications. In draft resolution IV (Women, environment and development), the Council would urge the Commission on Sustainable Development and other bodies to develop appropriate mechanisms to ensure support for the objectives and activities relating to the role of women in sustainable development, request the Secretary-General to include information on the subject in the report on the effective mobilization and integration of women in development, and request the Commission to include the issue in its discussions of preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women. The Council would also agree to review the current and planned activities of the Commission in order to assess the degree to which the recommendations in Agenda 21 were already included in its activities or could be included in future activities. In draft resolution V (Women and children under apartheid), the Council would demand the immediate and unconditional release of any political prisoners and detainees, urge those involved in the multi-party forum to deal with issues concerning women, request the Centre against Apartheid to strengthen its cooperation with the Division for the Advancement of Women, appeal to the international community to support programmes and projects directed towards women, call upon the Secretary-General to monitor incidents of political and domestic violence directed against women and children, decide that the Commission would remain seized of the issue, and request the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission at its thirty-eighth session a report on the implementation of the resolution. In draft resolution VI (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women), the Council would support the request of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women for additional meeting time for its future sessions, welcome its draft general recommendation on article 16 and related articles 9 and 15, request States parties to the Convention to work to withdraw their reservations to the Convention, and urge the Secretary-General to widely publicize the decisions and recommendations of the Committee. In draft resolution VII (Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women), the Council would demand that Israel accept the de jure applicability of the Geneva Convention to the occupied Palestinian territory, appeal to Governments and others to provide financial assistance to Palestinian women, request the Commission on the Status of Women to continue monitoring those paragraphs of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies concerning assistance to Palestinian women, and request the Secretary-General to assist in and review the situation of Palestinian women using all available resources, and submit to the Commission at its thirty-eighth session a report containing recommendations and a programme of action. In draft decision I, the Council would approve the provisional agenda and documentation for the thirty-eighth session of the Commission. In draft decision II, the Council would decide to convene an inter-sessional working group of the Commission for a period of five working days during the first two weeks of January 1994, open to all Member States and observer States, to further develop the structure of the Platform for Action contained in the annex to Commission resolution 37/7. The Commission also adopted nine resolutions. In resolution 37/1 (Preliminary proposals for the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period 1996-2001), the Commission recommended that the Council request the Secretary-General to revise the plan after the Platform for Action and the second review and appraisal of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies had been adopted in 1995; it recommended that any revised system-wide plan be more concise, take into account changes in the United Nations planning cycles and be more concrete. It recommended that the Commission be given responsibility for monitoring progress in implementing the system-wide plan, that all the United Nations entities be held accountable for the components of the plan falling within their competence. It made a series of detailed comments and recommended that they be taken into account in the final version of the plan. In resolution 37/2 (Inter-agency coordination), the Commission recommended that the Secretary-General further promote and institutionalize coordination of initiatives of United Nations programmes related to women, promote the acceptance of gender-based strategic planning and assign the Division for the Advancement of Women responsibility for coordinating activities leading to the establishment of an official common definition of gender-focused planning for the United Nations system. In resolution 37/3 (Rape and abuse of women in the territory of the former Yugoslavia), the Commission condemned rape and abuse of women in the territory, welcomed the request of the Commission on Human Rights to the Special Rapporteur to pursue an investigation into the situation, urged that the team of experts include a representative of the Division for the Advancement of Women, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women or both, urged the Security Council to reflect gender balance in any international criminal tribunal that would be established, urged development of long-term, action-oriented plans and programmes for rehabilitation, urged that counselling and other support form an integral part of health and welfare services, and requested the Secretary-General to make the reports of the Special Rapporteur available to the Commission at its thirty-eighth session. In resolution 37/4 (World Conference on Human Rights), the Commission decided to present a contribution to the Preparatory Committee for the World Conference on Human Rights. In resolution 37/5 (Women and legal literacy), the Commission made recommendations to Governments and other institutions to promote legal literacy, and requested the Preparatory Committee for the World Summit for Social Development to include in its agenda consideration of education for all, the eradication of illiteracy, and the promotion of legal literacy, particularly among women, and urged the World Conference on Human Rights to address the issue. In resolution 37/6 (Women and development), the Commission made recommendations to Governments and other institutions to take a number of specific steps to improve the integration of women in development, requested the Secretary-General to include policy and programme recommendations on the basis of gender analysis in his biennial monitoring report on the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies and to ensure that the issues of women and development and of the integration of women in development programmes were an integral part of the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade. In resolution 37/7 (Preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace), the Commission urged Governments to establish national preparatory committees and requested the Secretary-General to ensure that documentation was accessible and that Conference facilities catered to the needs of people with disabilities. It requested a series of steps to permit non-governmental organizations not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council to participate in the Conference. It requested the Secretary-General to present a first draft of the Platform for Action to the Commission at its thirty-eighth session, taking into account the structure of the Platform agreed on at the thirty-seventh session and the results of the inter-sessional working group. It made a series of recommendations on the process and content of the second review and appraisal of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies. It suggested that steps be taken to strengthen an information campaign about the Conference. Finally, it requested that the Secretary-General prepare for the Commission at its thirty-eighth session a report on institutional arrangements for the implementation of the Platform for Action containing options for considering that item at the Conference. In resolution 37/8 (Women in extreme poverty), the Commission made a series of detailed recommendations to governmental and other institutions on measures to alleviate the situation of women in extreme poverty. In resolution 37/9 (Work programme on the advancement of women and the proposed restructuring of the economic and social activities of the United Nations), the Commission called upon the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps to strengthen the structure for the advancement of women and maintain its identity with adequate resources, urged that in making decisions on the Division for the Advancement of Women and the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs, due consideration be given to the long- and short-term impact of the decisions on the priority, substance and visibility of the United Nations commitment to women and to social development, requested the Secretary-General to ensure that any institutional arrangements strengthened the work programme on the advancement of women and improved coordination, and encouraged Member States to send high-level representation to future sessions of the Commission. CONTENTS Chapter Page I. MATTERS CALLING FOR ACTION BY THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL OR BROUGHT TO ITS ATTENTION ..................................... 7 A. Draft resolutions ........................................ 7 I. Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat 7 II. Draft declaration on the elimination of violence against women .............................................. 9 III. Communications on the status of women .............. 16 IV. Women, environment and development ................. 17 V. Women and children under apartheid ................. 20 VI. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women ....................... 22 VII. Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women ... 23 B. Draft decisions .......................................... 24 I. Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its thirty-seventh session and provisional agenda and documentation for the thirty-eighth session of the Commission ......................................... 24 II. Inter-sessional working group of the Commission on the Status of Women on the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace .............................. 27 C. Resolutions of the Commission brought to the attention of the Council .................................................. 27 37/1. Preliminary proposals for the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period 1996-2001 ......................................... 28 37/2. Inter-agency coordination ......................... 31 37/3. Rape and abuse of women in the territory of the former Yugoslavia ........................................ 32 37/4. World Conference on Human Rights .................. 33 37/5. Women and legal literacy .......................... 37 37/6. Women and development ............................. 39 37/7. Preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace ........ 42 37/8. Women in extreme poverty .......................... 48 37/9. Work programme on the advancement of women and the proposed restructuring of the economic and social activities of the United Nations .................. 50 II. PROGRAMMING AND COORDINATION MATTERS RELATED TO THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM ................................ 52 III. MONITORING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NAIROBI FORWARD-LOOKING STRATEGIES FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN ...................... 56 IV. PRIORITY THEMES .............................................. 69 A. Equality: increasing awareness by women of their rights, including legal literacy ................................. 69 B. Development: women in extreme poverty: integration of women's concerns in national development planning ........ 71 C. Peace: women and the peace process ...................... 73 V. PREPARATIONS FOR THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN: ACTION FOR EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE .............................. 79 VI. PROVISIONAL AGENDA FOR THE THIRTY-EIGHTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION 85 VII. ADOPTION OF THE REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON ITS THIRTY-SEVENTH SESSION ...................................................... 86 VIII. ORGANIZATION OF THE SESSION .................................. 88 A. Opening and duration of the session ...................... 88 B. Attendance ............................................... 88 C. Election of officers ..................................... 88 D. Agenda and organization of work .......................... 89 E. Appointment of the members of the Working Group on Communications ........................................... 89 F. Friends of the Rapporteur ................................ 90 G. Consultation with non-governmental organizations ......... 90 Annexes I. ATTENDANCE ................................................... 91 II. LIST OF DOCUMENTS BEFORE THE COMMISSION AT ITS THIRTY-SEVENTH SESSION ...................................................... 95 Chapter I MATTERS CALLING FOR ACTION BY THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL OR BROUGHT TO ITS ATTENTION A. Draft resolutions 1. The Commission on the Status of Women recommends to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of the following draft resolutions: DRAFT RESOLUTION I Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat* The Economic and Social Council, Recalling Articles 1 and 101 of the Charter of the United Nations, Recalling also Article 8 of the Charter, which provides that the United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs, Recalling further the relevant paragraphs of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, 1/ especially paragraphs 79, 306, 315, 356 and 358, Recalling the relevant resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and other bodies that have continued to focus on this area since the adoption of Assembly resolution 2715 (XXV) of 15 December 1970, in which the question of the employment of women in the Professional category was first addressed, Noting with concern that the goal of a 30 per cent participation rate of women in posts subject to geographical distribution by the end of 1990 was not achieved, Noting also with concern that the participation rate of women in posts at the D-1 level and above remains unreasonably low, although some welcome improvements have been made in the form of recent appointments by the Secretary-General, Aware that a comprehensive policy aimed at preventing and combating sexual harassment should be an integral part of personnel policy, Commending the Secretary-General for his administrative instruction containing procedures for dealing with cases of sexual harassment, 2/ Recalling 14 December 1990, 45/239 C of 21 December 1990, 46/100 of 16 December 1991 and 47/93 of 16 December 1992 of a 35 per cent overall participation rate of women in posts subject to geographical distribution by 1995, Recalling also the goal set in General Assembly resolution 45/239 C of a 25 per cent participation rate of women in posts at the D-1 level and above by 1995, Bearing in mind that a visible commitment by the Secretary-General, especially during the continuing restructuring phase, is essential to the achievement of the targets set by the General Assembly, Welcoming the commitment of the Secretary-General, expressed in his statement to the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly on 6 November 1992 to bringing the gender balance in policy-level positions as close to 50:50 as possible, 3/ and his commitment, expressed in his message on the occasion of International Women's Day, to ensuring that the number of women in Professional posts in the Secretariat reflected the world population as a whole by the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations in 1995, 4/ Welcoming improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat contained in the report of the Secretary-General, 5/ Welcoming remove the obstacles to the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat, 6/ Welcoming 1993 and 1994 to improve the status of women in the Secretariat by 1995, 7/ 1. Urges designed to remove the obstacles to the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat, 6/ and notes that his visible commitment is essential to the achievement of the targets set by the General Assembly; 2. Also urges the Secretary-General to further examine existing work practices within the United Nations system with a view to increasing flexibility so as to remove direct or indirect discrimination against staff members with family responsibilities, including further consideration of such issues as job-sharing, flexible working hours, child-care arrangements, career break schemes and access to training; 3. Further urges the Secretary-General, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, to accord greater priority to the recruitment and promotion of women in posts subject to geographical distribution, particularly in senior policy-level and decision-making posts, in order to achieve the goals set in resolutions 45/125, 45/239 C, 46/100 and 47/93 of an overall participation rate of 35 per cent by 1995 and 25 per cent in posts at the D-1 level and above by 1995; 4. Strongly urges the Secretary-General to make further use of the opportunity offered by the United Nations reorganization process to promote more women into senior-level positions; 5. Urges the Secretary-General, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, to increase the number of women employed in the Secretariat from developing countries, particularly those that are unrepresented or underrepresented, and from other countries that have a low representation of women; 6. Strongly encourages Member States to support the efforts of the United Nations and the specialized agencies to increase the percentage of women in Professional posts, especially at the D-1 level and above, by identifying and submitting more women candidates, encouraging women to apply for vacant posts and creating national rosters of women candidates; 7. Requests the Secretary-General, within existing resources, to ensure that adequate machinery, with the authority of enforcement and the responsibility of accountability, including a senior-level official devoted to the implementation of the action programme and the recommendations in the report on obstacles to the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat, is maintained and strengthened during the course of the programme for the period 1991-1995; 8. Also requests the Secretary-General to further develop comprehensive policy measures aimed at the prevention of sexual harassment in the Secretariat; 9. Further requests the Secretary-General to ensure that a progress report containing, inter alia, policy measures aimed at the prevention of sexual harassment in the Secretariat is submitted to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-eighth session and to the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session and to ensure that it is issued in accordance with the six-weeks' rule for the circulation of documentation. * For the discussion, see chap. II. DRAFT RESOLUTION II Draft declaration on the elimination of violence against women* The Economic and Social Council, Recalling its previous resolutions on the elimination of violence against women, especially its resolutions 1991/18 of 30 May 1991 and 1992/18 of 30 July 1992 related to the elaboration of a United Nations declaration on the subject, Bearing in mind that the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women 1/ identify violence as a major obstacle to the achievement of the objectives of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, Recognizing that the elimination of violence against women is essential to the achievement of equality for women and is a requirement for the full respect of human rights, Convinced that a United Nations declaration on the elimination of violence against women would make a positive contribution to the achievement of full equality for women, Recognizing that the effective implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 8/ would contribute to the elimination of violence against women and that the declaration would strengthen and complement that process, 1. Expresses its appreciation to the experts, Member States and United Nations organizations that contributed to the elaboration of the draft declaration on the elimination of violence against women by the Expert Group Meeting on Violence against Women held at Vienna from 11 to 15 November 1991, 9/ and the Working Group on Violence against Women, held at Vienna from 3l August to 4 September 1992; 10/ 2. Urges declaration on the elimination of violence against women contained in the annex to the present resolution; 3. Urges Member States to adopt, strengthen and enforce legislation prohibiting violence against women and to take all appropriate administrative, social and educational measures to protect women from all forms of physical, sexual and psychological violence, whether occurring in public or private life, in accordance with the measures contained in the draft declaration; 4. Calls on States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women to continue to prepare their reports in accordance with general recommendation 19 on violence against women, adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women at its eleventh session; 11/ 5. Invites non-governmental organizations, to take all possible steps to implement the declaration, once adopted, to disseminate information on it and to promote its understanding; 6. Requests the Secretary-General to provide all facilities and assistance necessary, within existing resources, for the dissemination of information on the declaration, once adopted; 7. Also requests the Secretary-General to report, in consultation with Member States, to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-ninth session, in 1995, and to the Commission on Human Rights at its fifty-second session, in 1996, on the implementation of the Declaration, once adopted; 8. Urges Governments to include an evaluation of the impact of the Declaration, once adopted, in their preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, to be held at Beijing from 4 to 15 September 1995. * For the discussion, see chap. III. Annex Declaration on the elimination of violence against women The General Assembly, Recognizing the urgent need for the universal application to women of the rights and principles with regard to equality, security, liberty, integrity and dignity of all human persons, Noting that these rights and principles are enshrined in international instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 12/ the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 13/ the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 13/ the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 14/ and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, 15/ Recognizing Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women would contribute to the elimination of violence against women and that the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, annexed to the present resolution, will strengthen and complement that process, Concerned that violence against women is an obstacle to the achievement of equality, development and peace, as recognized in the Nairobi Forward- looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, 1/ which recommend a set of measures to combat violence against women, and to the full implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Affirming that violence against women both violates and impairs or nullifies the enjoyment by women of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and concerned about the long-standing failure to protect and promote these rights and freedoms in relation to violence against women, Recognizing that violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men and to the prevention of their full advancement, and that violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared to men, Concerned that some groups of women, such as women belonging to minority groups, indigenous women, refugee women, migrant women, women living in rural or remote communities, destitute women, women in institutions or in detention, female children, women with disabilities, elderly women and women in situations of armed conflict, are especially vulnerable to violence, Recalling Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/15 of 24 May 1990, in the annex to which it was recognized that violence against women in the family and society was pervasive and cut across lines of income, class and culture, and had to be matched by urgent and effective steps to eliminate its incidence, Recalling further Economic and Social Council resolution 1991/18 of 30 May 1991, in which the Council recommended the development of a framework for an international instrument that would address explicitly the issue of violence against women, Welcoming the role that women's movements have played in drawing increasing attention to the nature, severity and magnitude of the problem of violence against women, Alarmed that women's opportunities to achieve legal, social, political and economic equality in society are limited, inter alia, by continuing and endemic violence, Convinced that in the light of the above there is a need for a clear and comprehensive definition of violence against women, a clear statement of the rights to be applied to ensure the elimination of violence against women in all its forms, a commitment by States in respect of their responsibilities, and a commitment by the international community at large towards the elimination of violence against women, Solemnly proclaims the following Declaration and urges that every effort be made so that it becomes generally known and respected: Article 1 For the purposes of this Declaration, the term "violence against women" means any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life. Article 2 Violence against women shall be understood to encompass, but not be limited to, the following: (a) Physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring in the family, including battering, sexual abuse of female children in the household, dowry-related violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation; (b) Physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring within the general community, including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in women and forced prostitution; (c) Physical, sexual and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the State, wherever it occurs. Article 3 Women are entitled to the equal enjoyment and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field. These rights include, inter alia: (a) The right to life; 16/ (b) The right to equality; 17/ (c) The right to liberty and security of person; 18/ (d) The right to equal protection under the law; 19/ (e) The right to be free from all forms of discrimination; 19/ (f) The right to the highest standard attainable of physical and mental health; 20/ (g) The right to just and favourable conditions of work; 21/ (h) The right not to be subjected to torture, or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. 22/ Article States should condemn violence against women and should not invoke any custom, tradition or religious consideration to avoid their obligations with respect to its elimination. States should pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating violence against women and, to this end should: (a) Consider, where they have not yet done so, ratifying or acceding to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women or withdrawing reservations to that Convention; (b) Refrain from engaging in violence against women; (c) Exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and, in accordance with national legislation, punish acts of violence against women, whether those acts are perpetrated by the State or by private persons; (d) Develop penal, civil, labour and administrative sanctions in domestic legislation to punish and redress the wrongs caused to women who are subjected to violence; women who are subjected to violence should be provided with access to the mechanisms of justice and, as provided for by national legislation, to just and effective remedies for the harm that they have suffered; States should also inform women of their rights in seeking redress through such mechanisms; (e) Consider the possibility of developing national plans of action to promote the protection of women against any form of violence, or to include provisions for this purpose in plans already existing, taking into account, as appropriate, such cooperation as can be provided by non-governmental organizations, particularly those concerned with this subject; (f) Develop, in a comprehensive way, preventive approaches and all those measures of a legal, political, administrative and cultural nature that promote the protection of women against any form of violence, and ensure that the re-victimization of women does not occur because of gender-insensitive laws, enforcement practices or other interventions; (g) Work to ensure, to the maximum extent feasible in the light of their available resources and, where needed, within the framework of international cooperation, that women subjected to violence and, where appropriate, their children have specialized assistance, such as rehabilitation, assistance in child care and maintenance, treatment, counselling, health and social services, facilities and programmes, as well as support structures, and should take all other appropriate measures to promote their safety and physical and psychological rehabilitation; (h) Include in government budgets adequate resources for their activities related to the elimination of violence against women; (i) Take measures to ensure that law enforcement officers and public officials responsible for implementing policies to prevent, investigate and punish violence against women receive training to sensitize them to the needs of women; (j) Adopt all appropriate measures, especially in the field of education, to modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women and to eliminate prejudices, customary practices and all other practices based on the idea of the inferiority or superiority of either of the sexes and on stereotyped roles for men and women; (k) Promote research, collect data and compile statistics, especially concerning domestic violence, relating to the prevalence of different forms of violence against women and encourage research on the causes, nature, seriousness and consequences of violence against women and on the effectiveness of measures implemented to prevent and redress violence against women; these statistics and findings of the research will be made public; (l) Adopt measures directed to the elimination of violence against women who are especially vulnerable to violence; (m) Include, in submitting reports as required under relevant human rights instruments of the United Nations, information pertaining to violence against women and measures taken to implement the present Declaration; (n) Encourage the development of appropriate guidelines to assist in the implementation of the principles set forth in the present Declaration; (o) Recognize the important role of the women's movement and non-governmental organizations world wide in raising awareness and alleviating the problem of violence against women; (p) Facilitate and enhance the work of the women's movement and non-governmental organizations and cooperate with them at local, national and regional levels; (q) Encourage intergovernmental regional organizations of which they are members to include the elimination of violence against women in their programmes, as appropriate. Article 5 The organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system should, within their respective fields of competence, contribute to the recognition and realization of the rights and the principles set forth in the present Declaration, and to this end should, inter alia: (a) Foster international and regional cooperation with a view to defining regional strategies for combating violence, exchanging experiences and financing programmes relating to the elimination of violence against women; (b) Promote meetings and seminars with the aim of creating and raising the awareness among all persons in respect of the issue of the elimination of violence against women; (c) Foster coordination and exchange within the United Nations system between human rights treaty bodies to effectively address the matter; (d) Include in analyses prepared by bodies and agencies of the United Nations system of social trends and problems, such as the periodic reports on the world social situation, examination of trends in violence against women; (e) Encourage coordination between bodies and agencies of the United Nations system to incorporate the issue of violence against women into ongoing programmes, particularly with reference to groups of women particularly vulnerable to violence; (f) Promote the formulation of guidelines or manuals relating to violence against women, taking into account the measures mentioned herein; (g) Consider the issue of the elimination of violence against women, as appropriate, in fulfilling their mandates including with respect to the implementation of human rights instruments; (h) Cooperate with non-governmental organizations in addressing violence against women. Article 6 Nothing in the present Declaration shall affect any provision that is more conducive to the elimination of violence against women that may be contained in the legislation of a State or in any international convention, treaty or other instrument in force in a State. DRAFT RESOLUTION III Communications on the status of women* The Economic and Social Council, Recalling its resolutions 76 (V) of 5 August 1947 and 304 I (XI) of 14 and 17 July 1950, which form the basis for the mandate of the Commission on the Status of Women to receive at each of its regular sessions a list of confidential and non-confidential communications relating to the status of women, Taking into consideration its resolution 1983/27 of 26 May 1983, in which it reaffirmed the mandate of the Commission to consider confidential and non-confidential communications on the status of women and authorized the Commission to appoint a working group to consider communications, with a view to bringing to the attention of the Commission those communications, including the replies of Governments, which appeared to reveal a consistent pattern of reliably attested injustice and discriminatory practices against women, Reaffirming that discrimination against women is incompatible with human dignity and that women and men should participate on the basis of equality, irrespective of race or creed, in the social, economic and political processes of their countries, Recalling its resolution 1990/8 of 24 May 1990, by which it requested the Secretary-General to examine, in consultation with Governments, the existing mechanisms for communications on the status of women, in order to ensure that such communications received effective and appropriately coordinated consideration in view of the role of communications in the work of the Commission, and to report thereon to the Commission at its thirty-fifth session, Recalling also its resolution 1992/19 of 30 July 1992, in which it requested the Secretary-General to publicize widely the existence and scope of the communications mechanism of the Commission and to ensure proper coordination of the activities of the Commission in this area with those of the other bodies of the Council and requested the Commission to consider ways of making the procedure for receiving and considering communications, including the standard of admissibility, more transparent and efficient, Noting the conclusion of the Working Group on Communications on the Status of Women, in its report to the Commission at its thirty-fifth session 23/ that, while the communications procedure provided a valuable source of information on the effects of discrimination on the lives of women, it should be improved to make it more efficient and useful, and that clear criteria for receiving communications should be given, 1. Reaffirms that the Commission on the Status of Women is empowered to make recommendations to the Economic and Social Council on what action should be taken on emerging trends and patterns of discrimination against women revealed by such communications; 2. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to publicize widely the existence and scope of the communications mechanism of the Commission using all available media; 3. Further requests the Secretary-General to continue to support the activities of the Commission with regard to its consideration of communications and to ensure proper coordination of the activities of the Commission in this area and those of the other bodies of the Council; 4. Invites the Commission to take into account the report of the Secretary-General on examining mechanisms for communications on the status of women, 24/ submitted to the Commission at its thirty-fifth session, to consider ways of making the existing procedure for receiving and considering communications more effective; 5. Invites each regional group to appoint, one week before each session of the Commission, a member of the Working Group on Communications on the Status of Women; 6. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Commission at its thirty-eighth session on the ways in which the communications mechanism of the Commission has been publicized; 7. Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure that any costs resulting from the activities set out in the present resolution are kept to a minimum and that the activities are carried out within existing resources. * For the discussion, see chap. III. DRAFT RESOLUTION IV Women, environment and development* The Economic and Social Council, Taking into account General Assembly resolution 46/167 of 19 December 1991 on women, environment, population and sustainable development, in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to include in the report on the effective mobilization and integration of women in development, to be submitted to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session, a section on the role of women in environment and sustainable development, Recalling Commission on the Status of Women resolution 36/6 of 20 March 1992, in which the Commission, inter alia, urged Governments to adopt laws, policies and programmes to promote women's participation in the preservation of the environment, and invited the Governments of donor countries, international organizations and relevant non-governmental organizations to ensure that greater attention was given to women's contributions to environmental protection and management in their cooperation with and assistance to developing countries, 25/ Welcoming the Assembly took note of the decision of the Secretary-General to establish a new Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, headed at the Under-Secretary-General level and called upon the Secretary-General to establish a clearly identifiable, highly qualified and competent secretariat support structure for the Commission on Sustainable Development, the Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development and the High-level Advisory Board, taking into account gender balance at all levels, Welcoming the inclusion of principle 20 in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, adopted by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, 26/ according to which women have a vital role in environmental management and development and their full participation is therefore essential to achieving sustainable development, and the integration of gender issues into Agenda 21, 27/ including the special focus on women in chapter 24 of Agenda 21, Noting that in Agenda 21, paragraph 24.9, it is recommended that the Secretary-General review the adequacy of all United Nations institutions in meeting development and environment objectives, consider how the environment and development programmes of each body of the United Nations system could be strengthened to implement Agenda 21, consider how to incorporate the role of women in programmes and decisions related to sustainable development, and, in particular, make recommendations to strengthen the capacities of United Nations entities with a special focus on women, such as the Division for the Advancement of Women of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat, the United Nations Development Fund for Women and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, Noting also the recommendations and objectives proposed for Governments in Agenda 21, chapter 24, including the objective, contained in paragraph 24.2 (d), to establish by 1995 mechanisms at the national, regional and international levels to assess the implementation and impact of development and environment policies and programmes on women and to ensure their contributions and benefits, Recognizing that the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace will provide significant opportunities for reviewing the current status of women and for establishing priorities for future action, including action in relation to environment and development, 1. Urges the Commission on Sustainable Development, the Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development and the High-level Advisory Board to develop appropriate mechanisms to ensure that the objectives and activities relating to the role of women in sustainable development, both as agents and as beneficiaries, in Agenda 21 are supported, the objectives are met and activities and other recommended actions are implemented and that Governments and all relevant United Nations entities monitor and report on the subject; 2. Requests the Secretary-General to include information on the subject in the section on the role of women in environment and sustainable development in his report on the effective mobilization and integration of women in development that is to be submitted to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 46/167; 3. Urges Governments to take into account and to implement the recommendations in Agenda 21 in order to ensure the participation of women in developing, and making decisions on, policies and programmes relating to environmental management and sustainable development; 4. Requests Governments to include in their reports to the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace information on the extent to which the objectives for Governments proposed in Agenda 21, chapter 24, relating to women, have been met and the activities recommended in that chapter have been implemented; 5. Agrees to review the current and planned activities of the Commission on the Status of Women in order to determine which recommendations in Agenda 21 relating to women are already being included in those activities and to consider how the others might be incorporated in future activities of the Commission, including the preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women; 6. Requests the Commission on the Status of Women to examine, in its discussion on the preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women at its thirty-eighth session, the recommendations in Agenda 21 relating to women, with a view to: (a) Identifying ways of facilitating implementation of the recommendations, including consideration of the role of Governments, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations; (b) Considering ways in which the Commission on the Status of Women might cooperate with and provide support for the Commission on Sustainable Development in ensuring the effective integration of issues on the status of women in its programme of work. DRAFT RESOLUTION V Women and children under apartheid* The Economic and Social Council, Recalling its resolution 1992/15 of 30 July 1992, Reaffirming the provisions of the Declaration on Apartheid and its Destructive Consequences in Southern Africa, contained in the annex to General Assembly resolution S-16/1 of 14 December 1989, Recalling General Assembly resolution 47/95 of 16 December 1992, Alarmed by the grave socio-economic deprivation to which the majority of the people, especially the women and children, are subjected as a direct consequence of apartheid, Deeply concerned about the politically motivated violence that has to date claimed thousands of lives and has left hundreds of thousands of people homeless, the majority of whom are women and children, especially in Natal and Transvaal provinces, Noting the positive changes initiated by the South African authorities aimed at dismantling apartheid, which were the result of the relentless struggle waged by the people of South Africa as well as of the pressure exerted by the international community, Welcoming the progress made by the Conference for a Democratic South Africa, and encouraging the multi-party forum to discuss and debate the political dispensation and future of a democratic, non-racial, non-sexist South Africa, Concerned at the fact that women are not integrated in the ongoing attempts to resolve the problems of South Africa by peaceful means, as envisaged in the Declaration on Apartheid, and stressing the need to ensure their full participation in that process by, inter alia, directly involving the gender advisory committee in the multi-party forum, Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on women and children living under apartheid, 28/ in which it is mentioned that the Government of South Africa signed on 29 January 1993 a number of conventions aimed at promoting and implementing fundamental rights and freedoms without distinction as to sex, namely, the Convention on the Political Rights of Women, 29/ the Convention on the Nationality of Married Women, 30/ the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 31/ the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 32/ and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 33/ Noting draft bill on the promotion of equal opportunities and concerned that it failed to deal with questions of substantive sexism that are integral to the problems of poverty, ignorance and disempowerment, Convinced that the present legal system requires structural changes to be relevant to a new and just South Africa and that the draft bill should represent the views and experiences of those mostly affected by it, Recognizing that the equality of women and men cannot be achieved without the success of the struggle towards a united, non-racist, non-sexist and democratic South Africa, Commending the role played by the United Nations, particularly the Centre against Apartheid and the Division for the Advancement of Women of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat, in helping South African women to participate fully in the process of establishing a non-racist, non-sexist democracy in South Africa, 1. Commends those women both inside and outside South Africa who have resisted oppression and have remained steadfast in their opposition to apartheid; 2. Demands the immediate and unconditional release of any political prisoners and detainees, among whom are women and children, in accordance with the undertaking of the South African authorities; 3. Urges those involved in the multi-party forum to place high on their agenda issues concerning women such as freedom, justice and equality, development and the environment; 4. Appeals to all countries and United Nations bodies, in conformity with General Assembly resolution 46/79 of 13 December 1991 and in consultation with liberation movements, to increase their support for educational, health, vocational training and employment opportunities for women and children living under apartheid; 5. Requests the Centre against Apartheid to widen and strengthen its cooperation with the Division for the Advancement of Women of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat, with a view to creating specific programmes of assistance to South African women to enable them to participate fully in the process of transition of their country towards a non-racist democracy; 6. Appeals to the international community to give its full and concerted support to the vulnerable and critical process now under way in South Africa through a phased application of appropriate pressures on the South African authorities as warranted by developments and to provide assistance to the opponents of apartheid and the disadvantaged sectors of society in order to ensure the rapid and peaceful attainment of the objectives of the Declaration on Apartheid and its Destructive Consequences in Southern Africa; 7. Further requests the international community to provide financial, material and human resources to South African women towards the establishment of special programmes and projects geared to women's integration and advancement now and in post-apartheid South Africa; 8. Calls upon the Secretary-General to consolidate the United Nations observer mission already deployed in South Africa to monitor and report on the unprecedented proportion of incidents of political and domestic violence directed against women and children from a variety of sources; 9. Decides that the Commission on the Status of Women should remain seized of the question of women and children living under apartheid; 10. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-eighth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution. * For the discussion, see chap. III. DRAFT RESOLUTION VI Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women* The Economic and Social Council, Bearing in mind that the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 34/ is the most important international human rights instrument for the promotion of equality between women and men, Welcoming the growing number of States parties to the Convention, which now stands at one hundred and twenty, Noting with concern that the Convention is still the human rights instrument with the most reservations, despite the fact that some States parties have withdrawn their reservations to it, Noting the importance of the monitoring function of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, as demonstrated most recently by the Committee at its twelfth session, at which the Committee adopted suggestion 4 on the World Conference on Human Rights and also adopted, in substance, and decided to place on the provisional agenda of its thirteenth session for final approval without discussion, a draft general recommendation on article 16 and related articles 9 and 15 of the Convention, to be its contribution to the International Year of the Family, Recalling General Assembly resolution 47/94 of 16 December 1992, Recalling its resolution 1991/25 of 30 May 1991 and other General Assembly and Economic and Social Council resolutions relating to support for the Committee, Noting that the annual session of the Committee is the shortest of all the annual sessions of the human rights treaty bodies, Welcoming the expressed intention of the Committee to strengthen the analysis of country reports provided to it, 1. Supports the request of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women for additional meeting time for its future sessions, as allocated to it for its twelfth and thirteenth sessions; 2. Welcomes suggestion 4 on the World Conference on Human Rights, adopted by the Committee at its twelfth session, and the draft general recommendation adopted, in substance by the Committee at that session, both of which were submitted to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-seventh session, and encourages the Committee to continue its work in developing detailed general recommendations; 3. Requests States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women to review regularly their reservations and make efforts to withdraw them in order to enable the full implementation of the Convention; 4. Urges the Secretary-General to continue to widely publicize the decisions and recommendations of the Committee. * For the discussion, see chap. III. DRAFT RESOLUTION VII Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women* The Economic and Social Council, Having considered with appreciation the report of the Secretary-General on the situation of Palestinian women in the occupied territory 35/ and previous reports concerning the situation of Palestinian women inside and outside the occupied Palestinian territory, Recalling the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, 1/ in particular paragraph 260 thereof, Recalling also its resolution 1992/16 of 21 July 1992 and its other relevant resolutions, Deeply concerned about the additional suffering of women and children living under occupation, Expressing special concern about the tragic situation of the Palestinian women in the occupied Palestinian territory, which has been dangerously deteriorating at all levels, Deeply alarmed by the deteriorating condition of Palestinian women and children in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, as a result of the continued Israeli violation of Palestinian human rights and oppressive measures, including collective punishments, curfews, demolition of houses, closure of schools and universities, mass deportation, confiscation of land and settlement activities and denial of family unification, which are illegal and contrary to the relevant provisions of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, 36/ 1. Reaffirms integration in the national development plan can be achieved only through the termination of the Israeli occupation and the attainment of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people; 2. Demands that Israel, the occupying Power, accept the de jure applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, to the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and to respect the provisions of the Convention; 3. Appeals to Governments, financial organizations of the United Nations system, non-governmental organizations and other relevant institutions to provide financial assistance to Palestinian women towards the creation of specific projects for them, in support of their attempts to achieve full integration in the development process of their society; 4. Requests the Commission on the Status of Women to continue monitoring the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, in particular paragraph 260 concerning assistance to Palestinian women; 5. Requests the Secretary-General to assist in and review the situation of Palestinian women using all available resources, including missions of experts to the occupied Palestinian territory and to submit to the Commission, at its thirty-eighth session, a report on the implementation of the present resolution, containing recommendations and a programme of action aimed at improving the condition of Palestinian women under Israeli occupation. * For the discussion, see chap. III. B. Draft decisions 2. The Commission on the Status of Women recommends to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of the following draft decisions: DRAFT DECISION I Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its thirty-seventh session and provisional agenda and documentation for the thirty-eighth session of the Commission* The Economic and Social Council takes note of the report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its thirty-seventh session and approves the provisional agenda and documentation for the thirty-eighth session of the Commission set out below. PROVISIONAL AGENDA AND DOCUMENTATION FOR THE THIRTY-EIGHTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN 1. Election of officers. (Legislative authority: rule 15 of the rules of procedure of the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council) 2. Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters. (Legislative authority: Economic and Social Council resolution 1894 (LVII); rules 5 and 7 of the rules of procedure of the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council) 3. Programming and coordination matters related to the United Nations and the United Nations system. (Legislative authority: Programme planning regulation 4.12; General Assembly resolutions 45/125, 45/239 C, 46/100, 47/93; Economic and Social Council resolutions 1988/60, 1989/30, 1989/105; draft resolution I above) Documentation Report of the Secretary-General containing updated information on the status of women in the Secretariat and a comprehensive policy on measures aimed at the prevention of sexual harassment in the Secretariat For information Report of the Secretary-General on the status of women in the Secretariat (A/48/ ) 4. Monitoring the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women. (Legislative authority: General Assembly resolutions 34/180, 44/77, 45/124, 45/129, 46/79, 47/94, 47/95; Economic and Social Council resolutions 1983/27, 1990/8, 1992/15, 1992/16, 1992/17; Commission resolution 34/1, draft resolution III above and Commission resolution 37/3) Documentation Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women Report of the Secretary-General on women and children under apartheid Report of the Secretary-General on the ways in which the communications mechanism of the Commission has been publicized Note by the Secretary-General transmitting a list of confidential and non-confidential communications concerning the status of women For information Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on its twelfth session (A/48/ ) Report of the Secretary-General on the status of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (A/48/ ) Reports of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the former Yugoslavia. 5. Priority themes. (Legislative authority: Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/15) (a) Equality: Equal pay for work of equal value, including methodologies for measurement of pay inequities and work in the informal sector (b) Development: Women in urban areas: population, nutrition and health factors for women in development, including migration, drug consumption and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (c) Peace: Measures to eradicate violence against women in the family and society Documentation Report of the Secretary-General on equal pay for work of equal value, including methodologies for measurement of pay inequities and work in the informal sector Report of the Secretary-General entitled "Women in urban areas: population, nutrition and health factors for women in development, including migration, drug consumption and acquired immune deficiency syndrome" Report of the Secretary-General on measures to eradicate violence against women in the family and society 6. Preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace. (Legislative authority: General Assembly resolutions 44/171, 45/129, 46/98; Economic and Social Council resolutions 1987/20, 1990/9, 1990/12, 1990/15; Commission resolutions 35/4, 36/8 and 37/7) Documentation Report of the Secretary-General on preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women (1995) Report of the Secretary-General on the final version of the update of the World Survey on the Role of Women in Development Report of the Secretary-General on the draft rules of procedure for the Fourth World Conference on Women Report of the Secretary-General on the first draft of the Platform for Action Report of the Secretary-General on existing technical and financial cooperation targeting programmes in favour of women, as well as guidelines for a comprehensive plan to overcome constraints and increase such cooperation Report of the Secretary-General on institutional arrangements for the implementation of the Platform for Action and for the programme on the advancement of women and an appraisal of options for considering the item at the Fourth World Conference on Women 7. Provisional agenda for the thirty-ninth session of the Commission. 8. Adoption of the report of the Commission on its thirty-eighth session. * For the discussion, see chap. VI. DRAFT DECISION II Inter-sessional working group of the Commission on the Status of Women on the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace* The Economic and Social Council, taking into account the need to provide the Commission on the Status of Women with the necessary time to complete the draft Platform for Action for further consideration by the Commission and regional preparatory conferences, and bearing in mind the urgency of the need for national preparatory committees and regional preparatory conferences to consider the draft Platform for Action, Decides that an inter-sessional working group of the Commission on the Status of Women should be convened for a period of five working days during the first two weeks of January 1994, open to all Member States and observer States, to further develop the structure of the Platform for Action contained in the annex to Commission resolution 37/7. * For the discussion, see chap. V. C. Resolutions of the Commission brought to the attention of the Council 3. The following resolutions adopted by the Commission are brought to the attention of the Council: Resolution 37/1. Preliminary proposals for the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period 1996-2001* The Commission on the Status of Women, Bearing in mind that the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period 1990-1995 (E/1987/52) has yet to be evaluated, Bearing in mind that the United Nations planning cycle to which the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women was matched has changed and that there has been a general shift to a more strategic form of planning, Recognizing that the Platform for Action to emerge from the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace cannot be reflected in the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period 1996-2001, which must be approved in 1993, Having been informed that the Ad hoc Inter-agency Meeting on Women, at its seventeenth session, held from 15 to 16 March 1993, recommended that the United Nations system consider the establishment of a new kind of mechanism that would allow system-wide planning that was more dynamic and flexible with a shorter time-period and that would serve as a more useful instrument for coordination within the system, Noting that programme 7 (The role of women in sustainable development) of the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period 1996-2001 has yet to be reformulated in the light of Agenda 21, 37/ Noting Women to make comments and suggestions regarding any necessary changes to the draft system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period 1996-2001, 1. Recommends that the Economic and Social Council request the Secretary-General to revise the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period 1996-2001 after the Platform for Action and the second review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women have been formulated and adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, in 1995; 2. Recommends that the Secretary-General ensure that any revised system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women be more concise, take account of the changes in the United Nations planning cycle, take a more strategic approach highlighting policy implications, and include more substantial strategies, time-frames, concrete measures, resources and allocation of responsibility for implementation; 3. Recommends that the Commission on the Status of Women be given responsibility for monitoring progress on the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women; 4. Recommends that all United Nations entities be held accountable for the components of the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women falling within their areas of responsibility; 5. Recommends that the Secretary-General take into account the detailed comments annexed to the present resolution in formulating the final text of the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period 1996-2001, to be submitted to the Economic and Social Council in 1993. * For the discussion, see chap. II. Annex COMMENTS ON THE SYSTEM-WIDE MEDIUM-TERM PLAN FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN FOR THE PERIOD 1996-2001 A. General comments The issues raised in Commission on the Status of Women resolution 35/4, paragraph 3, should be taken up in a more substantive manner in the draft system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period 1996-2001. That paragraph reads as follows: "The Commission on the Status of Women, "... "3. Decides further that the programme of action should continue to focus on equality, development and peace and should include the following elements: "(a) The strengthening of efforts at the national and international levels, taking into account the circumstances in each country, to increase awareness among men and women of women's rights under international conventions and national law; "(b) The implementation of special measures to increase the proportion of women involved in decision-making in the economic, social and political spheres; "(c) The strengthening of world-wide efforts to end illiteracy among women and girls by the year 2000; "(d) The establishment of specific programmes for improving the conditions of women and girls living in poverty, particularly those living in extreme poverty, by, inter alia, adequate training to develop their skills and capabilities; "(e) The establishment of specific programmes aimed at improving women's and girls' health by ensuring them access to adequate maternal health care, family planning and nutrition; "(f) The implementation of policies to prevent, control and reduce violence against women and girls in the family, the workplace and society; "(g) The establishment or strengthening of national institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women; "(h) The establishment of special programmes aimed at meeting the specific needs of refugee, displaced and migrant women and girls and those living in conflict areas; "(i) The elaboration of ways and means of using new and high technologies, as well as scientific research, to benefit women." B. Other comments The Commission on the Status of Women should call for the following: (a) Giving more attention to system-wide coordination by, inter alia, defining parameters by which other agencies can measure the effect on their programmes to implement the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women and the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women, for the period 1996-2001; (b) Giving more attention to strengthening national machinery for the advancement of women; (c) Having strategies that go beyond research and place more emphasis on making existing research accessible to interested entities and decision makers; (d) Making research action-oriented; (e) Having a representative group drawn from among the national machinery examine the strategies proposed in the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period 1996-2001 (e.g., E/CN.6/1993/9 paras. 30, 48-52 and 129) for their validity; (f) Giving more attention to the development of institutional capacity, awareness, commitment and competence; (g) Articulating a vision and overall strategy to ensure that all entities include in their planning: (i) Consistent application of gender-analysis methodology; (ii) Consultation; (iii) Participatory research; (iv) Gender sensitization and training; (h) Substantially reworking programmes; (i) Having programme objectives that make linkages between development and women's roles and rights; (j) Giving more attention to the lack of economic recognition of women's work; (k) Focusing more strongly on the impact of micro- and macroeconomic reform on women; (l) Giving more attention to the needs of indigenous women, ageing women and women with disabilities; (m) Giving more appropriate coverage of population and reproductive health issues; (n) Giving more attention in programme 1 (Elimination of legal and attitudinal forms of discrimination) to the elimination of gender bias in the application of the law; (o) Giving more attention to the alleviation of poverty; (p) Giving more attention to civil and political rights; (q) Recognizing the provisions and implications of the draft declaration on the elimination of violence against women (E/CN.6/1993/12, annex, appendix I) when it is adopted; (r) Giving greater attention to the implications of women's involvement in the informal sector; (s) Giving greater attention to part-time, temporary and casual work and to the need for further work on ensuring that such employment attracts equitable pay and conditions; (t) Using the term "gender" rather than "sex" in any revised document, when appropriate; (u) Programme 2 (Productive resources, income and employment) to be revised to cater more effectively to the needs of women in developing countries. Resolution 37/2. Inter-agency coordination* The Commission on the Status of Women, Considering the efforts being made on behalf of women by the United Nations through its various entities, Taking into account the need to guarantee the effectiveness of the investment inherent in those efforts, especially in programmes of international, regional and national cooperation for women, Recognizing that enhanced communication, coordination and cooperation between United Nations entities with programmes relating to women would reinforce initiatives for cooperation among countries, Calling attention to the desirability that United Nations entities take advantage of the benefits of inter-agency coordination, given the growing constraints on resources intended for women's programmes, Affirming the need to disseminate widely and fully among United Nations entities a common understanding of gender-focused planning, in order to achieve a systematic approach to their actions and proposals regarding initiatives related to women, Recommends that the Secretary-General: (a) Further promote and institutionalize, to the extent possible, coordination of the initiatives of United Nations entities in respect of programmes related to women in order to avoid duplication and gaps; (b) Promote acceptance of gender-focused strategic planning in all the United Nations specialized agencies, including all their decision-making bodies concerned with women; (c) Assign to the Division for the Advancement of Women of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat responsibility for coordinating activities leading to the establishment of an official common definition of gender-focused planning for the United Nations system and for promoting its acceptance in agencies of that system. * For the discussion, see chap. II. Resolution 37/3. Rape and abuse of women in the territory of the former Yugoslavia* The Commission on the Status of Women, Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 38/ the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 39/ and other relevant human rights instruments, Welcoming Commission on Human Rights resolution 1993/8 of 23 February 1993, Appalled at the recurring and substantiated reports of widespread rape and abuse of women and children in the former Yugoslavia, in particular the systematic use of those practices against Muslim women and children in Bosnia and Herzegovina by Serbian forces, Welcoming the initiative taken by the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, particularly his prompt dispatch to the former Yugoslavia of a team of experts, including a member of the Division for the Advancement of Women of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat, to investigate the allegations of rape and abuse of women, 1. Strongly condemns the abhorrent practices of rape and abuse of women and children in the former Yugoslavia, which, in the circumstances, constitutes a war crime; 2. Expresses its outrage that the systematic practice of rape is being used as a weapon of war, in particular against Muslim women and children, and as an instrument of the policy of "ethnic cleansing" that is being carried out in Bosnia and Herzegovina by Serbian forces and that rape has also been used as an instrument of "ethnic cleansing" in Croatia; 3. Welcomes the request of the Commission on Human Rights to the Special Rapporteur to pursue an investigation into the rape and abuse of women and children in the former Yugoslavia, including the dispatch of a qualified team of experts; 4. Urges the Special Rapporteur to include in the team of experts a representative of the Division for the Advancement of Women, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women or both; 5. Welcomes Security Council resolution 808 (1993) of 22 February 1993, establishing an international criminal tribunal to try cases involving violations of international humanitarian law occurring within the territory of the former Yugoslavia, and urges the Security Council to reflect gender balance in the composition of the tribunal; 6. Urges all States and all relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to consider long-term action-oriented plans and programmes and the provision of adequate financial resources for the physical, social and psychological rehabilitation of women and children subjected to rape and other forms of violence, utilizing where possible community self-help groups; 7. Also urges all States and all relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to ensure that counselling and other support for women subjected to rape and other types of violence form an integral part of health and welfare services in order to encourage women to avail themselves of such assistance; 8. Requests the Secretary-General to make available to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-eighth session the reports of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the former Yugoslavia. * For the discussion, see chap. II. Resolution 37/4. World Conference on Human Rights* The Commission on the Status of Women, Conscious of the importance of the international instruments and standards, particularly the specific guarantees set forth in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 39/ and the mechanisms established by the United Nations for the promotion, protection and implementation of human rights and their full enjoyment by women, Recalling the importance of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women 1/ to the enjoyment by women of their human rights, Convinced that women's contribution to the ways and means of promoting all human rights for women, men and children alike is invaluable to the achievement of a dignified life for all, Recognizing that all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights and fundamental freedoms are universal, inalienable, indivisible and interrelated and, as such, must be applied and be of benefit to all women without discrimination and must therefore be approached from a gender perspective, Noting with satisfaction the resolutions referring to women's rights adopted in regional meetings as part of the preparatory process for the World Conference on Human Rights, especially resolution 13 entitled "Protection of the rights of women", adopted at the African regional meeting held at Tunis from 2 to 6 November 1992, Welcoming Commission on Human Rights resolution 1993/46 of 8 March 1993, entitled "Integrating the rights of women into the human rights mechanisms of the United Nations", and resolution 1992/4 of 14 August 1992 of the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, entitled "Discrimination against women", Fully recognizing women's democratic rights in society and emphasizing the importance of equal access to all aspects of development activities, in particular to education and training, health care, employment, and the use of technologies, Concerned that women in all regions continue to be discriminated against, because of their sex, in terms of being able to recognize, exercise and enjoy human rights and are subject to specific forms of violence such as those listed in the draft declaration on the elimination of violence against women (E/CN.6/1993/12, annex, appendix I), Decides to present to the Preparatory Committee for the World Conference on Human Rights the contribution set out below and urges Member States participating in the Preparatory Committee at its fourth session and in the World Conference on Human Rights to ensure that women's rights and concerns are considered under all the substantive items of the provisional agenda for the World Conference annexed to General Assembly resolution 47/122 of 18 December 1992. * For the discussion, see chap. III. WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND CONCERNS TO BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SUBSTANTIVE ITEMS OF THE PROVISIONAL AGENDA FOR THE WORLD CONFERENCE ON HUMAN RIGHTS I. ITEM 9: GENERAL DEBATE ON THE PROGRESS MADE IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN RIGHTS SINCE THE ADOPTION OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND ON THE IDENTIFICATION OF OBSTACLES TO FURTHER PROGRESS IN THIS AREA AND WAYS IN WHICH THEY CAN BE OVERCOME 1. The prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sex is a part of all human rights instruments. Underdevelopment, certain social and traditional practices and cultural patterns and all forms of violence and extremism create obstacles to the full realization by women of all of their rights. Human rights are universal and indivisible and should apply to women and men equally. Violations of the human rights of women have not been fully dealt with by the overall mechanism of human rights instruments, the means for recourse in the case of violations are not adequate and the process of achieving de facto equality has been slow. 2. The work of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in advancing a multidisciplinary gender-based approach to the enjoyment of human rights, empowering women in the spirit of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, 1/ has made progress in overcoming obstacles related to gender. II. ITEM 10: CONSIDERATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT, DEMOCRACY AND THE UNIVERSAL ENJOYMENT OF ALL HUMAN RIGHTS, KEEPING IN VIEW THE INTERRELATIONSHIP AND INDIVISIBILITY OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, CULTURAL, CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS 3. Ensuring the promotion of development and equal enjoyment of universal human rights for women should be emphasized under item 10 of the provisional agenda for the World Conference on Human Rights. The role of women in sustainable development as adopted in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development 40/ should be implemented. 4. Moreover, democracy implies that all women and men have the right and responsibility to participate equally in political, civil, economic, social and cultural life; unless women are able to participate on the same basis, democracy cannot be secured. 5. It is accordingly recommended to the World Conference that: (a) All necessary steps be taken to develop a political, economic, social and cultural environment conducive to the full integration of women in sustainable development; (b) The necessary steps be taken to increase cooperation between developing and developed countries in order to enhance the role of women in development, promote the full and equitable participation of women in partnership with men as active agents and beneficiaries in all development activities, particularly at all levels of decision-making; (c) Special attention should be given to the problems of women in situations of extreme poverty and of rural women, as concluded by the Summit on the Economic Advancement of Rural Women held at Geneva on 25 and 26 February 1992; (d) Efforts should be intensified to ensure the participation of women on an equal footing with men in all national and local government bodies and to achieve equity in the appointment, election and promotion of women to high posts in executive, legislative and judiciary branches of these bodies. III. ITEM 11: CONSIDERATION OF CONTEMPORARY TRENDS IN AND NEW CHALLENGES TO THE FULL REALIZATION OF ALL HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND MEN, INCLUDING THOSE OF PERSONS BELONGING TO VULNERABLE GROUPS 6. More attention should be given to the problem of violence against women. In the draft declaration on the elimination of violence against women (E/CN.6/1993/12, annex, appendix I), it is affirmed that violence against women both violates and impairs or nullifies the enjoyment by women of human rights. 7. In addition, attention should be given to the contemporary trend of seeing the realization of human rights from a gender perspective. 8. Accordingly, it is recommended: (a) That the World Conference take into account in its deliberations the draft declaration on the elimination of violence against women; (b) That Member States ensure equitable participation of women and men in their delegations to the World Conference and integrate women's rights issues in their national preparations for the World Conference; (c) That all national, regional, intergovernmental and international organizations promote the full participation of women, especially at all levels of the decision-making process, in their activities; (d) That, in the preparations for the World Conference, the rights of all women, including women with disabilities, be included at all levels of participation, including physical accessibility as well as access to information and communication, and in decisions of the Conference; (e) That a comprehensive gender perspective should be always applied when considering de jure and de facto enjoyment of human rights. IV. ITEM 12 (c): RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENHANCING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF UNITED NATIONS ACTIVITIES AND MECHANISMS 9. The valuable work of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in monitoring and implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 39/ and the relationship between the Committee and the Commission on the Status of Women should be recognized. It is recommended that the World Conference take the following measures: (a) Women's rights and concerns should be fully integrated into the implementation of universal human rights and the gender approach should be applied in the work of all human rights bodies and instruments, and this process should be periodically reviewed and evaluated; (b) Member States should ensure equitable representation of women and men as members of all treaty bodies and working groups and in the appointment of special and thematic rapporteurs; (c) All human rights treaty bodies should be placed on the same footing and, accordingly, the United Nations General Assembly should consider ways and means of increasing the meeting time of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, taking into account the specific needs to fulfil its mandate; (d) Coordination and cooperation between the Commission on Human Rights and the Commission on the Status of Women, as well as between the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and other human rights treaty bodies and national machinery should be improved by, inter alia, mutual representation; (e) Reservations in all human rights treaties should be carefully examined, especially those that might raise questions concerning their compatibility with the object and purpose of the treaties; (f) The Commission on Human Rights at its fiftieth session should consider appointing a special rapporteur on violence against women; (g) The gender perspective should be included in human rights education at all levels and efforts should be made to increase the awareness of women and men of women's rights under international conventions and national law including legal literacy; (h) The monitoring work and participation of the non-governmental organizations with expertise in human rights and/or development issues concerning women, especially those in developing countries, should be recognized, through their national machinery, and should be encouraged and utilized in the implementation of human rights instruments; (i) The participation of non-governmental organizations, including those concerned with women's rights, should be supported in the World Conference and adequate communication between the non-governmental organization meetings and the World Conference should be guaranteed. Resolution 37/5. Women and legal literacy* The Commission on the Status of Women, Guided by Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/15 of 24 May 1990, in which the Council selected the issue of increased awareness by women of their rights under international conventions and national law, including legal literacy, as a priority theme in the area of equality to be considered by the Commission on the Status of Women, Guided also by the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, 1/ in particular, paragraphs 43 to 92 thereof, Noting that the lack of awareness of women's rights is a critical area of concern in the proposed Platform for Action under preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, to be held at Beijing from 4 to 15 September 1995, Emphasizing that literacy and increased awareness by women and men of women's legal rights under international conventions and national law and the ability of women to access and use legal systems to secure their rights are essential to the promotion, protection and improvement of the status of women and the full realization of equality, Expressing concern that, despite progress, there remains a significant percentage of illiteracy among girls and women and that the rate of illiteracy among women is considerably higher than that among men, Recalling the World Conference on Education for All: Meeting Basic Learning Needs, held at Jomtien, Thailand, from 5 to 9 March 1990, and noting the follow-up work to that Conference that is being done, Noting with concern that in some States multiple legal systems coexist and that rights conferred under civil law may be undercut by their absence in customary law when customary law is given equal status, Also noting with concern that some customary and traditional views regarding women contribute to discrimination against women and to gender insensitivity in judicial and administrative systems and processes, Recognizing the importance of the use of equality legislation, national institutions and special mechanisms to promote legal literacy both nationally and internationally, Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General (E/CN.6/1993/2) on increased awareness of women of their rights, including legal literacy, submitted to the Commission at its thirty-seventh session, Noting with appreciation the efforts of the expert group on increased awareness by women of their rights, including legal literacy, which met at Bratislava from 18 to 22 May 1992 (E/CN.6/1993/2, annex), Stressing that successful legal literacy and legal services and support programmes require cooperation between all levels of government and non-governmental organizations, Also stressing the role that the reporting systems of the international human rights treaties can play in promoting national and international awareness of women's rights at all levels and in disseminating information on ways and means of promoting legal literacy for women, Bearing in mind the important role that non-governmental organizations have played in promoting legal literacy and services programmes and that their experiences serve as models for future programmes, Recognizing the pioneering work done by researchers in women's law in various States aimed at enhancing gender sensitivity among members of the legal profession and the general public, 1. Calls upon all member States to further promote equality of educational opportunities and education about legal rights under international conventions and national law with a gender perspective and to take appropriate measures to promote legal literacy at all levels of education; 2. Also calls upon national institutions, women's and human rights mechanisms, and ombudspersons to actively promote legal literacy for women and to facilitate women's access to judicial and administrative systems and processes; 3. Emphasizes the need to consider ways in which the United Nations system can contribute to the eradication of illiteracy and the further promotion of education, including education concerning legal rights; 4. Requests all relevant entities of the United Nations system, particularly the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, the International Labour Organisation and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to support legal literacy programmes for women and to dedicate existing resources to such programmes as part of their efforts to promote international standards and norms; 5. Encourages Governments and non-governmental organizations to produce and disseminate information on women's rights under international conventions and national law and on how to exercise those rights in understandable forms and media, and in all appropriate forums, including the mass media and agencies that provide social services to women; 6. Encourages Governments, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations and women's groups, to provide and make widely available support and programmes for gender-sensitive legal literacy services, taking into account models developed by non-governmental organizations; 7. Urges Governments to ensure that all persons responsible for enforcing and interpreting the law are aware of, and act in accordance with, the rights set out in international instruments, constitutions and the law as they pertain to women and to promote gender sensitivity in all levels of legal and administrative systems; 8. Requests the Preparatory Committee for the World Summit for Social Development to consider including in its agenda the consideration of education for all, the eradication of illiteracy, and the promotion of legal literacy, particularly among women; 9. Urges the World Conference on Human Rights, to be held at Vienna from 14 to 25 June 1993, to address itself to the issue of legal literacy and services and to include recommendations on legal literacy and services in any plan of action or declaration that it may adopt. * For the discussion, see chap. IV. Resolution 37/6. Women and development* The Commission on the Status of Women, Recalling General Assembly resolution 47/174 of 22 December 1992, Economic and Social Council resolutions 1990/15 of 24 May 1990 and 1992/53 of 31 July 1992 and Commission resolutions 34/3 of 8 March 1990, 35/7 of 8 March 1991 and 36/5 of 20 March 1992, Reaffirming the principles contained in the Declaration on the Right to Development, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 41/128 of 4 December 1986, Convinced that the effective mobilization of women is an essential element to achieving the objectives of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women 1/ and the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade, 41/ Aware Strategies as related to development necessitates urgent action to be taken by all the parties concerned, Aware also of the need to recognize the importance of gender in all areas of social, economic and political life in order to bridge the gap between the roles of men and women in development and to train planners, policy makers, decision makers and relevant staff in gender analysis, Reaffirming that the full integration of women in development, both as agents and beneficiaries, should concern all sectors of society, Convinced that improving the distribution between both sexes of the tasks related to productive and reproductive functions is an essential strategy for development and has to be reflected in the implementation of concrete economic and social policies, Further convinced that international cooperation for development has a fundamental role in the creation of proper conditions that allow women to achieve full integration in development, Deeply concerned about the worsening situation of women in developing countries, particularly in the least developed countries, Expressing special concern about women living in extreme poverty, in rural as well as in urban areas, Expressing deep concern that, despite the fact that poor rural women contribute to all aspects of the well-being of rural families and account for more than half of the food production of developing countries, they are often the most vulnerable and disadvantaged group in society, Welcoming the organization of the Summit on the Economic Advancement of Rural Women, held at Geneva on 25 and 26 February 1992, and the adoption by the Summit of the Geneva Declaration for Rural Women, Aware of the need for women, as agents and beneficiaries of development, to be empowered to define their own means of development, as well as of the need to guarantee them access to services, such as education, health, maternity and child care and credit, among others, in order to fully integrate women into the development process, Keeping in mind the fact that the impact of structural adjustment policies, adverse terms of trade and the growing foreign debt on developing countries, particularly the least developed countries, has had a negative effect on efforts for the full integration of women in development, 1. Urges Governments to foster women's full participation in the elaboration, planning, execution and evaluation of development policies and projects so that they can be agents and beneficiaries of development; 2. Also urges Governments to adopt policies to promote economic development that will ensure the full and explicit integration of women's needs and concerns; 3. Further urges Governments to include gender perspectives in the major guidelines for economic and social policies and to increase their capacities and capabilities in gender-responsive and gender-sensitive planning of development programmes; 4. Urges Governments to foster the access of women to income-generating activities as a means of stimulating economic independence, a basic requirement for women's self-sufficiency; 5. Urges Governments to identify their own quantitative and qualitative national targets in such fields as education and training, employment, income generation, health and women in public life with regard to the full integration of women in development and to commit adequate resources to women and development programmes; 6. Recommends that Governments create or strengthen national machinery for the advancement of women, placing it at the highest level, and ensure its greater involvement in the political, economic and social planning processes; 7. Also recommends that Governments, international donors and non-governmental organizations further develop gender-oriented research in all development areas, particularly by the involvement of national research institutes, and promote specific measures in the field of training in gender analysis programmes for development decision makers and the relevant staff involved in the policy and programme areas, in addition to implementation processes; 8. Calls upon Governments, international financial and other relevant institutions and non-governmental organizations to promote measures to stimulate the economies of developing countries and the full integration of women in the development process and to provide financial services on the basis of equal opportunity for women and men, while avoiding adverse effects on their well-being, particularly that of vulnerable groups; 9. Calls upon donor Governments and international financial institutions to provide adequate and timely support for the efforts of the developing countries, particularly the least developed countries, in reducing the negative effects of the external debt burden, structural adjustment policies and adverse terms of trade, with a view to integrating women in mainstream development; 10. Urges all States to work for the achievement of the goals endorsed in the Geneva Declaration for Rural Women and all organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to take into account the goals of the Geneva Declaration in carrying out their programmes, and invites the relevant governing bodies to consider the adoption of specific measures, within their respective fields of competence, with a view to meeting the special needs of rural women in the light of the Geneva Declaration; 11. Appeals to Governments, donor countries, international organizations and appropriate financial institutions to make greater efforts to support the establishment of cooperative rural banks and other development-related institutions to assist women, particularly those engaged in small- and medium-scale productive activities; 12. Requests Member States to make provision for specific training programmes for women in rural and urban areas aimed at developing their technical and management skills and to give financial support, fellowships or both for training women, particularly those from developing countries, in science, technology, agriculture and management; 13. Calls upon Governments, donor countries and relevant international organizations to take further coordinated measures to facilitate the access of women, particularly rural and urban poor women, to basic education and health and child-care facilities; 14. Requests the Secretary-General, in reporting on the implementation of the present resolution in his biennial monitoring report on the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, to include policy and programme recommendations on the basis of gender analysis; 15. Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the issues of women and development and of the integration of women in development programmes are an integral part of the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade. * For the discussion, see chap. IV. Resolution 37/7. Preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace* The Commission on the Status of Women, Recalling the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, 1/ endorsed by the General Assembly in its resolution 40/108 of 13 December 1985, Recalling also Economic and Social Council resolution 1987/20 of 26 May 1987, in which the Council decided that the Commission on the Status of Women should be designated as the preparatory body for world conferences on women, Recalling further Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/15 of 24 May 1990, on the recommendations and conclusions arising from the first review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women to the year 2000, Recalling further its resolutions 35/4 of 8 March 1991, on preparations for the world conference on women in 1995, and 36/8 A to E of 20 March 1992, on preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, I Preparations at the national, regional and international levels Noting with concern that, according to the report of the Secretary-General (E/CN.6/1993/5, para. 3) on preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, only a few Governments have established national committees or designated national focal points to initiate and promote preparations for the Conference, 1. Urges all Governments that have not already done so to establish national committees or to designate national focal points without delay, in accordance with Commission on the Status of Women resolution 36/8 B of 20 March 1992; 2. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that preparatory and conference documentation is accessible and that facilities at the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace cater to the needs of people with disabilities; II Participation of non-governmental organizations in the preparatory process and in the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace Taking into account Commission on the Status of Women resolution 36/8, approved by the General Assembly, which provided for the participation at the Fourth World Conference on Women of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, Bearing in mind the important role of non-governmental organizations in all activities for the advancement of women and the fact that some of them, specially those from developing countries, do not enjoy consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, 1. Invites Governments to include, whenever possible, non-governmental organizations in their delegations; 2. Requests the Secretary-General of the Conference taking as a guideline practices being used by such other world conferences as the International Conference on Population and Development, to propose to the regional commissions a formula to determine the eligibility of non-governmental organizations not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council to participate in preparatory activities and/or regional meetings, which would make them eligible to apply for accreditation to the World Conference; 3. Also requests the Secretary-General of the Conference to obtain from the regional commissions a list of those non-governmental organizations not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council which were determined to be eligible, which will be submitted to the Commission at its thirty-ninth session so that the Commission may make the list of those to be invited to the World Conference, bearing in mind that for the proper functioning of the Conference and the efficient participation of non-governmental organizations themselves, their number should not be excessive and that the list should have a regional balance; attention will be given to the existing resources and facilities available in the host country; 4. Further requests the Secretary-General of the Conference to submit to the Commission at its thirty-ninth session a proposal for criteria to be used by the Commission in drawing up the final list; * For the discussion, see chap. V. III Platform for Action Conscious of the importance of the approval of the Platform for Action, Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General (E/CN.6/1993/6, annex) containing a draft outline of the Platform for Action, Emphasizing that the Platform for Action should be concise and accessible and should accelerate, through concerted and intensive action in the coming years, the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women 1/ in critical areas so that equality becomes a reality by the twenty-first century, Taking note of the need to bring the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies into line with the challenges facing women in the twenty-first century, 1. Requests the Secretary-General to prepare, and to present to the Commission at its thirty-eighth session, a draft of the Platform for Action, following the structure and guidelines set out in the annex to the present resolution and in the results of the proposed inter-sessional working group; 2. Requests national committees and focal points to initiate and promote preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace to take into account the critical areas of concern in the structure of the Platform for Action when preparing their reports; 3. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the structure of the Platform for Action to the attention of the regional conferences to prepare for the Conference so that they may take it into account in their deliberations; IV Second review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women Recalling its resolution 36/8 A of 20 March 1992, in which it requested the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission at its thirty-seventh session a report containing an outline of the second report on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, 1/ in which special emphasis should be given to the recommendations and conclusions arising from the first review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies, contained in the annex to Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/15 of 24 May 1990, Taking note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General (E/CN.6/1993/7) on the outline and contents of the second review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies, which presented the outlines for national and global reports and suggestions on the indicators to be included in them, Taking into account the need for the global report of the implementation of the Forward-looking Strategies to reflect the situation of countries and regions and the criteria of Governments as regards the implementation of the Strategies, 1. Urges Governments to initiate preparations for their national reports as soon as possible and to ensure that they are submitted to the regional conferences in time to serve as contributions to the regional review and appraisal of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women and to the Secretariat in time to serve as input for the global review and appraisal; 2. Recommends that Governments, in preparing their national reports, utilize available reports, such as those prepared by them for the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, taking into account the guidelines given by the Committee for those reports; 3. Recommends that the review and appraisal at all levels focus on priorities of Governments and highlight the critical areas of concern identified in the structure of the Platform for Action; 4. Requests the Secretariat to prepare a list of the most significant indicators on the basis of the critical areas of concern identified in the structure of the Platform for Action, taking into account the availability of reliable national statistics, and to circulate it to national committees and focal points to initiate and promote preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace; 5. Also requests the Secretariat to use the necessary machinery to include the results of the regional conferences in the second report on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies; V Information campaign Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General (E/CN.6/1993/8) on the preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, which contained an outline of the objectives of the public information strategy for the Conference, Convinced that information and, most important, access to information on the status of women worldwide, and plans and preparations for the Conference are of the utmost importance if women at all levels are to be part of this major United Nations initiative, Noting with concern that international, regional and national women's media networks, computer networks, press services, women's newsletters and journals, databases and other information channels that reach women where they live and work in every country are not taken into consideration in the report of the Secretary-General, 1. Suggests that an informal, regionally representative team of United Nations and non-governmental communication personnel be set up by the secretariat of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace in consultation with Member States to assist it in disseminating widely information on the regional conferences to prepare for the Conference, the World Conference itself and forums of non-governmental organizations; 2. Also suggests that planned information materials for the Conference be easily understandable and clearly presented and use visuals and simple language to facilitate their adaptation, translation into local languages and transcription in Braille; 3. Endorses the emphasis given in the report of the Secretary-General to national information campaigns and urges national committees and focal points to initiate and promote preparations for the Conference to implement such campaigns; VI Institutional arrangements for the implementation of the Platform for Action Convinced that the preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace and implementation of the Platform for Action require a strong institutional base within the United Nations and the United Nations system, including both the Secretariat and operational organizations, Strongly emphasizing that the restructuring of the economic and social sectors of the United Nations should include a strengthened and identifiable entity to deal with both the advancement of women and the incorporation of gender concerns in all economic, social and environmental policies at an early stage, 1. Reiterates its request, contained in its resolution 35/4 of 8 March 1991, that the Secretary-General present to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-eighth session a report on existing technical and financial cooperation targeting programmes in favour of women, as well as guidelines for a comprehensive plan to overcome constraints and increase such cooperation; 2. Requests the Secretary-General to prepare a report for the Commission at its thirty-eighth session on institutional arrangements for the implementation of the Platform for Action and for the programme on advancement of women and an appraisal of options for considering the agenda item at the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace. Annex STRUCTURE OF THE PLATFORM FOR ACTION I. Statement of mission To accelerate, through concerted and intensive action in the coming years, the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women 1/ in critical areas so that equality becomes a reality by the twenty-first century. II. Strategic diagnosis of critical areas of concern [This part should be substantiated by objective, concise and quantitative data.] Inequality in the sharing of power and decision-making at all levels; Insufficient mechanisms at all levels to promote the advancement of women; Lack of awareness of, and commitment to, internationally and nationally recognized women's rights; Poverty; Inequality in women's access to and participation in the definition of economic structures and policies and the productive process itself; Inequality in access to education, health, employment and other means of maximizing awareness of rights and the use of their capacities; Violence against women; Effects on women of continuing national and international armed or other kinds of conflicts. [In each of the critical areas, the diagnosis should take into account women having special concerns such as refugee, displaced and migrant women and women living in conflict areas.] III. Strategic goals to deal with the critical areas of concern [Expressed in terms of slogans that might be adopted by the Conference.] Share power equally; Full access to the means of development; Overcome poverty; Promote peace and defend women's human rights; Inspire a new generation of women and men working together for equality. IV. Strategic objectives and the action to be taken to achieve them A. To strengthen factors that promote the full participation of women in power structures at all levels of society and to eliminate factors that prevent it: [Examples of types of text] 1. Undertake positive action measures to increase the proportion of women in decision-making structures and processes; 2. Undertake campaigns to educate women in the use of their votes and other forms of direct participation to change political, economic and social structures; 3. Provide the necessary financial and technical resources to strengthen organizations working for the advancement of women; 4. Revise laws and procedures to make it easier for women to participate in power structures; 5. Include gender factors in all national planning and policy-making; 6. Establish both national and decentralized mechanisms to formulate policies and coordinate the execution of programmes to achieve equality; 7. Complete the process of achieving equal participation of men and women in decision-making and policy implementation in the United Nations system and other international bodies; 8. Complete studies that show the difference made by larger numbers of women in decision-making structures and processes in Government, legislatures, the judiciary, political parties, unions, private enterprises and other organizations. B. To eliminate the factors that accentuate poverty among women and prevent them from overcoming the circumstances that keep them in that situation: 1. ... 2. ... C. To strengthen factors that ensure women's equitable access to education, health, employment and other means of maximizing the use of their capacities: 1. ... 2. ... D. To eliminate all kinds of violations of women's human rights, and their causes, and to promote the role of women in achieving and maintaining peace: E. To promote actions to develop the mutual responsibility of women and men to achieve equality: V. Financial arrangements VI. Inst