***************************************************************** These documents have been made available in electronic format by the United Nations. Reproduction and dissemination of the documents - in electronic and/or printed format - is encouraged, provided acknowledgement is made of the role of the United Nations in making them available. ***************************************************************** UNITED NATIONS Distr. GENERAL E/CN.6/1994/9 7 February 1994 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN Thirty-eighth session New York, 7-18 March 1994 Item 6 of the provisional agenda* PREPARATIONS FOR THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN: ACTION FOR EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE Report of the Secretary-General * E/CN.6/1994/1. CONTENTS Paragraphs Page INTRODUCTION ................................... 1 4 I. PREPARATORY ACTIVITIES .................... 2 - 125 4 A. Conference secretariat ................ 2 - 10 4 B. Information and communication ......... 11 - 16 6 C. National level ........................ 17 - 22 8 D. Regional level ........................ 23 - 47 9 1. Africa .................................... 26 - 27 10 2. Western Asia .............................. 28 - 31 12 3. Latin America and the Caribbean ........... 32 - 38 14 4. Asia and the Pacific ...................... 39 - 44 16 5. Europe .................................... 45 - 47 17 E. International level ................... 48 - 112 17 1. Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis of the United Nations Secretariat ................................ 52 - 60 18 2. Centre for Human Rights ................... 61 - 62 20 3. United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) .................................. 63 - 65 21 4. International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) ........ 66 - 68 22 5. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ..69 - 74 23 6. United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) .......................... 75 - 76 24 7. World Food Programme (WFP) ................. 77 - 78 25 8. International Labour Organization (ILO) .... 79 - 81 25 9. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) .............................. 82 - 85 25 10. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) ....................... 86 - 89 26 11. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ....................... 90 - 93 27 12. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) ............. 94 - 99 28 13. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)..... 100 - 103 29 14. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development ................................ 104 - 106 30 15. International Monetary Fund (IMF) .......... 107 30 16. World Health Organization (WHO) ............ 108 - 112 30 F. Host-country arrangements .............. 113 - 115 31 G. Intergovernmental activities ........... 116 - 119 32 H. Non-governmental organizations ......... 120 - 125 33 II. OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO CONFERENCE PREPARATIONS ............................... 126 - 128 34 Annex. Calendar of events for the period 1994-1995 ............................... 36 INTRODUCTION 1. At its thirty-sixth session, the Commission on the Status of Women, in its resolution 36/8, requested the Secretary-General to report on preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace. The Economic and Social Council, in its decision 1993/233 on the report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its thirty-seventh session (E/1993/27 and Corr.1) and provisional agenda and documentation for the thirty-eighth session of the Commission, approved the provisional agenda and documentation for the Commission's thirty- eighth session, including, under item 6 of the agenda, a report of the Secretary-General on preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women. Accordingly, the present report contains information on the status of preparations being undertaken, and of which the Secretariat has been apprised, at the national, regional and international levels. It also includes information on activities being undertaken by non-governmental organizations, as requested in Commission resolution 36/8. A calendar of events for 1994 and 1995 is provided in the annex to this report. I. PREPARATORY ACTIVITIES A. Conference secretariat 2. In accordance with the revised appropriations broken down by section with respect to restructuring of the United Nations Secretariat, as set forth in the annex to General Assembly resolution 47/212 B, the Division for the Advancement of Women (formerly of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations Office at Vienna), as the core secretariat of the Conference, is now part of the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development of the United Nations Secretariat at Headquarters. The move of the staff of the Division from the United Nations Office at Vienna to United Nations Headquarters in New York was completed in October 1993. 3. In keeping with General Assembly resolution 37/14 B, annex, a steering committee has been established to plan and coordinate all technical, administrative, logistic and financial aspects of the Conference. The committee includes representatives of all relevant offices in the United Nations Secretariat. 4. The Secretary-General of the Conference has established an ad hoc inter-agency advisory committee on the Conference, constituting a structure for channelling advice and for ensuring coordination of Conference preparations, as a complement to the normal inter-agency coordination structure. The inter-agency committee meets at least once every three months, and on an ad hoc basis, as necessary. The United Nations system's active participation in the preparations for the Conference at all levels is very encouraging. Information about the activities of the various organizations, funds and programmes of the United Nations system in preparation for the Conference is contained in subsection E below. 5. The Secretary-General of the Conference has undertaken a number of missions to assess the status of preparations at the national level, and to evaluate issues of concern to women. Those missions also provided the opportunity to seek voluntary contributions to the Trust Fund for activities for the preparatory Conference, including support for national preparations in developing countries. Since she assumed her duties in February 1993, the Secretary-General has paid official visits to the following countries: Canada, Italy, India, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Germany. She has also held consultations with organizations of the United Nations system, with intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and with private institutions and foundations to promote equality of women, development and peace, and to encourage Conference preparations at all levels. Furthermore, she has participated in several major meetings in Africa, Europe, Latin America and Asia where she provided briefings on the Conference and its preparations. 6. Pursuant to Commission resolution 36/8, section D, a Trust Fund for preparatory activities for the Conference has been established. Contributions are being encouraged from member States and other donors. As of December 1993, 14 Governments had contributed or pledged their support to the Trust Fund. Three foundations and one non-governmental organization have contributed to the Trust Fund. 7. The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) expert group on women in development has established a Facilitation Initiative for Conference preparations in order to coordinate members' support to developing countries in their preparations for the Conference and to ensure an equitable spread and optimal use of scarce human and financial resources. 8. In addition to the expert group meetings that are being convened to examine the key priority themes in each of the areas of equality, development and peace for the period 1993-1996 (Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/15, annex, sect. III), work is proceeding in the Conference secretariat on a number of additional areas to be fed into Conference preparations, including those on women relating to finance; women relating to science and technology; women relating to education; and women relating to the concerns of a new generation of women and men working together for equality. 9. Before the Fourth World Conference on Women takes place in September 1995, the United Nations will have convened several other major conferences, including the World Conference on Human Rights, the International Conference on Population and Development, and the World Summit for Social Development. (The year 1995 is also the fiftieth anniversary of the Organization.) Since women's issues cut across all the areas covered by those conferences, preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women will utilize the results of the conferences. At the same time, the Conference secretariat is collaborating closely with those preparing the other conferences and events to make sure that they reflect a strong articulation and representation of women's issues. Furthermore, the General Assembly, in its resolution 48/108, paragraph 29, requested the Secretary-General to make available for the Fourth World Conference on Women reports and decisions of the World Conference on Human Rights, the International Conference on Population and Development and the World Summit for Social Development. 10. It is planned to issue, in lieu of Conference 95, a more regular newsletter, possibly on a monthly basis, to provide ongoing information on Conference preparations and related activities. B. Information and communication 11. The Conference secretariat conducted a two-day informal workshop on 25 and 26 October 1993 to develop an information and communication strategy for the Conference. The meeting made a series of practical recommendations concerning information and communication with non-governmental organizations and networks working at the regional level, and with global/mainstream media, and regarding networking related to telecommunications and women. The workshop also identified a series of tasks for immediate action. 12. The Department of Public Information of the United Nations Secretariat has developed an information strategy for the Fourth World Conference on Women and plans to implement a series of activities and to produce a variety of products in connection with the Conference. These include print and audiovisual products. 13. Print: (a) A Conference backgrounder has been issued in English, French and Spanish; (b) Work is continuing on a pre-Conference brochure to be issued in 1994; (c) A Conference poster will be issued in 1994; (d) In 1994, the Department of Public Information's annual student leaflet targeting upper-level primary students will focus on the girl child and the Fourth World Conference on Women. It will be issued in 1994; (e) As part of the Department of Public Information's ongoing educational series, "About the United Nations", an educational video and teaching guide on women will be issued in 1994. The target audience is students and teachers at the secondary and upper-secondary levels; (f) Several fact-sheets/features/press releases are under preparation. They will be issued periodically on issues highlighting Conference themes; (g) A reprint of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women 1/ will be issued in 1994; (h) A special edition of Notes for Speakers, a public information publication aimed at the general public, on women, and dealing with Conference priority issues, is planned for 1995. 14. Film/video: (a) Four segments of the television programme UN in Action will be issued in the period 1994-1995 for use in the Cable News Network (CNN) weekly programme World Report; (b) One public service announcement will be produced in 1995; (c) Under the Department of Public Information's ongoing series "About the United Nations", an educational video on the girl child and women will be produced in 1994 (see para. 13); (d) Negotiations are under way for participation in a documentary with an outside partner highlighting key issues of the Conference; (e) United Nations TV's World Chronicle series will present a number of interviews with leading personalities concerned with United Nations work and preparations for the Conference. 15. Radio: (a) Two public service announcements, to be distributed worldwide, will be produced in the period 1994 and 1995; (b) United Nations Radio's weekly Women series will continue to produce programmes highlighting issues to be discussed at the Conference; (c) A special pre-Conference edition of the Women series will be produced in early 1995; (d) Negotiations are under way for collaboration with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World Service to produce a series of programmes related to the Conference. 16. Other: (a) The Department of Public Information of the United Nations Secretariat has organized, and will continue to organize, press conferences of the Secretary-General of the Conference; (b) The Department of Public Information will co-sponsor with other United Nations bodies the launching of the 1994 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development, and of the updated edition of The World's Women, 1970-1990: Trends and Statistics; 2/ (c) The Department of Public Information is coordinating with United Nations bodies and the secretariat of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations the collection and distribution of slide packages; (d) A programme of activities is being developed for United Nations information centres aimed at greater involvement of youth; (e) In cooperation with other United Nations bodies, the Department of Public Information is coordinating special events and non-governmental organization briefings related to observances including International Women's Day, International Literacy Day, and the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, among others; (f) The Department of Public Information is collaborating with the Feminist Press on a book on women in politics scheduled for 1995. C. National level 17. In accordance with Commission resolution 36/8, section B, the Secretary-General sent a note verbale in August 1992 to all member States and permanent observers, informing them of the recommendation expressed in paragraph 1 of section B of the resolution concerning the establishment of national committees or the designation of national focal points to initiate and promote preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women. The Commission, in its resolution 37/7, section I, urged all Governments that had not already done so to establish national committees or to designate focal points without delay to initiate and promote preparations for the Conference. As of 1 November 1993, the Secretariat had been informed of 24 such national committees, or focal points, having been established. Subsequently, a second note verbale was sent to all member States and permanent observers in December 1993 drawing their attention to the recommendation contained in Commission resolution 36/8, and reiterated in its resolution 37/7. Information on the composition, mandate and activities of national committees or focal points is being made available on request. The addresses of national committees and focal points will be disseminated by the Conference secretariat. It is hoped that this will facilitate and encourage direct contact and communication, and the exchange of experience and ideas, among and between Governments, non-governmental organizations and individuals, particularly women, during the preparatory process. 18. According to Commission resolution 37/7, each Government is expected to prepare a national report. National reports are expected to gather the facts, assess the obstacles, and identify priorities for concrete action. The preparation of the national report is intended to constitute a process of national self- reflection, one that speeds up the unfinished work of implementing the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women. 19. In order to assist countries in the preparation of those reports, and to facilitate some standardization among reports to increase their analytical value and impact for consensus-building at the regional and global conferences, the Commission, in its resolution 37/7, section IV, requested the Secretariat to prepare a list of the most significant indicators on the basis of the critical areas of concern in the structure of the Platform for Action, taking into account the availability of reliable national statistics. Subsequently, the Secretary-General prepared guidelines for the preparation of national reports for the Fourth World Conference on Women. These were transmitted, by a note verbale of 7 October 1993, to all member States and permanent observers. They have also been widely circulated among non- governmental organizations, and the field representatives of United Nations funds and programmes. 20. In addition to the guidelines for the preparation of national reports, including a set of key indicators, the Secretary-General of the Conference has also prepared general guidelines for preparatory activities at the national, regional and global levels. The guidelines are intended to give focus to the preparatory activities at all levels. They were communicated to all member States and permanent observers by a note verbale of 7 October 1993. They have also been widely distributed through the United Nations system and the non-governmental organization community. 21. National preparatory activities, and particularly the preparation of the national reports, are of crucial importance for a successful Conference. The Commission, in its resolution 37/7, section IV, urged Governments to initiate preparations for their national reports as soon as possible and to ensure that they were 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 Conference secretariat in time to serve as input for the global review and appraisal. The General Assembly, in its resolution 48/108, appealed to countries to compile their reports in earnest and to forward them in time, both to their respective regional commissions and to the secretariat of the Conference. Governments have been invited to prepare one national report, which should be made available first to the secretariat of the appropriate regional commission; a copy of the same report should be made available to the Conference secretariat in New York for the purpose of preparing the second review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies. Furthermore, national reports will be an important source of information for the preparation of the Platform for Action. 22. The secretariats of the regional commissions, under whose auspices the regional preparatory conferences are being convened, have communicated to member States of the respective regions that the national reports should reach the secretariats approximately six months prior to the date of the regional conference, that is to say, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA): end of February 1994; Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA): end of March 1994; Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC): end of March 1994; Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP): end of November 1993; and Economic Commission for Europe (ECE): April 1994. (For a schedule of the conferences, see annex.) In order to be able to draw from the national reports, the Conference secretariat hopes to have all the national reports available by May 1994. D. Regional level 23. As recommended in Commission resolution 36/8, section B, regional preparatory activities are being conducted under the auspices of the regional commissions. Regional preparatory conferences are scheduled to take place in all five regions between May and December 1994. 24. The Secretary-General of the Conference convened a meeting of focal points of the regional commissions and of representatives of host countries of the five regional preparatory conferences, which met from 9 to 11 August 1993 in New York, to discuss plans and perspectives for regional preparatory activities. The meeting took note of the work plans and timetables of the various regions and agreed on a set of conclusions that should ensure a smooth and well-coordinated preparatory process. 25. In its resolution 48/108 on the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General, inter alia, to lend support to the convening of the regional preparatory meetings so as to lay a good foundation for the Fourth World Conference on Women. 1. Africa 26. The Fifth Regional Conference on Women, which will also be the regional preparatory conference for the Fourth World Conference on Women, is scheduled to be held at Dakar, Senegal, from 16 to 23 November 1994, under the auspices of ECA. A non- governmental organization forum will be held from 14 to 17 November 1994, also in Dakar. 27. The African Training and Research Centre for Women (ATRCW) of ECA has carried out the following activities in preparation for the regional conference: (a) In March 1993, ATRCW organized and convened a regional inter-agency meeting that was attended by organizations of the United Nations system, regional organizations and donor agencies. The meeting discussed measures and mechanisms for coordinating activities relating to women in Africa for the regional and world conferences and beyond. It discussed various critical areas of concern to women in Africa and prepared a draft agenda for the Fifth Regional Conference. Several United Nations bodies attending the meeting agreed to prepare technical papers for the Fifth Regional Conference. The meeting also constituted an inter-agency task force composed of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the African Development Bank, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and ECA as the overall coordinator; (b) In April 1993, ATRCW organized and convened the Fourteenth Meeting of the Africa Regional Coordinating Committee for the Integration of Women in Development (ARCC). As part of the agenda and work programme, the meeting discussed the diversity of structures responsible for coordinating preparations for the Conference; (c) In May 1993, the ECA Conference of African Ministers responsible for economic development and planning, at its nineteenth meeting, adopted resolution 753 (XXVIII), entitled "Women in development, the African Regional Preparatory Meeting (1994) for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace (1995)", the annex to which contained the agenda for the Fifth Regional Conference on Women and its thematic outline. The agenda and thematic outline have been sent to member States, to non-governmental organizations and to United Nations organizations. The agenda includes the following items: an overview assessment of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies; priority areas for the twenty-first century (women in the peace process; equality, education and social issues; women's empowerment; and women, environment and sustainable development); and an African Platform for Action; (d) As part of coordination, sensitization and outreach to ensure that the objectives and the agenda of the Fifth Regional Conference were known, ATRCW participated in, or organized, several regional events, including the following: (i) East Africa Conference on Women, Kampala, Uganda, 4-9 July 1993, attended by non-governmental organizations and government representatives from Uganda, Kenya, the United Republic of Tanzania and Rwanda. The objective of the Conference was to review the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies within the subregion. It also considered areas of concern and activities in the preparation of the Dakar and Beijing conferences; (ii) Conference of African Francophone and Lusophone Ministers of Women Affairs and Rural Development, November 1993. The main objective of this meeting was to sensitize member States and to inform them of the important role played by rural women in Africa, and to propose strategies and recommendations for the improvement of their status. The report of this meeting will constitute a background document for the regional preparatory meeting and will serve as input into the African Platform for Action; (iii) Regional Conference on Women and Peace, held in Kampala, Uganda, in November 1993. The report of this meeting will serve as a background document for the Fifth Regional Conference (ATRCW facilitated and participated in this conference); (iv) An ad hoc expert group meeting to consider strategies for enhancing women's skills in mainstreaming and in decision-making, and to review progress in Fifth Regional Conference preparations, held in December 1993 (organized and convened by ATRCW). The meeting was attended by a selected number of Women in Development (WID) experts and women media experts from 13 African countries, and representatives of regional organizations and United Nations bodies, and of Interpress service (IPS). Also in attendance was the African Women Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), whose responsibility includes the coordination of the African non-governmental organization Forum in Dakar in 1994. For the first time, media women experts were invited to participate in the meeting. The meeting adopted strategies and recommendations on the role of the media in disseminating information, in sensitizing the different components of society to gender issues, and in increasing public awareness about the Dakar and Beijing conferences; (e) Contacts with various non-governmental organizations have been strengthened and the ATRCW information network has now established a list of media women associations at the national and subregional levels for effective communication and information dissemination in connection with the regional and world conferences. ATRCW is working closely with United Nations bodies and non-governmental organizations to disseminate information about the conferences and their preparatory process; (f) A circular letter was sent to all national machineries and strategic non-governmental organizations in July 1993 informing them about the guidelines for the preparation of national reports and the deadlines for submission of those reports; (g) For early 1994, five subregional workshops are being planned for eastern, northern, central, western and southern Africa. The main objective of those workshops will be to sensitize member States, to educate and inform them about the objectives of the Fourth World Conference on Women, and to urge men, women and youth to be actively involved in the preparation for the regional and world conferences on women; (h) ATRCW is now publishing a newsletter called FEMMELINE, a news update on preparatory activities for the Fifth Regional Conference on Women/regional preparatory meeting to the Fourth World Conference on Women. FEMMELINE will be published quarterly. 2. Western Asia 28. Under the auspices of ESCWA, the Regional Preparatory Conference will take place from 6 to 10 November 1994 in Amman, Jordan. 29. ESCWA provides technical assistance to its member States in the preparatory process for the Fourth World Conference on Women. This assistance has been organized into four phases: (a) Phase one: (i) ESCWA sent a note verbale to its member States on preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women, transmitting various documents, including guidelines for preparatory activities and for the preparation of national reports of the Conference secretariat, which had been translated into Arabic by ESCWA for the benefit of member States; (ii) ESCWA established the following timetable for preparatory activities: after the submission of national reports to the ESCWA secretariat in March 1994, ESCWA, in collaboration with national machineries, will organize national workshops during the second quarter of 1994 in order to finalize national platforms for action. The national reports, together with the national platforms for action, will constitute the main inputs into the preparation of a regional position paper on issues and priorities of member States. An expert group meeting will be convened by ESCWA in September 1994 to draft the Regional Platform for Action to serve as the main working document for adoption by member States at the regional preparatory meeting in November 1994; (iii) Technical missions of ESCWA staff, funded by UNIFEM, to 10 member States took place during November and December 1993 to brief the relevant authorities on the preparatory process, and to discuss details of activities to be implemented at the national level. In particular, those missions aimed at facilitating the formation of joint national committees and/or working groups, where they did not yet exist. The ESCWA team advised the authorities on the possible composition and terms of reference of such joint committees with a view to ensuring representation from all ministries concerned with women's affairs, notably education, labour, health, planning, statistics, social affairs, justice and legal affairs. It included information on the participation of non-governmental organizations and of grass-roots organizations in the preparation of national reports and the national platform for action, stressing the participatory approach to their elaboration and the active involvement of non-governmental organizations of all women and of young people. Authorities were briefed on the outline for national reports, including key indicators. Focal points for follow-up purposes were established. Several more technical missions have been planned for early 1994; (b) Phase two: (i) During the second quarter of 1994, ESCWA will convene national workshops in each of the member States visited during phase one in order to finalize the national platforms for action. The ESCWA team will act as facilitator in these workshops with respect to review of the platforms for action, in light of the national reports, with the joint national committees and the non-governmental organizations; (c) Phase three: (i) The national reports and the national platforms for action will constitute the main inputs into the preparation of the regional position paper on issues and priorities of member States. An expert group meeting in September 1994 will prepare a draft regional platform for action; (d) Phase four: (i) Adoption of a Regional Platform for Action at the Regional Preparatory Conference for the Fourth World Conference on Women in November 1994. 30. In collaboration with agencies of the United Nations system, ESCWA has implemented various activities, including a one-day workshop for non-governmental organizations in Egypt, and the preparation of reports on women in agriculture in several member States. It also co-sponsored (with the National Federation of Business and Professional Women in Jordan and the International Federation of Business and Professional Women) the Regional and National Conference on Arab Women and Sustainable Development, held in Amman, Jordan, from 26 to 28 April 1993. 31. Under its work programme for the period 1992-1993, ESCWA undertook the preparation of the following studies to assess the situation of women in light of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies and in preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Women: (a) Review of the situation of Arab women in the business and professional areas: case-study of Egypt; (b) Vocational training as a tool of empowering women in business - lessons and opportunities: case-study of Jordan; (c) Women and access to higher education in the Arab world: lessons and opportunities; (d) Reintegration of women returnees and their families into their societies of origin pursuant to the Gulf crisis. 3. Latin America and the Caribbean 32. The Regional Conference on the Integration of Women in Development of Latin America and the Caribbean, which will serve as the regional preparatory meeting for the Fourth World Conference on Women, will take place from 26 to 30 September 1994 in Mar del Plata, Argentina, under the auspices of ECLAC. 33. As of 1 September 1993, the Women in Development Unit of ECLAC was relocated into the Office of the Executive Secretary of ECLAC. This reorganization is intended to strengthen the Unit, to facilitate the coordination of the work carried out by it, to provide it with more autonomy in its subject area and to reinforce its linkage with ECLAC's mainstream. 34. In preparation for the regional meeting, the host-country agreement between ECLAC and the Government of Argentina has already been signed, ECLAC has visited the Conference premises, and agreement has been reached on the logistic aspects of the Conference. The Government of Argentina has given high priority to the event and is providing ample facilities for its accomplishment. 35. ECLAC is preparing the regional diagnosis on the situation of women in Latin America and the Caribbean for the evaluation that will be carried out at the Regional Conference in 1994. This work is being done in coordination with the specialized agencies of the United Nations and considering the regular mandates on periodic evaluations. The following chapters are being discussed: (a) Women in Latin America and the Caribbean in the 1990s: some elements for a diagnosis and proposals; (b) The new theoretic inputs for the comprehension of the condition of women in society: the gender perspective and its linkage with the development themes; (c) Women and work in the 1990s: the significance of the changes in Latin America and the Caribbean; (d) The health of women in Latin America and the Caribbean: the new approach; (e) Educational transformation and the role of women; (f) Culture, gender and modernity; (g) Participation in decision-making; women and power; democracy, citizenship and gender; (h) Women and violence; (i) Women and environment. The chapters on the different sectors will be coordinated with inputs from the United Nations system at the regional level. A letter has been sent to the main academic centres and to women's affairs offices of the region in order to collect updated information, which is being processed as received in the ECLAC secretariat. The existing statistical information is also being processed, especially that which originates from the last censuses prepared by the Latin American Demographic Centre (CELADE) and the household surveys of the Statistics and Projections Division of ECLAC. A number of studies that will be used as inputs for the documentation of the Regional Conference have already been completed. 36. In accordance with the fifth Regional Conference, the Regional Programme of Action for Women of Latin America and the Caribbean, 1995-2001, has been initiated. Discussions regarding its contents are being carried out at the Presiding Officers' meetings, with the specialized agencies of the United Nations, and with intergovernmental bodies; discussions took place as well at a meeting of experts convened for that purpose in Mexico, in October 1992. 37. In fulfilling its coordination tasks, ECLAC implemented the following steps: (a) During 1993, two meetings of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference were convened (Caracas, May 1993; Santiago, December 1993); (b) So far, three inter-institutional meetings of the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system have taken place to coordinate regional preparatory activities for the Regional Conference (Santiago, September 1992; Caracas, May 1993; Santiago, December 1993); (c) The guidelines for the preparation of national reports and the recommendations for the establishment of national committees have been sent to all member States of the regional commission, requesting them to forward relevant information to the ECLAC secretariat; (d) Coordination has been established with the subregional coordinators of UNIFEM regarding support for the preparation of national reports; (e) ECLAC, together with the Inter-American Development Bank, is co-sponsoring a meeting on women that will give high visibility to the regional and world conferences on women (1 and 2 March 1994 in Washington, D.C. (technical preparatory meeting), and 6 and 7 April 1994, in Guadalajara, Mexico). 38. ECLAC has established close collaboration with non- governmental organizations in the region in the preparation of their tasks related to both the regional and the world conferences, as well as the non-governmental organization forums. 4. Asia and the Pacific 39. Under the auspices of ESCAP, the Second Asian and Pacific Ministerial Conference on Women in Development, which is the regional preparatory meeting for the Fourth World Conference on Women of the Asia and Pacific Region, will take place from 7 to 14 June 1994 in Jakarta, Indonesia. 40. ESCAP convened the Asian and Pacific Symposium of Non- Governmental Organizations on Women in Development at Manila, Philippines, from 16 to 20 November 1993, jointly with the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), in coordination with the Asian and Pacific Non-Governmental Organization Working Group. The symposium was attended by 550 representatives of 320 non-governmental organizations from 32 countries of the Asian and Pacific region. Approximately 100 observers, including donor agency representatives, representatives of United Nations organizations, and researchers as well as representatives from Governments also attended the Symposium. 41. The Symposium discussed extensively the situation of women in the region, especially the trends of recent years in the context of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women. 42. Detailed discussions were carried out in 12 workshops dealing with 12 main issues: (a) health; (b) labour rights; (c) agriculture; (d) culture and education; (e) political empowerment; (f) economic empowerment; (g) violence against women; (h) human rights; (i) science and technology; (j) indigenous women; (k) family; and (l) environment. Those were followed by four subregional workshops on South-East Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific. Based on the deliberations of those workshops, a draft regional plan of action was prepared and placed before the Symposium at the final day of the meeting. It was decided that the draft plan of action would be finalized at the meeting of the Asian and Pacific Non-Governmental Organization Working Group early in 1994 in order to be placed before the Ministerial Conference in June 1994. 43. ESCAP decided to convene an expert group meeting on women in development at Bangkok from 8 to 11 February 1994. It was decided that the objective of the expert group meeting would be to review (a) three background studies on the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies, and (b) a draft Asian and Pacific plan of action for the advancement of women. The three studies, on women in economic development, women in social development, and women and empowerment, will serve as background documents to the Second Asian and Pacific Ministerial Conference on Women in Development, and the draft plan of action will be before the same conference for discussion and adoption. Around 25 experts were invited to participate in the meeting. In addition, representatives of United Nations bodies, specialized agencies and several international organizations were scheduled to attend the meeting. 44. In addition to the above-mentioned meetings, a regional overview paper on the status of women will be prepared by the ESCAP secretariat for submission to the Ministerial Conference. Furthermore, the preparation of a publication entitled "Women in Asia and the Pacific: a statistical profile" is under way for distribution at the Ministerial Conference. 5. Europe 45. Based on a decision taken by ECE at its forty-eighth session in April 1993, a High-level Regional Preparatory Meeting for the European Region will take place from 17 to 21 October 1994 in Vienna, Austria. The agenda for the Meeting is expected to be approved by ECE at its forty-ninth session in April 1994. A proposed agenda was scheduled to be before the Ad Hoc Meeting of ECE on 31 January 1994. In accordance with ECE decision K (48), the agenda of the Regional Preparatory Meeting will include, inter alia, a review and appraisal of the implementation at the regional level of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women to the Year 2000, and an elaboration of regional input to the Platform for Action, emphasizing the role of women in the economy, in particular in countries in transition. 46. This will be the first time that ECE participates in the convening of a regional preparatory meeting in conjunction with a world conference on women. An ECE internal task force, consisting of 14 members and chaired by the Deputy Executive Secretary, was established in October 1993. It will steer the substantive preparations for the Regional Preparatory Meeting, including the preparation of the preliminary agenda, preparation of reports of consultants, and other tasks related to the Regional Preparatory Meeting. 47. In order to ensure the input of bodies and agencies of the United Nations system, as well as to secure coordination with other regional organizations, such as the Council of Europe, the European Community (EU), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Nordic Forum, a formal consultative meeting is envisaged after the consultations on the draft agenda have been completed. E. International level 48. Since the last session of the Commission on the Status of Women, preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women have been discussed by the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 1993, and by the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session. By its decision 1993/233, the Council took note of the report of the Commission on its thirty-seventh session. 49. The General Assembly discussed Conference preparations in the framework of its debate on item 111 (advancement of women) in its agenda. A total of 70 Member States, one observer, and four organizations (from the United Nations system and intergovernmental organizations) spoke on this item. The vast majority of speakers commented on the Conference and its preparatory process. 50. The General Assembly, in its resolution 48/108 on the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies, requested the Commission, when considering the priority theme relating to development during its thirty-eighth and subsequent sessions, to ensure its early contribution to the preparatory work of forthcoming major international conferences, such as the International Conference on Population and Development, the Fourth World Conference on Women, and the World Summit for Social Development, and to address the impact of technologies on women. The Assembly took a decision on the modalities for participation in and contribution to the preparatory process by non- governmental organizations, particularly those not in consultative status. These guidelines were set out in an annex to the resolution. 51. A number of activities are being undertaken within the United Nations system with regard to the status and advancement of women. The Fourth World Conference on Women is being used by many as an added impetus to focus or to intensify those activities. Below is a description of ongoing, new and planned activities in preparation for the Conference, of which the Conference secretariat has been apprised. 1. Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis of the United Nations Secretariat (a) Statistical Division 52. Plans for the Fourth World Conference on Women have given a key role to further work on gender statistics at the international level through the preparation of an updated edition of The World's Women, 1970-1990: Trends and Statistics as an official document for the Conference, and at the national level through the assembling of gender-disaggregated statistics for the elaboration of national reports. 53. The Statistical Division of the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis of the United Nations Secretariat is organizing and coordinating the preparation of the second edition of The World's Women in collaboration with many United Nations bodies. Collaboration and sponsorship are even more extensive and significant in the development of the second edition, as the lead sponsors of the first edition, namely, UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UNIFEM and the Division for the Advancement of Women, have been joined by UNDP, the World Food Programme (WFP), the Department of Public Information of the United Nations Secretariat and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW). Other technical collaborators include the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Population Division of the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis of the United Nations Secretariat. 54. The second edition of The World's Women will maintain the same basic structure as the first, with an overview and six chapters, covering women and men and families; housing, human settlements and environment; women's and men's work; public life and leadership; education, science and media; and health. 55. The development of statistics for the publication is being carried out in close complementarity with work on the Women's Indicators and Statistics Database (WISTAT), version 3. Pursuant to the technical meeting for the second edition of The World's Women, a new approach, in which the Statistical Division worked closely with the regional commissions, was used to improve the coverage and timeliness of data. Work on WISTAT receives ongoing support from UNFPA and version 3 will be available in the spring of 1994. 56. In developing national capability to prepare databases and national reports on women, the Statistical Division is strengthening a coordinated approach through the WID subgroup of the Joint Consultative Group on Policy (JCGP). JCGP is a coordinating body consisting of UNDP, UNIFEM, UNFPA, UNICEF, WFP and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The project with JCGP in gender statistics is a response to the impact of the publication The World's Women, and the need expressed by many countries for help in producing similar national gender statistics reports, in particular in light of the holding of the Fourth World Conference on Women. 57. Under the JCGP-supported project, a manual is being prepared on how to compile and organize statistics on gender issues and how to present tables and charts and write up the analysis of these data. A draft of the full text will be circulated in the summer of 1994. In the meanwhile, materials intended for the manual have been introduced in three regional and subregional workshops on gender statistics: (a) Subregional workshop on gender statistics for Eastern and Southern Africa, Botswana, August 1993, sponsored by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA); (b) Subregional workshop on statistics and indicators on women for francophone African countries, Morocco, 13-17 December 1993, sponsored by INSTRAW; (c) Regional workshop on gender statistics, Thailand, 24-28 January 1994, sponsored by UNIFEM and INSTRAW. 58. The same project is also supporting initiatives to develop The World's Women-type publications at the national level in two countries and one publication of this kind for the ESCWA region as a whole. In addition, the Statistical Division of the United Nations Secretariat is assisting several countries, for example, Kenya and Bangladesh, to develop gender statistics reports in connection with ongoing statistical projects. (b) Population Division 59. While at this point no specific activities are being undertaken by the Population Division of the United Nations Secretariat in preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Women, many of the activities of this Division are relevant to the Conference. In particular, the Population Division, in collaboration with UNFPA, is undertaking preparations for the International Conference on Population and Development, which will take place in September 1994. The issues of women's roles and status and the relationship of those issues to demographic factors have occupied a prominent place in preparations for the International Conference on Population and Development. An expert group meeting on population and women was among the six expert group meetings convened to focus on issues identified as requiring the greatest attention, during the next decade, from the international community and from the International Conference on Population and Development itself. Gender issues also received some attention at the five other expert group meetings, as well as at the five regional preparatory conferences. At the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the International Conference on Population and Development, held in May 1993, it was agreed that gender issues should be included in all the topical chapters of the main document to be prepared for the International Conference on Population and Development, but that there should also be a chapter on "Gender equality and empowerment of women" for the purpose of dealing with such overarching gender issues, as did not fit naturally into any of the other chapters. 60. The Population Division is also contributing data and analytic reports to the Statistical Division for use in the update of The World's Women. 2. Centre for Human Rights 61. Following the adoption of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action 3/ by the World Conference on Human Rights, which took place in Vienna from 14 to 25 June 1993, the Centre for Human Rights prepared a plan of activities for the implementation of the provisions contained therein. An important part deals with the equal status and human rights of women. The plan of activities, which has been discussed with the Division for the Advancement of Women and with other United Nations bodies, will serve as the basis for cooperation with United Nations organizations and bodies in the implementation of the results of the World Conference on Human Rights. 62. In a recommendation adopted at its fourth session (20 September-8 October 1993), the Committee on the Rights of the Child, established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, recognized the importance of being associated with the preparatory process for the Fourth World Conference on Women, and decided to devote one of its future meetings to the consideration of its contribution to this event. 3. United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) 63. In May 1993, UNIFEM developed its corporate Strategy for the 1995 Conference. The eight main objectives of the Strategy are all responsive to, and in line with, specific and key target areas identified for the preparatory framework by the international community. UNIFEM's Consultative Committee endorsed the Strategy at its September 1993 session. UNIFEM's Consultative Committee approved US$ 1.5 million from UNIFEM core resources for preparatory activities under a two-year umbrella programme for the period 1994-1995. UNIFEM hopes that this amount can be increased through ongoing fund-raising and donor support. 64. A number of activities have already been launched and/or implemented since 1993, and an amount of just under US$ 300,000 has been committed for these efforts. The following are examples of UNIFEM-supported activities in 1993: (a) Global activities: (i) Development of a database and dissemination of a directory and brochure on women, science and technology; (ii) Expert group meeting on women, science and technology (in cooperation with DAW and linked to the working group meeting on gender and technology of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development); (iii) Preparation of a handbook entitled Influencing a UN Conference - An Agenda for Gender, a guide for participants in United Nations preparatory, regional and world conferences, and the holding in 1994 of four seminars/workshops (China, Republic of Korea, Senegal, Amman), to train women on how to work a United Nations conference; (b) Activities in Latin America and the Caribbean: (i) Assistance for national preparations (Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil); (ii) Support for the first regional meeting of directors of national machineries on women (Caribbean); (c) Activities in Africa: (i) Assessment of activities/support to national preparations (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, Egypt, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya); (ii) Support to the Franco-African Conference on Women in Development, Gabon; (d) Activities in Asia and the Pacific: (i) Support for a non-governmental organization working group to plan the agenda for the Non-Governmental Organization Symposium on Women in Development, November 1993, Manila, and for the Symposium itself; (ii) Support for the preparation of national reports and the regional platform for action in the ESCWA region (10 countries). 65. Some of the key activity areas for 1994 include: (a) Continuing support for diverse groups of women in all regions to participate effectively in national preparations, including the elaboration of national reports, and in regional preparations; (b) Development of an effective and coherent communications and media strategy targeted at the Conference; (c) Continuing support for training activities regarding United Nations conferences and their preparatory processes; (d) Support to, and cooperation with, the secretariat of the Conference in various areas, including women and science and technology, women and credit, young people, and parliamentarians. 4. International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) 66. The International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women is involved in activities at the national level aimed at assisting member States in preparing their national reports, particularly with regard to the review and analysis of the data needed to construct indicators in 35 critical areas of concern, in accordance with Commission on the Status of Women resolution 37/7, section IV. For this purpose, INSTRAW is conducting subregional workshops. Those workshops are also designed to improve the awareness on the part of both data producers and data users of the importance of gender-sensitive statistics and socio-economic indicators, and of the need for collecting and compiling gender-specific information, and to improve the use of existing data to close the data gaps that restrain the full recognition and valuation of women's contribution to development. Subregional gender statistics workshops have been held in Rarotonga (for the Southern Pacific countries), and Rabat (for francophone African countries). Workshops are being planned for the Asian subregion (to take place in Japan) and for Southern Africa (to take place in the third quarter of 1994). A national workshop took place in Turkey in late 1992, and one is being planned for the Dominican Republic for early 1994. 67. Materials and information are being prepared for presentation at the Conference. They will feature research findings, improved methodologies and practical training tools. They will cover the following areas: methodologies for valuing the contribution of women to development; women, environment and sustainable development; women and communication; women's access to credit and gender impact of credit projects; and various gender-related training materials. 68. Materials from case-studies and from the global analysis of the project concerning methodologies for valuing the contribution of women to development will be used as part of INSTRAW's contribution to the updated edition of The World's Women. 5. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 69. The UNDP Administrator has affirmed UNDP's commitment to providing support to preparatory activities for the Conference. In a letter dated 2 November 1993, addressed to UNDP resident representatives, the Administrator stressed that they were expected to contribute effectively to the process through their role as resident coordinators for the United Nations system. It was further suggested that field offices could undertake direct support of the preparation of Governments' national reports for the Conference, mobilization and coordination of the efforts of the United Nations community, and encouragement of the participation of civil society in the process. Other suggested areas for support include assistance in promoting awareness of the Conference and its key issues through dissemination of information, sponsoring of seminars, and support for audiovisual productions to capture the experience, sentiments and voices of women from developing countries. 70. The main theme of the 1995 edition of the Human Development Report will be devoted to women. It is expected that this publication will be one of the major reports to be circulated worldwide. 71. The UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific has funded the Symposium of Non-governmental Organizations on Women in Development, which was convened by ESCAP and the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, and held from 16 to 20 November 1993 in Manila. 72. A number of UNDP field offices in Asia are supporting different initiatives relating to the preparation of national reports. The UNDP field office in Beijing is working closely with the All China Women's Federation to assist it with national preparatory activities as well as with preparations for the Conference and the Non-Governmental Organization Forum. 73. An interregional project using Women in Development Special Programme Resources (WID SPR) and devoted to assisting Conference preparatory activities was approved. It is entitled "Making Beijing successful". 74. Other SPR-funded activities include: (a) An umbrella interregional gender statistics programme to strengthen capacity in the establishment of gender-disaggregated statistics in selected countries; (b) Support towards a system-wide study of existing technical and financial cooperation targeting programmes in favour of women; (c) A Media Women Regional Seminar, to be held in Zambia, which UNDP is providing financial support for, and is co-sponsoring with UNIFEM, the United Methodist Church, the Federation of African Media Women, the Tanzania Media Women's Association and Arameg Communications. The Seminar will train at least 25 women journalists who cover international conferences in electronic and in print media. The Seminar will provide an orientation in gender analysis, and will impart practical skills in news coverage and reporting through a gender-specific lens; (d) Providing of support for a 40-minute video production entitled "Participation in healing: women and the struggle to survive in Zambia" within the framework of "Women's Voices". This project is being implemented by the All Africa Conference of Churches and Visafric Productions; (e) Support for a Central American subregional project to assist non-governmental organizations and civil society in their preparations for the Regional Preparatory Conference on Women in Development to be held in Argentina in September 1994, and the Beijing Conference. The project will undertake a consultative process in each participating country to document the situation of women and elaborate proposals for future policies and interventions. An information system will be created to assist government and civil society in integrating women's concerns into the subregional political, economic and social processes; (f) Providing of support to Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea for capacity-building in gender and development and mainstreaming of women's concerns among indigenous institutions. 6. United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) 75. A joint issues paper on "Women, drug abuse and drug control" prepared by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), WHO and the Division for the Advancement of Women of the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development of the United Nations Secretariat is being finalized and will be presented as a background document to the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women. This report is one of the major outcomes of the project on Women and drug abuse, started in 1991 by WHO and UNDCP, which has sought to reduce the demand for drugs and the harmful consequences of substance abuse by women. The paper, which also incorporates the views of other United Nations bodies, treats women as active agents rather than as victims, and discusses the connection between women, drug abuse and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). 76. At the same time UNDCP is increasing its efforts to build into its field programme, especially in alternative development projects, special components that target the concerns of women. 7. World Food Programme (WFP) 77. WFP has joined the group of major sponsors of the updated edition of The World's Women, 1970-1990: Trends and Statistics by providing substantial financial support. 78. An action plan for selected country offices in each region is being prepared to apply the WFP policy on WID to ongoing and pipeline projects, including the lessons learned from the 1985 WID review of WFP-supported projects. 8. International Labour Organization (ILO) 79. ILO will be contributing to the preparation of the 1994 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development and is the leading United Nations body involved in the preparation of the chapter on the informal sector. It will also contribute to the chapter on women's work and the economy for the updated version of The World's Women, 1970-1990: Trends and Statistics. The results of ILO's interdepartmental project on equality for women in employment and of the International Forum on Equality for Women in a Changing World, to be held in April 1994, will provide relevant inputs into the preparations for the Conference. 80. At the regional level, ILO is participating in activities for the regional conferences and non-governmental organization symposia through the preparation of technical papers on employment and labour issues, through the supply of documentation, and through involvement in task forces and inter-agency meetings. At ILO regional seminars, workshops and other events, the need to highlight women workers' issues in all activities related to the Beijing Conference is stressed. 81. At the national level, ILO advisers and focal points are closely involved in the preparation of national reports. Information kits for national committees are available through field offices. Some field offices participate in informal networks of WID donors, while others have been chosen as focal points for preparatory activities with regard to the regional conferences and the Fourth World Conference on Women. 9. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) 82. FAO prepared a section on women's access to lands and natural resources for the 1994 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development. It also contributed to the section on women's access to credit and financial institutions. 83. FAO's WID focal point, the Women in Agricultural Production and Rural Development Service, has elaborated a programme of activities for the Fourth World Conference on Women that focuses on three areas: food security, food production and food processing. It outlines the contribution that technical divisions, FAO representatives, and the regional offices and ESHW can make towards preparatory activities for the Conference. An information package, including an information note and guidelines for preparatory activities of FAO and of the Conference secretariat, was widely circulated among FAO staff at headquarters and in the field. The FAO guidelines are supplementary to the guidelines for preparation of national reports of the Conference secretariat. They are targeted at Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development to encourage them to contribute information from the agricultural sector to the national report. FAO field projects have been encouraged to reallocate some funds for specific activities, such as seminars, training, and case-studies, for women at the field level in preparation for the Conference. 84. Funds have been provided for specific regional activities. These include: (a) Near East: development of a policy framework and regional programme of action for women in agriculture in the Near East, in coordination with member States, donors and non-governmental organizations; (b) Latin America and the Caribbean: FAO-sponsored regional network of institutions and agencies in support of rural women. The regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean acts as the technical secretariat in providing assistance to subregional networks; (c) Asia and Pacific: support for a research programme on time use and statistics and on the integration of gender in policy formulation; (d) Africa: support for activities on data collection and numeracy programmes. 85. In December 1993, the FAO project entitled "Assistance in support of rural women in preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Women" was initiated. The first phase of the project provides technical assistance to national committees and Ministries of Agriculture with regard to national report preparation. It aims at a comprehensive integration of information and data on rural women and agriculture into the national report, and at the full integration of WID units of Ministries of Agriculture, non-governmental organizations dealing with rural women and the rural women themselves into the whole preparatory process. A total of nine countries have so far obtained technical assistance under this phase of the project. The second phase of the project aims at strengthening national capacity to implement the Platform for Action that will be adopted at the Conference. This phase will cover the period from May 1994 through the Conference and beyond in three main areas: institution-building; technical activities and programmes; and developing of people's organizations and non-governmental organizations. 10. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 86. The primary focus of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the preparations for the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women is to ensure that issues of concern to refugee and returnee women are represented in the broader framework of global women's concern, both at the regional preparatory meetings and at the Conference itself. 87. UNHCR has therefore established a field-focused approach that emphasizes country-level consultations with refugee and returnee women and implementing partners to identify specific concerns and areas for action. These will be integrated into regional strategies and eventually into a global UNHCR agenda for action. At all stages, UNHCR is attempting to integrate the concerns of refugee and returnee women into major themes of the Conference while at the same time raising public awareness of issues that are specific to their particular situation. 88. Focal points have been designated with the responsibility for ensuring dissemination of information. UNHCR does not expect to organize special events focused uniquely on 1995. Nevertheless, UNHCR hopes to be able to include a focus in ongoing activities that benefit women. In addition, UNHCR will facilitate the participation of refugee women in the preparatory meetings of the Conference. 89. As regards inter-agency coordination, UNHCR is actively contributing to information-sharing efforts among Geneva-based organizations of the United Nations system and non-governmental organizations. 11. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) 90. As a follow-up to the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 1990s, 4/ which in paragraph 72 calls for appropriate measures to be taken by the least developed countries fully to mobilize and involve women, both as agents and beneficiaries of the development process in the least developed countries, the secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has taken into account the gender- related aspects in its analytical work on the least developed countries, for example, in particular in the relevant sections on education and health services in the forthcoming Least Developed Countries 1993 Report, to be submitted to the Trade and Development Board at the second part of its fortieth session in 1994. 91. As part of the preparatory process leading to the Mid-Term Global Review of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 1990s, to be held in the latter part of 1995, UNCTAD is planning to organize an expert group meeting on the subject of "Women in development of the least developed countries". The purpose of this event will be to arrive at a better understanding of the role that women play in the development process of the least developed countries and to consider ways to enhance their participation, and contribute thereby to accelerating the development process of those countries in the 1990s. The outcome of the proposed expert group meeting would also provide inputs to the Fourth World Conference on Women. 92. The UNCTAD secretariat, as the focal point for issues on science and technology in the United Nations system, will provide substantive support to the work of the Working Group on Gender and Technology, dealing with the gender implications of science and technology for developing countries, which is currently being organized and prepared for the Commission on Science and Technology for Development. 93. The Working Group on Gender and Technology constitutes a significant part of the work programme of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development during the period 1993-1995, in preparation for the next session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, to take place in 1995. This Working Group is expected to provide input in the field of women in science and technology to the Fourth World Conference on Women, including input for the Platform for Action. 12. United Nations Educational, Scientific and and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 94. UNESCO's regular budget resources allocated to women-specific activities are substantially increased for the budget biennium 1994-1995. The Executive Board of UNESCO has recommended that 25 per cent of resources made directly available for member States' participation in the execution of UNESCO programmes be allocated to programmes and projects directly benefiting women. The General Conference invited member States to present requests to this end. More emphasis is thereby given to national involvement and national implementation. Some 100 UNESCO national commissions have appointed focal points for women. Through them, as well as through the regional and subregional offices, UNESCO expects, inter alia, to reach a broader constituency of women professionals within UNESCO's spheres of competence, and to stimulate a process oriented towards overcoming the obstacles to the full and equal participation of women in all areas of responsibility of UNESCO. 95. Subregional meetings and activities, initiated by the national commissions in relation to the Fourth World Conference on Women, are foreseen under the participation programme. 96. A new Consultative Committee, which will be chaired by the Director-General, is being established with a view to promoting fresh insights and approaches, formulating new strategies, examining policy guidelines, and preparing a gender-responsive monitoring system as well as UNESCO's contribution to the Beijing Conference, in cooperation with the different programme sectors. A series of consultations are being planned, involving the Consultative Committee, Executive Board members, and members of permanent delegations to UNESCO, as well as national commissions of UNESCO. 97. UNESCO is participating actively in the preparation of the 1994 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development, and of the updated edition of The World's Women. 98. UNESCO's specific activities regarding the Fourth World Conference on Women include: (a) An international symposium on women and media under preparation for March 1995; (b) Development of a global framework of activities in support of basic education for girls and women with particular emphasis on Africa, the Arab States, and South Asia; (c) A set of activities designed to promote the key role women play in the transmission of cultural values; (d) Organization of an international forum and of round- table meetings, as well as the presentation of an exhibition at the Non-Governmental Organization Forum and the dissemination of information on women's status within UNESCO's field of competence; (e) A special issue on women in The UNESCO Courier (July/August 1995); (f) Focus on the education of girls and women in the 1995 edition of UNESCO's World Education Report; (g) Inclusion of gender components in the 1995 issue of UNESCO's World Science Report. 99. A complete plan for UNESCO's publications and information material for the Conference is being elaborated and will include project reports, updating of existing material, and development of kits, videos, films and posters. There are also plans to establish a small newsletter that, on an ongoing basis, presents the planned and ongoing activities of all UNESCO partners geared towards the Beijing Conference. 13. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) 100. UNICEF has issued guidelines to all its offices on UNICEF's involvement in the preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women based on the guidelines issued by the Conference secretariat. They provide a summary of the objectives and an outline of the preparatory process and the role expected from UNICEF offices in supporting that preparatory process at all levels. Reports from field offices indicate that UNICEF is closely associated with the national preparatory processes of the national preparatory committees set up by Governments, as well as with the activities of non-governmental organizations. 101. In order to facilitate coordination of UNICEF's activities in the preparatory process, a task force has been established in New York. This task force meets periodically and provides further guidance regarding UNICEF's involvement in Conference preparations. 102. Through the girl child initiative, UNICEF has given high priority attention to the elimination of gender disparities at the early stages of life. In this regard, UNICEF is in the process of preparing a Global Consultation on the Girl Child, which will be held in India, 10-16 February 1994. 103. In addition to directly supporting initiatives at the country level, UNICEF also provides direct support to non-governmental organizations in their preparatory activities for the Conference. For example, UNICEF has provided financial assistance to the African Women Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), which has been selected by African non-governmental organizations to coordinate all non-governmental organization activities in the region. Ways are being identified to extend support to other non-governmental organizations. In this regard, UNICEF regional offices have been requested to identify focal persons to liaise with regional commissions and other organizations for active involvement in the regional preparatory process. 14. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development 104. Two major papers will form the World Bank's substantive contribution to the Beijing Conference: the 1994 Gender Policy Paper to the Governing Board - the first such policy paper for the Bank - and the Special Study, which is to be published for extensive dissemination following the issue of the Policy Paper. The Special Study will include in-depth technical analyses and operational details on the priority areas of the Bank's Gender Programme. 105. The Europe and Central Asia region will be hosting a seminar in the second half of 1994 to disseminate, to client countries, non-governmental organizations and bilateral/multilateral agencies, findings on WID Fund-supported work, namely, on girls' education, labour markets, child care, maternal health, and agrarian reform, and related work. 106. A policy study on education, labour, agriculture, health and nutrition, enterprise development and financial services is currently being written by the Education and Social Policy Department (ESP). The working title is "Enhancing women's contribution to economic development". The paper will be published in 1995. 15. International Monetary Fund (IMF) 107. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has a very specific mandate with regard to international finance. This notwithstanding, the Managing Director of the Fund has expressed his interest in the Fourth World Conference on Women, and his desire, based on the conviction that gender issues are relevant to the Fund's mandate, for Fund staff to monitor Conference development. The Fund therefore participates in the ad hoc inter-agency meetings that are convened by the Conference secretariat, and expects to participate also in the Conference itself. 16. World Health Organization (WHO) 108. In response to the request by member States that the Global Commission on Women's Health, inter alia, provide input to all major international forums, including the World Conference on Human Rights, the International Conference on Population and Development, and the Fourth World Conference on Women, a document entitled "Human rights in relation to women's health" was presented at the World Conference on Human Rights in June 1993. Input will be prepared also for the Fourth World Conference on Women. A notable objective of the WHO working group acting as secretariat to the Global Commission has been first to capitalize on existing knowledge and expertise by ensuring cooperation within technical programmes at all levels, and between WHO and other appropriate bodies of the United Nations system and pertinent non-governmental organizations. 109. An interdivisional Steering Committee on Women, Health and Development was set up in WHO to ensure that the Organization's programmes, as well as the Ninth General Programme of Work, give proper attention to matters affecting women's health in all areas. In order to facilitate the process of incorporating women's perspectives in WHO's general programme of work, a check-list of indicators was developed for programme managers. The Steering Committee also coordinates input into the preparatory process for the Fourth World Conference on Women. 110. Several WHO programme areas have worked to develop strategies to reveal the gender-related aspects of diseases and health conditions. For example, the issue of women and drugs was the subject of a consultation held in August 1993. The results of the consultation will serve as the basis for a United Nations system-wide position paper on women, drug abuse and HIV/AIDS that will constitute a contribution to the Fourth World Conference on Women. 111. Other highlights include an informal working group on gender and health research, which has come together, under the coordination of the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, to discuss gender research issues of common concern. One of its activities is the development of a "healthy women counselling guide", for use primarily at the community level. 112. WHO's Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction and its Maternal Health and Safe Motherhood Programme collaborated to establish and foster the integration of women's perspectives into research on human reproduction and into the provision of services for reproductive health. In the context of the meeting of the Medical Women's International Association for Africa and the Near East, the two programmes have jointly organized a workshop to discuss ways and means for ensuring women's input and participation and to establish a network of interested parties. F. Host-country arrangements 113. A first planning mission to the host country, headed by the Secretary-General of the Conference, and with the participation of representatives of the United Nations Secretariat, took place from 1 to 6 June 1993. The host country was provided with a draft set of estimated requirements of the United Nations for holding the Fourth World Conference on Women at Beijing. The mission worked with the China Organizing Committee for the Conference, which comprises five functional subcommittees. 114. The planning mission reviewed several possible sites for the Conference and the Non-Governmental Organization Forum. The host country proposed that the opening and closing ceremonies of the Conference take place at the Great Hall of the People. It was proposed that the Conference itself should be held at the Beijing International Convention Centre. With regard to the Non-Governmental Organization Forum, it was considered that the Beijing Workers' Sports Service Centre would be a possible site for its major activities. 115. The Conference secretariat is in constant contact with the host country. The next planning mission to Beijing is expected to take place in May 1994. G. Intergovernmental activities 116. The Third European Ministerial Conference on Equality between Women and Men, which met in Rome, Italy, on 21 and 22 October 1993, adopted a statement on the Fourth World Conference on Women, in which, inter alia, it urged the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to take the necessary steps to ensure that the Council presents a major contribution to the Fourth World Conference on Women. To that end, it invited the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to convene, in anticipation of the Fourth World Conference on Women, a conference focusing on the human rights dimension of equality, as well as on the question of equality and democracy, which is also particularly relevant in the countries in transition in Europe. It is anticipated that that conference will take place in the course of 1994. 117. The Fourth Meeting of Commonwealth Ministers Responsible for Women's Affairs, held in Nicosia, Cyprus, from 5 to 9 July 1993, discussed, inter alia, preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women. A message of the Ministers on the key strategic issues was submitted to the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in October 1993. In their message, the Ministers expressed, inter alia, their belief that as they prepared for the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Commonwealth, in view of its members' common history and fundamental political values, could serve as a model to the rest of the world of the furthering, through integrated, practical action, of the goals of full equality for women. The Commonwealth Heads of Government received the message warmly. They expressed support for the actions proposed by the Ministers. 118. The Meeting of the Standing Ministerial Committee for Economic Cooperation of the Non-Aligned Movement, held in Bali from 10 to 13 May 1993, in its final document (A/48/338, annex) considered the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women to be an important opportunity for strengthening global commitment towards the advancement of women. In this regard, it emphasized the need for non-aligned and other developing countries to participate effectively in the preparatory process and in the Conference itself. Towards the early implementation of the decision of the Heads of State or Government of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries gathered at the Tenth Summit Meeting of their Movement in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 1 to 6 September 1992 (see document A/47/675, annex), the Standing Ministerial Committee urged the convening of the Fourth Ministerial Conference of Non-Aligned Countries, to be devoted to the role of women in development, for the purpose of coordinating the positions of the non-aligned countries. 119. The Twenty-sixth (XXVI) Assembly of the Inter-American Commission of Women, on 23 October 1992, adopted a resolution on preparations leading to 1995. It stated that the Inter-American Commission of Women, as a specialized agency of the Organization of American States (OAS), should assist countries in their preparations. It approved guidelines to prepare for the mid-decade regional evaluation of the advancement achieved by women. H. Non-governmental organizations 120. During the past year, the Planning Committee for Non-Governmental Organization Activities for the 1995 Non-Governmental Organization Forum and the Fourth World Conference on Women made arrangements for a number of activities. A Consultation held at the time of the thirty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women brought together persons from more than 100 organizations and all regions of the world. The workshops focused on developing strategies for action leading to regional forums and the 1995 Non-Governmental Organization Forum. Many recommendations were made to enhance the flow of information both to interested non-governmental organizations and from non-governmental organizations to national Governments and United Nations entities. A major emphasis was placed on opening global participation in the process leading to the Beijing Conference to as many groups and organizations as possible. A report on the Consultation was widely distributed. In September 1993, Ms. Supatra Masdit, a Thailand national, was appointed Convener of the Planning Committee. A new Executive Director was scheduled to assume her responsibilities on 1 February 1994. Since the last report, another 20 organizations have joined the Planning Committee. 121. The secretariat for the Planning Committee was moved from Vienna to New York and is preparing arrangements for non-governmental organization activities in connection with the thirty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. This non-governmental organization Consultation will be opened with a briefing on the status of preparations and documentation for the Fourth World Conference on Women, to be followed by two weeks of activities initiated by the participants. Based on the requests received from non-governmental organizations, a series of workshops, seminars, and other events are scheduled to take place. 122. Inquiries about participation in the Beijing Conference and the 1995 Non-Governmental Organization Forum are arriving from many sources. It has been agreed among the interested groups that participation in the regional meetings is essential. The Asian and Pacific Non-Governmental Organization Working Group, based in Bangkok, worked with ESCAP and the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women to organize the Asian and Pacific Symposium of Non-Governmental Organizations, held in Manila in November 1993. The Working Group was instrumental in designing the programme and in ensuring the presence of a wide range of non-governmental organization representatives from the entire region. 123. Planning is under way for activities in connection with the five regional preparatory conferences, which are scheduled to take place in 1994. The Second Asian and Pacific Ministerial Conference will receive the findings of the Manila Symposium. 124. The Planning Committee, in cooperation with the three non-governmental organization committees on the status of women (New York, Vienna and Geneva), will organize a consultation in connection with the thirty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women in 1995. The members of the Planning Committee are also involved in working with their Chinese colleagues in preparation for the 1995 Non-Governmental Organization Forum in Beijing to ensure appropriate facilities for the many anticipated activities, such as workshops, symposia, films and cultural events. 125. A representative of the non-governmental organization community participated in the first planning mission to Beijing, led by the Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women. Discussions as to the possible site for the Non-Governmental Organization Forum were held with the Chinese hosts. II. OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO CONFERENCE PREPARATIONS 126. The General Assembly, in its resolution 47/95, recommended that the Commission on the Status of Women, as the preparatory body for the Fourth World Conference on Women, should consider at its next session the relevance of the resolutions drafted at the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, held in 1985, in order to avoid duplication of work, keeping in mind that those resolutions had been neither adopted by the Conference nor considered by the Assembly. 127. The Commission on the Status of Women, in its resolution 37/7, section VI, reiterated its request, contained in its resolution 35/4, that the Secretary-General present to the Commission 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. Owing to the move of the Division for the Advancement of Women from Vienna to New York, work on that report has been delayed in the United Nations Secretariat. At the same time, the United Nations Secretariat has been able to secure the financial and/or technical cooperation of UNIFEM, UNDP, UNFPA and the World Bank in compiling the report, which is expected to be finalized in the second quarter of 1994. 128. The Commission on the Status of Women, in its resolution 37/7, section VI, also requested 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. Section VI of the draft Platform for Action will contain recommendations on institutional arrangements for the Platform's implementation. The report requested will be prepared in the light of further discussion on this section of the draft Platform for Action and will be submitted to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-ninth session in 1995. Notes 1/ Report of the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, Nairobi, 15-26 July 1985 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.85.IV.10), chap. I, sect. A. 2/ Social Statistics and Indicators, Series K, No. 8 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.90.XVII.3). 3/ Report of the World Conference on Human Rights, Vienna, 14-25 June 1993 (A/CONF.157/24 (Part I)), chap. III. 4/ Report of the Second United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Paris, 3-14 September 1990 (A/CONF.147/18), part one. Annex CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR THE PERIOD 1994-1995 1994 24-28 January Women's world banking expert group meeting on women and finance New York 31 January-11 March Fiftieth session of the Commission on Human Rights Geneva 1-5 February Consultative meeting on youth involvement in the Fourth World Conference on Women Princeton, New Jersey 3-4 March Eighteenth inter-agency meeting on women New York 3-4 March Non-governmental organization Consultation New York 2-18 March Non-governmental organization panels and workshops New York 7-18 March Thirty-eighth session of the Commission of the Status of Women New York April ILO International Forum on Equality for Women in a Changing World 4-22 April Third session of the Preparatory Committee for the International Conference on Population and Development New York 6-7 April Meeting on Women, co-sponsored by ECLAC and the Inter-American Development Bank Guadalajara, Mexico 11-15 April European Union Conference in preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Women Toledo, Spain 7-14 June Second Asian and Pacific Ministerial Conference on Women in Development (regional preparatory meeting for the Fourth World Conference on Women) Jakarta, Indonesia 1-6 August Nordic Forum Turku, Finland 22 August-2 September Second substantive session of the Preparatory Committee for the World Summit for Social Development New York Third quarter Non-governmental organization/ECE symposium (proposed) Geneva September UNESCO international meeting of experts on violence and sexual exploitation Seoul, Republic of Korea 4-8 September Regional Expert Group Meeting on Women in Development (Western Asia) Amman, Jordan 5-13 September International Conference on Population and Development Cairo, Egypt September Regional Non-Governmental Organization Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean Mar del Plata, Argentina 26-30 September Latin American and Caribbean regional preparatory conference Mar del Plata, Argentina 17-21 October European regional preparatory conference Vienna, Austria October Regional Non-Governmental Organization Forum for Europe (proposed) Vienna, Austria 6-10 November Western Asian regional preparatory conference Amman, Jordan 14-17 November Regional Non-Governmental Organization Forum for Africa Dakar, Senegal 16-23 November African regional preparatory conference Dakar, Senegal INSTRAW Interregional Conference on Women, Environment and Health Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 1995 16-27 January Third substantive session of the Preparatory Committee for the World Summit for Social Development 15 January-2 February Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women 30 January-10 March Commission on Human Rights Geneva February Council of Europe Conference in anticipation of the Fourth World Conference on Women: "Democracy and equality: challenge or utopia" March UNESCO international symposium on women and the media 6-12 March World Summit for Social Development Copenhagen 9-10 March Nineteenth inter-agency meeting on women New York 9-24 March Non-governmental organization Consultation and meetings New York 13-24 March Thirty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women New York 30 August-8 September Non-Governmental Organization Forum Beijing, China 4-15 September Fourth World Conference on Women Beijing, China ================================================================= UNITED NATIONS Distr. GENERAL E/CN.6/1994/9/Corr.1 8 March 1994 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN Thirty-eighth session New York, 7-18 March 1994 Agenda item 6 PREPARATIONS FOR THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN: ACTION FOR EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE Report of the Secretary-General Corrigendum Paragraph 5 After India, insert the Netherlands. After Sweden, insert Spain. Section E After paragraph 112, insert the following paragraphs and renumber the subsequent paragraphs accordingly. 17. International Trade Centre (ITC) 113. ITC will be contributing to the preparation of the 1994 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development and is the leading United Nations body for the preparation of the chapter on entrepreneurship and trade. 114. In December 1992, ITC launched a world-wide survey on national machineries and women's business associations in an effort to identify: (a) The capacity of national machinery to address the issue of women in trade development with a view to more effectively integrating trade issues into Governments' planning, policy and strategy dialogues and to enhancing national machineries' ability to provide input into the processes of national development planning, policy/strategy formulation, and project design and implementation, at public- and private-sector and grass-roots levels; (b) Existing national economic environments in which entrepreneurs operate at different levels of trade, including intraregionally and overseas; (c) The needs of women entrepreneurs and women in business. 115. Based on the results of that survey, ITC will provide technical input into regional preparations. With regard to the issue of women entrepreneurship development and trade, ITC has initiated a number of activities and is developing region-specific projects and technical models. 116. ITC has proposed that its Working Group on the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations investigate, inter alia, the implications of the Uruguay Round for the trade promotion and export development efforts of women entrepreneurs, with particular emphasis on market access and specific product groups of interest to the individual regions. In addition, a training programme will be conducted for women in business to make them aware of, and show them how they can best take advantage of the opportunities and challenges arising from the various protocols and agreements. 18. United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) 117. UNIDO is focusing its activities on enhancing women's role and participation in the economy, particularly in manufacturing. As an input into the regional preparations, UNIDO is currently implementing regional typology studies on the participation of women in manufacturing with a view to analysing patterns, determinants and future trends. In cooperation with the regional commissions and based on a gender-specific analysis of demographic, social, economic and institutional factors, regional and country-level strategies and plans of action will be formulated to enhance the participation of women in productive activities. The database resulting from those studies, as well as a user's manual, will be made available to the regional commissions for their use and dissemination. 118. Within the framework of the Industrial Development Decade for Africa, an expert group meeting on women in food processing took place in January 1994 in the United Republic of Tanzania. Its recommendations will be an input into the regional preparatory conference. 119. UNIDO will continue to cooperate with non-governmental organizations in compiling and disseminating information on technology transfer to women entrepreneurs, with particular emphasis on environmentally sound technologies. 19. United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) 120. UNICRI is preparing an international bibliography on violence in the family, focusing on violence against women and children. The bibliography will comprise a collection of data and a qualitative analysis of the literature collected, and will be ready for distribution both on diskette and in hard copy towards the end of 1994. It is expected to improve the capacity for comparative research of persons involved in developing policies aimed at reducing the incidence of violence against women. 121. UNICRI is preparing an analysis of the data on women victims of crime which were collected during the 1992 international crime victim survey, involving a total of 30 countries. The survey questionnaire, inter alia, referred to the reasons for not reporting, the fear of crime, the activities of law enforcement agencies and existing mechanisms of victim support. One of the parameters used was gender, with specific reference to violent and sexual assaults, including rape. 20. United Nations Volunteers (UNV) 122. UNV specialists will be placed in the secretariats of the regional commissions to strengthen the structures responsible for coordinating and preparing the regional prpearatory conferences. Within ECA, UNV specialists are contributing to promotion and publicity activities for creating awareness as well as to the preparation of technical papers and reports. Similarly, support is being provided to ESCAP. Moreover, UNV experience to date, in collaboration with UNDP, in central and eastern Europe and the economies in transition will be an input into the European regional preparations. UNV will also support national preparations, particularly the preparation of national reports, in the region. 123. UNV has formulated a project as a framework to support the least developed and developing countries in preparing national reports for the Conference. Through expanded dialogue and wider collaboration, the project seeks to create a sustainable and irreversible process of change by optimising the community-level voice in both national policy and the national reports. The emphasis is on broadening channels of communication among community, municipal and national levels, non-governmental organizations, United Nations agencies and other institutions, and on identifying areas of need and future programmes of assistance. Assistance is provided, inter alia, in defining national and sectoral policies on gender issues; establishing or improving on existing gender-disaggregated information systems; reviewing the legal structure and its impact on women; and planning and designing promotional and consciousness-raising activities that would be supported by Governments as well as by both men and women. 21. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) 124. IFAD is preparing a publication entitled Poverty and Rural Women, updating the initial issues and measures and analysing their impact on poverty alleviation. IFAD has played a global role in heightening the advocacy role of key women in developing countries through the organization of the Summit on the Economic Advancement of Rural Women, held in Geneva in 1992. A follow-up meeting took place in February 1994 in Brussels. 125. Research is under way on the mechanisms of decision-making within farming households, highlighting rural women's coping strategies and their role in farm management and production. The research aims to provide operational means for a clearer targeting of beneficiaries in project design and execution, as well as more precise calculations of rural women's productive output for insertion in economic analysis, in order to increase the accuracy of projections in policy definitions. 126. IFAD has contributed a chapter on women and access to financial resources to the 1994 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development. -----