REVIEW AND APPRAISAL IN THE
COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN 2005

In the Political Declaration adopted in by the United Nations General Assembly at its twenty-third special session in June 2000, Member States agreed to "assess regularly further implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action with a view to bringing together all parties involved in 2005 to assess progress and consider new initiatives, as appropriate, ten years after the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action".

A review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995), and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly (2000), is mandated in the multi-year programme of work of the Commission on the Status of Women for its forty-ninth session in March 2005. The Commission will consider two themes:

• "Review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly"; and
• "Current challenges and forward-looking strategies for the advancement and empowerment of women and girls"

The review and appraisal by the Commission will focus on implementation at national level and identify achievements, gaps and challenges and provide an indication of areas where actions and initiatives, within the framework of the Platform for Action and the outcome of the special session (Beijing+5), are most urgent to further implementation.