Distr.: General
December 1999
Original: English

ADVANCE UNEDITED VERSION

1. Election of officers.

2. Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters.

3. Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women:

(a) Review of mainstreaming in organizations of the United Nations system;

(b) Emerging issues, trends and new approaches to issues affecting the situation of women or equality between women and men;

(c) Implementation of strategic objectives and action in the critical areas of concern.

4. Comprehensive review and appraisal of the implementation of the Platform for Action.

5. Follow-up to Economic and Social Council resolutions and decisions.

6. Communications concerning the status of women.

7. Provisional agenda for the forty-fifth session of the Commission.

8. Adoption of the report of the Commission on its forty-fourth session.

Rule 15 of the rules of procedure of the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council provides that, at the commencement of the first meeting of a regular session, the Commission shall elect, from among the representatives of its members, a Chairperson, one or more Vice-Chairpersons and such other officers as may be required. At its forty-second session, the Commission elected, in addition to a Chairperson, four Vice-Chairpersons, with one Vice-Chairperson having rapporteurial responsibilities.

In its resolution 1987/21, the Economic and Social Council recommended that, in order to enhance the effectiveness of the work of the Commission, the officers elected to the Bureau of the Commission should serve for a term of office of two years. The Commission will be required to elect a new Bureau at the present session. The officers elected will serve during the forty-fourth and forty-fifth sessions.

The membership of the Commission in 2000 is given in annex II below.

Rule 7 of the rules of procedure provides that the Commission shall, at the beginning of each session, after the election of its officers, adopt the agenda for that session on the basis of the provisional agenda.

The provisional agenda and documentation for the forty-fourth session of the Commission were approved by the Economic and Social Council in Council decision 1999/258. In its resolution 1996/6 on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Council adopted a multi-year work programme for the Commission for a focused and thematic approach, culminating in a review and appraisal of the Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women; decided that the work of the Commission in relation to the work programme should be closely related to the relevant provisions of the Platform for Action, with a view to ensuring the effective implementation of the Platform for Action; and decided on the items to be included in the Commission’s agenda. In its resolution 54/..., the General Assembly recommended that the major share of the three-week forty-fourth session of the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2000 be allocated to the Commission acting as preparatory committee for the special session "Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace in the twenty-first century", 5 to 9 June 2000.

The Commission, in its agreed conclusions 1996/1 on methods of work for dealing with the implementation of the Platform for Action, noted that its innovative methods of work had to be understood as a process that included not only the sessions of the Commission, but also the organization of work. Broad-based participation in the preparatory process for each session of the Commission was to be encouraged, and the practice of periodically convening meetings of the Bureau of the Commission open to the participation of all interested States was to be encouraged and consolidated.

Accordingly, the Bureau of the Commission held several meetings to consider the organization and method of work for the session, and the allocation of time between the Commission and the Commission acting as preparatory committee. It also met with the Bureau of the Commission acting as preparatory committee. A joint briefing was convened by the Chairpersons of the two Bureaux on 14 October 1999 in order to consider the organization of work of the Commission, as well as of the preparatory committee, and the allocation of time between them.

The proposed organization of work for the forty-fourth session of the Commission, as contained in annex I below, reflects the proposals made during the consultations in October. Taking into consideration the regular work of the Commission to be implemented at its forty-fourth session, it is proposed that the session of the Commission be held from Monday, 28 February, to Thursday, 2 March 2000, and that the remainder of the three-week session be allocated to the Commission acting as preparatory committee for the special session. The Commission will be informed orally by the Secretariat of any changes that may emerge from further consultations. Without prejudice to the right of any delegation to propose individual draft resolutions, members of the Commission are reminded of the time constraints at the forty-fourth session. The annotated provisional agenda and proposed organization of work of the Commission acting as preparatory committee is contained in document E/CN.6/2000/PC/1.

A general debate is scheduled for the first two days of the Commission’s session, with a focus on agenda items 3 (follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women) and 4 (comprehensive review and appraisal of the implementation of the Platform for Action). It is suggested that consideration of item 4 be largely incorporated into the work of the preparatory committee under item 2 of its agenda, starting on Friday, 3 March. A general debate in the Commission with a focus on review and appraisal, together with follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women, is expected to allow for a reduction of the time allocated for a general debate during the preparatory committee. A factual summary of the general debate, to be prepared by the Secretariat, following last year’s practice (see E/1999/60, Chapter II, para.6), would be made available to the preparatory committee.

To ensure wide participation, it is recommended that individual interventions by Governments, intergovernmental organizations, United Nations entities and non-governmental organizations be limited to 5 minutes, and interventions on behalf of groups be limited to 10 minutes. It is proposed that a specific block of time during the general debate be set aside for interventions by non-governmental organizations.

In section III of resolution 1996/6, the Economic and Social Council requested that all United Nations documentation be kept concise, clear, analytical and timely with a focus on relevant issues and in accordance with Council resolution 1987/24 of 26 May 1987 and agreed conclusions 1995/1, approved by the Council on 28 July 1995; that reports contain recommendations for action, indicate the actors and be issued in all official languages, in accordance with the rules of the United Nations; and that other methods of reporting, such as oral reports, also be explored.

The Commission will have before it a note by the Secretariat on the status of documentation for the session.

Note by the Secretariat on the status of documentation for the session (E/CN.6/2000/L.1)

In section III of its resolution 1996/6, the Economic and Social Council requested the Secretary-General to prepare annually, under item 3, a report on the measures taken and the progress achieved in mainstreaming a gender perspective within the United Nations system. A report on follow-up to, and implementation of, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is submitted annually also to the Council, and to the General Assembly, in accordance with Assembly resolution 50/203, and as reiterated in Assembly resolutions 51/69, 52/100, 53/120 and 54/.... The Commission will have before it the report requested.

In section I of its resolution 1996/6, the Economic and Social Council decided that the Inter-Agency Committee on Women and Gender Equality should inform the Commission of the progress of its work, for the purpose of system-wide coordination. In fulfilment of that request, the Commission will hear an oral report by the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women and Chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Women and Gender Equality.

In its resolution 41/6, the Commission addressed the need to mainstream a gender perspective into all policies and programmes in the United Nations system. It encouraged the Economic and Social Council to develop specific recommendations in that regard, and highlighted the need for gender mainstreaming, inter alia, at the inter-agency level, in the coordinated follow-up to major United Nations conferences and summits, and in the ongoing restructuring process of the Secretariat. It also requested Governments to include information on progress in mainstreaming when submitting their reports on national action plans for the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

In its resolution 39/5, the Commission requested the Secretary-General, taking into account the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women, to see to the preparation of a joint work plan on the human rights of women for the then Centre for Human Rights and the Division for the Advancement of Women on an annual basis and to inform both the Commission on Human Rights and the Commission on the Status of Women at their annual sessions, beginning in 1995, of the plans. In its resolution 1999/41, the Commission on Human Rights requested that the joint work plan continue to reflect all aspects of work under way and identify where obstacles/impediments existed and areas for further collaboration, and that it be made available to the Commission on Human Rights at its fifty-fifth session and to the Commission on the Status of Women at its forty-fourth session. The joint work plan will be incorporated into the report of the Secretary-General submitted under item 3 (a).

In its resolution 1999/15 on Palestinian women, the Economic and Social Council requested the Commission on the Status of Women to continue to monitor and take action with regard to the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, in particular paragraph 260 concerning Palestinian women and children, and the Beijing Platform for Action; and requested the Secretary-General to continue to review the situation and to assist Palestinian women by all available means, and to submit to the Commission at its forty-fourth session a report on the progress made in the implementation of that resolution. The report of the Secretary-General on this question will be incorporated into the report of the Secretary-General submitted under item 3 (a).

In its resolution 43/1, the Commission on the Status of Women requested the Secretary-General and all relevant international organizations to use their capabilities and efforts to facilitate the release of such women and children, and requested the Secretary-General to prepare, taking into account the information provided by States and relevant international organizations, a report on the implementation of that resolution, for submission to the Commission at its forty-fourth session. The report of the Secretary-General on this question will be incorporated into the report of the Secretary-General submitted under item 3 (a).

Women, the girl child and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

In its resolution 43/2, the Commission on the Status of Women encouraged Governments, and relevant entities of the United Nations system to undertake activities and give priority attention to the situation of women and girls infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. It invited the Secretary-General to report to the Commission at its forty-fourth session on the implementation of that resolution. The report of the Secretary-General on this question will be incorporated into the report of the Secretary-General submitted under item 3 (a).

In its resolution 54/... on the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to monitor closely the progres made by departments and offices in meeting the goal of gender balance; and to continue his work to create a gender-sensitive work environment supportive of the needs of his staff. The Assembly requested the Secretary-General to include in his report on the implementation of that resolution, statistics on the number and percentage of women in all organizational units and at all levels throughout the United Nations system and on the implementation of gender action plans. The Commission will have before it the report requested.

In resolution 50/166 on the role of the United Nations Development Fund for Women in eliminating violence against women, the General Assembly requested the Fund to include in its regular reports information regarding its activities to eliminate violence against women and to provide such information to the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Human Rights. It also requested the Fund to include in its regular reports information on the establishment of a trust fund in support of national, regional and international actions to eliminate violence against women and to provide such information to the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Human Rights. The Commission on the Status of Women will be provided with such information.

In accordance with article 21.2 of the Convention, the reports of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women are transmitted to the Commission for its information. The report of the Committee on its twentieth and twenty-first sessions (A/54/38/Rev.1) and a note transmitting the results of the Committee’s twenty-second session (17 January to 4 February 2000) will be before the Commission for its information.

System-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women, 1996-2001

In its resolution 1999/16, the Economic and Social Council invited the Secretary-General, in his capacity as Chairman of the Administrative Committee on Coordination, to formulate the plan for 2002-2005 in two phases. It decided that the first phase consisting of an assessment of activities undertaken by the United Nations system and of obstacles encountered and lessons learned from the present plan and the system-wide process of its implementation be submitted to the Council through the Commission on the Status of Women in 2000. The Commission will have before it the report requested.

The General Assembly, in its resolution 49/161, requested the Secretary-General to continue updating the World Survey on the Role of Women in Development. The third update of the World Survey was presented to the Assembly at its fifty-fourth session. The World Survey will be before the Commission for its information.

Report of the Secretary-General on follow-up to and implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (E/CN.6/2000/2)

Report of the Secretary-General assessing the implementation of the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women, 1996-2001 (E/CN.6/2000/3)

Report of the Secretary-General on progress in improving the status of women in the Secretariat (E/CN.6/2000/4)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting information provided by the United Nations Development Fund for Women on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 50/166 (E/CN.6/2000/6)

Note by the Secretariat transmitting the results of the twenty-second session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (E/CN.6/2000/CRP.1)

Report of the Secretary-General on the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat (A/54/405)

Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women at its twentieth and twenty-first sessions (A/54/38/Rev.1)

Report of the Secretary-General on the status of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (A/54/224 and Corr.1), as mandated in General Assembly resolution 49/164

Annual report of the activities of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (A/54/225), as mandated in agreed conclusions 1997/2, twenty-ninth paragraph, of the Economic and Social Council

1999 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development

In its resolution 1996/6, the Economic and Social Council elaborated the Commission’s terms of reference and, inter alia, decided that the Commission should identify emerging issues, trends and new approaches to issues affecting the situation of women or equality between women and men that required urgent consideration, and make substantive recommendations thereon; decided that the Commission’s agenda would include annually a sub-item 3 (b) on emerging issues, trends and new approaches to issues affecting the situation of women or equality between women and men; and requested the Secretary-General to prepare a report on emerging issues under that sub-item, as appropriate, at the request of the Commission or its Bureau. The Commission also noted, bearing in mind the role of the Council in overall coordination, that increased dialogue between the Bureaux of the Commission on the Status of Women and the Economic and Social Council, the chairpersons and secretariats, as appropriate, of the other functional commissions, other subsidiary bodies and related bodies, including the relevant executive boards, would assist in identifying issues that could be addressed under the agenda item on emerging issues and trends.

A panel discussion on "emerging issues, trends and new approaches to issues affecting the situation of women or equality between women and men" is proposed to take place on 1 March. The panel will be convened in accordance with the Commission’s established practice, set out in its agreed conclusions 1996/1. It will provide an opportunity to reflect on obstacles and relevant issues that need to be addressed within the Platform’s vision of women’s empowerment and gender equality. It will, inter alia, draw from a workshop convened by the Division for the Advancement of Women at the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Beirut, Lebanon, from 8 to 10 November 1999 on "Beijing +5: Future actions and initiatives." A report reflecting recommendations adopted by that workshop is submitted to the Commission on the Status of Women acting as preparatory committee for the special session (E/CN.6/2000/PC/4).

In its resolution 51/69, the General Assembly welcomed Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/6 in which the Council strengthened the mandate and terms of reference of the Commission on the Status of Women and endorsed the Commission’s multi-year work programme for the period 1996–2000. The Council, in its resolution 1996/6, decided on a calendar for considering the Platform’s 12 critical areas of concern, in the light of the need for a focused and thematic multi-year work programme on these areas and bearing in mind that the critical areas of concern are interrelated and interdependent. Accordingly, the Commission reviewed the twelve critical areas of cncern of the Platform for Action from its fortieth to forty-third sessions.

The Economic and Social Council, in its resolution 1996/6, adopted a multi-year work programme for the Commission. Accordingly, in 2000 the Commission will contribute to the comprehensive review and appraisal of the implementation of the Platform for Action. The general discussion (see annotations for item 2 above) is expected to focus on agenda item 3 and agenda item 4. A report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Platform for Action is submitted to the Commission on the Status of Women acting as preparatory committee for the Special Session (E/CN.6/2000/PC/2).

In a letter of 1 November 1999, addressed to the Chairperson of the Commission on the Status of Women, the President of the Economic and Social Council referred to General Assembly resolution 50/227, and stressed the importance that policy recommendations adopted by the Council be taken into account in the work of its subsidiary bodies, inviting systematic follow-up to the Council’s policy decisions. The President drew attention to resolutions addressed to functional commissions, and in particular to the ministerial communique that resulted from the Council’s high-level segment in 1999, and to resolutions 1999/35, 1999/51 and 1999/55. He invited the Chairperson to bring these to the attention of the Commission on the Status of Women and to take necessary action to implement them.

In its agreed conclusions 1997/2 on mainstreaming the gender perspective into all policies and programmes in the United Nations system, the Council highlighted the importance of undertaking immediate and concrete steps to mainstream a gender perspective, including implementation of the recommendations contained in the agreed conclusions, as a matter of urgency and at the latest by the time of the five-year review of the Beijing Platform for Action in 2000. The Council also decided to monitor annually, under an item entitled ‘Integrated follow-up of major United Nations conferences’, the way in which its functional commissions and subsidiary bodies mainstream a gender perspective on the basis of the report on the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women.

The Commission will have before it a note by the Secretariat on steps already taken by the Commission to implement the Council’s policy decisions, on possible further actions to be taken by the Commission, and on recommendations the Commission may wish to address to the Council in this regard.

Note by the Secretariat on follow-up to resolutions and decisions of the Economic and Social Council (E/CN.6/2000/5)

In its resolution 76 (V) of 5 August 1947, the Economic and Social Council established a procedure by which the Commission on the Status of Women would receive and consider communications relating to the status of women. In its resolution 304 I (XI) of 14 and 17 July 1950, the Council amended resolution 76 (V) and requested the Secretary-General to compile, before each session of the Commission, a list of confidential and non-confidential communications, containing a brief indication of the substance of each communication.

In its resolution 1983/27, the Economic and Social Council reaffirmed the mandate of the Commission to consider confidential and non-confidential communications on the status of women, and authorized the Commission to appoint a working group to consider such communications and prepare a report thereon for the Commission.

In its resolution 1993/11, the Economic and Social Council reaffirmed that the Commission was empowered to make recommendations to the Council on what action should be taken on emerging trends and patterns of discrimination against women revealed by such communications.

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the confidential list of communications concerning the status of women (E/CN.6/2000/S.W. Communications List No. 33)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the non-confidential list of communications concerning the status of women (E/CN.6/2000/CR.35)

Pursuant to paragraph 3 of Economic and Social Council resolution 1894 (LVII), and in accordance with sections III.5 (documentation) and IV.3 and 4 of Council resolution 1996/6, the Commission will have before it the draft provisional agenda for its forty-fifth session, with an indication of the documents to be submitted under each agenda item and the legislative authority for their preparation, in order to enable the Commission to consider those documents from the point of view of their contribution to the work of the Commission, and of their urgency and relevance in the light of the current situation.

In accordance with rule 37 of the rules of procedure of the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council, the Commission shall submit to the Council a report on the work of its forty-fourth session.

a.m. Opening of the session

Item 1 Election of officers

Item 2 Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters

General discussion on:

Item 3 Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women; and

Item 4 Comprehensive review and appraisal of the implementation of the Platform for Action

p.m. Items 3 and 4 Continuation of general discussion

a.m. Items 3 and 4 Continuation of general discussion

p.m. Items 3 and 4 Conclusion of general discussion

a.m. Item 3(b) Emerging issues, trends and new approaches to issues affecting the situation of women or equality between women and men

Panel discussion

p.m. Introduction of proposals under all items, followed by informal consultations

a.m. Item 6 Closed meeting of the Commission to consider the report of the Working Group on Communications, followed by:

Informal consultations

p.m. Action on all draft proposals

p.m. Item 7 Provisional agenda for the forty-fifth session of the Commission

Item 8 Adoption of the report of the Commission on its forty-fourth session

Belgium ..................................................................................................2002

Benin .................................................................................................. 2003

Bolivia .................................................................................................. 2001

Brazil .................................................................................................... 2003

Burundi ................................................................................................. 2002

Chile ..................................................................................................... 2003

China .................................................................................................... 2003

Côte d’Ivoire ......................................................................................... 2001

Croatia .................................................................................................. 2003

Cuba ..................................................................................................... 2001

Denmark ............................................................................................... 2003

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea ................................................ 2002

Dominican Republic .............................................................................. 2003

Egypt .................................................................................................... 2002

Ethiopia ................................................................................................ 2000

France ................................................................................................... 2000

Germany ............................................................................................... 2000

Ghana ................................................................................................... 2000

India ..................................................................................................... 2001

Iran (Islamic Republic of) ......................................................................2001

Italy ...................................................................................................... 2002

Japan ..................................................................................................... 2000

Kyrgyzstan ............................................................................................ 2003

Lesotho ................................................................................................. 2001

Lithuania ............................................................................................... 2002

Malaysia ............................................................................................... 2001

Malawi................................................................................................... 2003

Mexico .................................................................................................. 2002

Mongolia .............................................................................................. 2002

Morocco ................................................................................................ 2000

Paraguay ............................................................................................... 2000

Peru ...................................................................................................... 2000

Poland ................................................................................................... 2000

Republic of Korea ................................................................................. 2001

Russian Federation .............................................................................. 2002

Rwanda ................................................................................................. 2001

Saint Lucia ............................................................................................ 2001

Senegal ................................................................................................. 2002

Sri Lanka .............................................................................................. 2001

Sudan .................................................................................................... 2001

Thailand ................................................................................................ 2000

Turkey .................................................................................................. 2002

Uganda .................................................................................................. 2001

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .................... 2000

United States of America ..................................................................... 2003