Effective implementation of 'Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action' called for.

The General Assembly on 8 December, in resolution 50/42, called for the effective implementation of the "Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action", adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women. The Conference was one of the largest world gatherings ever held under UN auspices; it took place in the Chinese capital from 4 to 15 September.

On 22 December, the Assembly endorsed the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action--a comprehensive, ground-breaking plan for the international community to promote the status of women. In resolution 50/203, it called upon States, the UN system and "all other actors" to promote "an active and visible policy of mainstreaming a gender perspective at all levels, including in the design, monitoring and evaluation of all policies", in order to ensure the Platform's effective implementation. The Assembly stressed that Governments had the primary responsibility for implementing the Platform and that commitment at the highest level was essential for its implementation.

Among its 38 provisions, the Beijing Declaration recognizes that the status of women has advanced in some important respects in the past decade, but that progress has been uneven, inequalities between women and men have persisted and major obstacles remain, with serious consequences for the well-being of all people.

The Platform for Action establishes a basic group of priority actions to be carried out over the next five years. It deals in depth with 12 critical areas of concern, considered as the main obstacles to women's advancement: poverty; education; health; violence against women; armed conflict; economic structures; power sharing and decision-making; mechanisms to promote the advancement of women; human rights; the media; the environment; and the girl child.

In his 10 November report (A/50/744) on the follow-up to the Beijing Conference, the Secretary-General indicated that he would ensure that the gender perspective was integrated into all aspects of the work of the Organization, and that he would work with his colleagues, the executive heads of the UN specialized agencies and UN programmes and funds to ensure a coordinated system-wide response, integrating the follow-up of the Conference with that of other global conferences.

On 28 December, the Secretary-General designated his Senior Adviser, Assistant Secretary-General Rosario Green, as his "adviser on gender issues". Ms. Green would assist in ensuring that the gender perspective was effectively integrated into policies and programmes in all areas of the work of the UN system and was fully taken into account in furthering the Organization's linkages with civil society.

On the subject of traffic in women and girls, the Assembly appealed (resolution 50/167) to Governments to address the root factors that encouraged trafficking in women and girls for prostitution and other forms of commercialized sex, forced marriages and forced labour, so as to eliminate trafficking in women. Governments were invited to combat such trafficking through nationally and internationally coordinated measures, and to consider the development of standard minimum rules for the humanitarian treatment of trafficked persons. Concerned Governments were urged to support comprehensive, practical approaches by the international community to assist women and children victims of transnational trafficking to return home and be reintegrated into their home societies.

Women migrant workers 

States Members were called upon (50/168) to adopt measures for the effective implementation of the 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, including applying them to women migrant workers, as well as all relevant measures emanating from recent world conferences. They were also encouraged to consider signing and ratifying or acceding to the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, as well as the 1926 Slavery Convention.

Rural women

Member States were also invited (50/165) to attach greater importance to the improvement of the situation of rural women in their national development strategies, paying special attention to both their practical and strategic needs. In formulating relevant strategies and actions, the UN Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) was invited to give due consideration to the gender aspects of rural-urban migration and its impact on the situation of rural women.

Other UN action

As one of the operational bodies of the UN, the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) was asked (50/166) to take into account the need to strengthen its activities to eliminate violence against women as part of system-wide efforts of the UN towards that goal. The UN Development Programme's Administrator was asked to consider the possibility of establishing a trust fund, within UNIFEM's existing mandate, structure and management, in support of national, regional and international actions to eliminate violence against women.

The Assembly regretted (50/162) that, owing to the absence of sufficient information on the legal, technical and administrative implications of the proposed merger of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) and UNIFEM, it was unable to decide on the merger. The Assembly recommended that any proposal dealing with the institutional structure and mandates of the different UN bodies dealing with the advancement of women must be considered part of the general restructuring exercise of the UN.

In resolution 50/163, the Assembly reiterated the importance of maintaining the level of resources devoted to independent research and training activities, which were crucial for the situation of women. Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations were invited to contribute to the UN Trust Fund for INSTRAW.

Resolution 50/164 on the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat called upon the Secretary-General to fulfil his target of having women hold 50 per cent of managerial and decision-making positions by the year 2000. He was urged to increase the number of women employed in the Secretariat from developing countries, particularly those that were unrepresented or underrepresented, and from other countries that had a low representation of women.

By resolution 50/202, the Assembly noted with approval the amendment to article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. It urged States parties to take measures so that acceptance by a two-thirds majority of States parties could be reached as soon as possible in order for the amendment, which was adopted on 22 May 1995, to enter into force.