Implementation of the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women

A/RES/49/161View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 97 Advancement of women, published in 1995.

What other versions does this mandate have?

10 versions · 1986–1995

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
1995	A/RES/49/161	Implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women	2,569	62%Compare
1994	A/RES/48/108	Implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women	3,023	—
1993	A/RES/47/95	Implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women	—	—
1992	A/RES/46/98	Implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women	—	—
1991	A/RES/45/129	Implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women	—	—

What’s in this document?

39 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;⁸

⁸A/49/349.

Reaffirms section I, paragraph 2, of the recommendations and conclusions arising from the first review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, contained in the annex to Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/15 of 24 May 1990, which called for an improved pace in the implementation of the Forward-looking Strategies in the crucial last decade of the twentieth century, since the cost to societies of failing to implement them would be high in terms of slowed economic and social development, misuse of human resources and reduced progress for society as a whole;

Urges Governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations to implement the recommendations;

Calls again upon Member States to give priority to policies and programmes relating to the sub-theme "Employment, health and education", in particular to literacy for self-reliance of women and the mobilization of indigenous resources, as well as to issues relating to the role of women in economic and political decision-making, population, the environment, information and science and technology;

Reaffirms the central role of the Commission on the Status of Women in matters related to the advancement of women, and calls upon it to continue promoting the implementation of the Forward-looking Strategies to the year 2000, based on the goals of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace and the sub-theme "Employment, health and education", and urges all relevant bodies of the United Nations system to cooperate effectively with the Commission in this task;

Requests the Commission, when considering the priority theme relating to development during its thirty-ninth session, to ensure its early contribution to the preparatory work for forthcoming major international conferences to be held in 1995, namely, the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace and the World Summit for Social Development, and to address the impact of technologies on women;

Also requests the Commission to give special attention to women in developing countries, particularly in Africa and the least developed countries, who suffer disproportionately from the effects of the global economic crisis and the heavy external debt burden, and to recommend further measures for the equalization of opportunity and for the integration of the roles and perspective of women, as well as their needs, concerns and aspirations, into the entire development process when considering the priority theme of development;

Emphasizes, in the framework of the Forward-looking Strategies, the importance of the total integration of women of all ages in the development process, bearing in mind the specific and urgent needs of the developing countries, and calls upon Member States to establish specific targets at each level in order to increase the participation of women in professional, management and decision-making positions in the countries;

Emphasizes once again the need to give urgent attention to redressing socio-economic inequities at the national and international levels as a necessary step towards the full realization of the goals and objectives of the Forward-looking Strategies through meeting the practical and strategic needs of women;

Strongly urges that particular attention be given by the competent United Nations organizations and Governments to the special needs of women with disabilities, elderly women and also women in vulnerable situations such as migrant and refugee women and children;

Urges the international community and the competent United Nations bodies and organs to place more emphasis on the sharp increase in the incidence of poverty among rural women;

Welcomes the recommendations adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development on women, environment and development in all programme areas, in particular those set out in chapter 24 of Agenda 21,⁹ entitled "Global action for women towards sustainable and equitable development";

⁹Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992 (A/CONF.151/26/Rev.1 (Vol. I, Vol. I/Corr.1, vol. II, Vol. III and Vol. III/Corr.1))(United Nations publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigenda), vol. I: Resolutions adopted by the Conference, resolution 1, annex II.

Welcomes also the recommendations of the International Conference on Population and Development regarding the advancement of women, contained in the Programme of Action of the Conference; 6/

Urges organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to ensure the active participation of women in the planning and implementation of programmes for sustainable development, and requests Governments, in the context of General Assembly resolution 47/191 of 22 December 1992, to consider nominating women as representatives to the Commission on Sustainable Development;

Requests the Secretary-General, in formulating the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period 1996-2001 and in integrating the Forward-looking Strategies into activities mandated by the General Assembly, to pay particular attention to specific sectoral themes that cut across the three objectives, equality, development and peace, and to include, in particular, literacy, education, health, population, the impact of technology on the environment and its effect on women and the full participation of women in decision-making, and to continue to assist Governments in strengthening their national machineries for the advancement of women;

Also requests the Secretary-General to continue updating the World Survey on the Role of Women in Development,¹⁰ bearing in mind its importance, placing particular emphasis on the adverse impact of the difficult economic situation affecting the majority of developing countries, particularly on the condition of women, giving special attention to worsening conditions for the incorporation of women into the labour force, as well as the impact of reduced expenditures for social services on opportunities available to women for education, health and child care;

¹⁰United Nations publication, Sales No. E.89.IV.2.

Requests Governments, when presenting candidatures for vacancies in the Secretariat, in particular at the decision-making level, to give priority to candidatures of women, and requests the Secretary-General in reviewing those candidatures to give special consideration to female candidates from underrepresented and unrepresented developing countries;

Requests the Secretary-General to invite Governments, organizations of the United Nations system, including the regional commissions and the specialized agencies, and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to report periodically to the Economic and Social Council, through the Commission on the Status of Women, on activities undertaken at all levels to implement the Forward-looking Strategies;

Also requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide for the existing weekly radio programmes on women in the regular budget of the United Nations, making adequate provisions for broadcasts in different languages, and to develop the focal point for issues relating to women in the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat, which, in concert with the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, should provide a more effective public information programme relating to the advancement of women;

Further requests the Secretary-General to include in his report on the implementation of the Forward-looking Strategies, to be submitted to the General Assembly at its fiftieth session, an assessment of recent developments that are relevant to the priority themes to be considered at the subsequent session of the Commission and to transmit to the Commission a summary of relevant views expressed by delegations during the debate in the Assembly;

Requests the Commission to continue to examine the implications of the World Conference on Human Rights and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action¹¹ adopted by the Conference for its central role in matters related to the rights of women within the United Nations system and to report to the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 1995;

¹¹A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III.

Requests the Secretary-General to prepare a report for the Commission, for consideration at its thirty-ninth session, on steps to be taken by the Division for the Advancement of Women, in cooperation with other United Nations bodies, specifically the Centre for Human Rights of the Secretariat, to ensure that relevant human rights mechanisms of the United Nations, such as treaty-monitoring bodies, rapporteurs and working groups, regularly address violations of the rights of women, including gender-specific abuses;

Recognizes that the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, proclaimed by the General Assembly in its resolution 48/104 of 20 December 1993, is essential to the attainment of full respect for the rights of women and is an important contribution to efforts aimed at achieving the objectives of the Forward-looking Strategies by the year 2000;

Expresses its satisfaction for the smooth conclusion of the regional preparatory meetings, the results of which constitute important inputs to the Platform for Action, the final document of the Fourth World Conference on Women;

Requests the Secretary-General to give more support, from within existing resources, to the Division for the Advancement of Women, acting as secretariat of the Fourth World Conference on Women, by providing sufficient financial and human resources and giving wide publicity to the Conference and its preparatory activities;

Appeals to countries that have not done so to compile their national reports in earnest and to forward them in time to the secretariat of the Conference;

Decides that, in order to support developing countries, in particular the least developed among them, in participating fully and effectively in the Conference and its preparatory process, each least developed country, to the extent that extrabudgetary funds are available, may be provided from the trust fund established by the Secretary-General for the preparations for the Conference with travel expenses and, on an exceptional basis, daily subsistence allowance for representatives attending the thirty-ninth session of the Commission, which is the preparatory body for the Conference, and the Conference itself;

Expresses its gratitude and appreciation to the Governments, organizations and individuals that have already contributed to the Trust Fund for the Fourth World Conference on Women;

Recommends the further development of methods of compilation and data collection in areas of concern identified by the Commission, and urges Member States to improve and broaden collection of gender-disaggregated statistical information and make it available to the relevant bodies of the United Nations system with a view to preparing, in all official languages, as a background document for the Fourth World Conference on Women, an updated edition of The World's Women 1970-1990: Trends and Statistics;¹²

¹²United Nations publication, Sales No. E.90.XVII.3.

Endorses the request by the Commission that the Secretary-General should include information on the decision-making position of women in public life and in the fields of science and technology in the preparation of the priority theme on peace, "Women in international decision-making", for the Commission at its thirty-ninth session, in 1995;

Requests 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;

Emphasizes that the success of the Fourth World Conference on Women will depend largely on the follow-up to the Conference;

Invites United Nations bodies and specialized agencies and other relevant intergovernmental organizations to consider making concrete commitments and specifying actions to meet the global priorities for the advancement of women by the year 2000 which will be reflected in the Platform for Action;

Invites Member States similarly to consider specific action which they could take in their own countries to bring about change by the year 2000;

Reaffirms its decision, taking into account Commission resolution 37/7, to adopt the modalities for the participation in and contribution to the Fourth World Conference on Women and its preparatory process by non-governmental organizations, particularly those from the developing countries, set out in the annex to General Assembly resolution 48/108;

Requests the Secretary-General to prepare a report for the Fourth World Conference on Women, to be held at Beijing in 1995, on the extent to which gender concerns have been included in the activities of the relevant human rights mechanisms of the United Nations, such as treaty-monitoring bodies, rapporteurs and working groups;

Requests that the report of the Fourth World Conference on Women be submitted to the General Assembly at its fiftieth session for consideration and action;

Requests the Secretary-General to prepare for the consideration of the General Assembly at its fiftieth session a report on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women, taking into consideration the recommendations made at the Conference;

Also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fiftieth session on measures taken to implement the present resolution.

Implementation of the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women

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