| United Nations | E/CN.6/1998/1 |
Commission on the Status of Women
Distr. GENERAL
15 December 1997
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
Commission on the Status of Women
Forty-second session
2-13 March 1998
Item 2 of the provisional agenda
Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters
Provisional agenda
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. Communications concerning the status of women.
5. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women, including the elaboration of a draft optional
protocol to the Convention.
6. Provisional agenda for the forty-third session of the
Commission.
7. Adoption of the report of the Commission on its forty-second
session.
Annotations
1. Election of officers
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 past
sessions, the Commission has elected, in addition to a Chairperson, three
Vice-Chairpersons and a Rapporteur.
In 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-second and forty-third sessions.
The membership of the Commission in 1998 is given in annex II
below.
2. Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters
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-second session of the Commission were approved by the Economic and
Social Council in decision 1997/229. In resolution 1996/6 on follow-up to
the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Economic and Social Council
adopted a multi-year work programme for the Commission for a focused and
thematic approach, culminating in a quinquennial review and appraisal of
the Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women. In
the same resolution, the Council 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 also decided on
the items to be included in the Commission's agenda.
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, on 5 May, 27 August and 13 October 1997, the
Bureau of the Commission met to consider the organization and methods of
work for the session and convened informal consultations in accordance with
agreed conclusions 1996/1 of the Commission. Following past practice, the
Bureau confirmed that there would be three sets of consultations in
preparation for the forty-second session of the Commission. The first
consultation was held on 1 October 1997. The second consultation, focusing
on the work of the open-ended in-session working group of the Commission on
the elaboration of an optional protocol to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, was held on 29
October 1997. The third consultation is expected to be convened in
mid-February 1998.
The proposed organization of the work of the session, as
contained in annex I below, reflects the agreements reached during the
consultations in October. The Commission will be informed orally by the
Secretariat of any changes that may emerge from the consultations in
mid-February.
During the consultations, it was agreed that there should
be a general debate focusing on sub-item 3 (c) (Implementation of strategic
objectives and action in the critical areas of concern). In particular,
Member States would be encouraged to refer to their national action plans
for follow-up to and implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform
for Action. The sequencing of the general debate would allow Member States,
if they wished, to comment also on the critical areas of concern and on
topics for future emerging issues. To ensure wide participation, it was
agreed that individual interventions by Governments, intergovernmental
organizations, United Nations entities and non-governmental organizations
should be limited to five minutes, and interventions on behalf of groups
should be limited to 10 minutes.
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 and its agreed conclusions
1995/1, approved by the Council on 28 July 1995; that reports contain
recommendations for action and indicate the actors; that reports 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. In the same resolution, the Council specified the reports to be
prepared under item 3 of the Commission's agenda, bearing in mind the need
to promote integrated reporting.
The Commission will have before it a note by the
Secretariat on the status of documentation for the session.
Documentation
Note by the Secretariat on the status of documentation for
the session (E/CN.6/1998/L.1)
3. Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women
(a) Review of mainstreaming in organizations of the United
Nations system
In section III of 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. In the report of the
Secretary-General on the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women
(A/51/322), it was noted that reports requested under Assembly resolution
50/203 would be provided to the Commission on the Status of Women, the
Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly on a rolling basis. In
each of these reports, the Secretary-General, while briefly summarizing
results of previous sessions of the other bodies, would add new material.
The request for annual reports on follow-up to and implementation of the
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was reiterated in Assembly
resolutions 51/69 and 52/100.
The Commission will have before it the report requested.
In section I of resolution 1996/6, the 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, and that a gender perspective should also be fully integrated
in the work of all thematic task forces on Conference follow-up established
by the Administrative Committee on Coordination. In fulfilment of that
request, the Commission will hear an oral report by the Special Adviser on
Gender Issues and Advancement of Women and Chairperson of the Inter-Agency
Committee on Women and Gender Equality.
High-level plenary review
In resolution 52/100, the General Assembly decided to
convene, in the year 2000, a high-level plenary review to appraise and
assess the progress achieved in the implementation of the Nairobi
Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women and the Beijing
Platform for Action five years after its adoption, and to consider further
actions and initiatives; the Assembly requested the Secretary-General, with
a view to ensuring participation at a high political level, to explore in a
report to the General Assembly at its fifty-second session the possibility,
among other options, of convening the review (a) at the start of the
fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly, (b) within the framework of
the proposed millennium Assembly, if agreed upon by the General Assembly,
(c) following the annual session of Commission on the Status of Women, or
(d) as a special session of the General Assembly. In the same resolution,
the Assembly decided that the Commission on the Status of Women should
serve as the preparatory committee for the high-level review, and as such
would be open to the participation of all States Members of the United
Nations, members of specialized agencies and observers, in accordance with
the established practice of the General Assembly, and invited the
Commission to take appropriate action towards that end, including giving
attention to appropriate arrangements for the involvement and participation
of non-governmental organizations in the review. The Assembly requested the
Commission to consider at its forty-second session the report of the
Secretary-General requested above, thus enabling the Assembly, through the
Economic and Social Council, to decide on this issue at its fifty-second
session as soon as possible thereafter.
The Commission will have before it the report requested.
Mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and
programmes in the United Nations system, including mainstreaming women's
human rights
In 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 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 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 resolution 40/3,
the Commission stressed the need to intensify efforts of cooperation and
coordination to ensure that the equal status and the human rights of all
women and the girl child were integrated into the mainstream of United
Nations system-wide activities and were addressed regularly and
systematically in relevant United Nations bodies and mechanisms. In
resolution 41/6, the Commission, inter alia, urged that the joint work plan
of the Division and of the Centre for Human Rights be fully considered by
the Commission on Human Rights; and that due consideration be given to the
human rights of women and the girl child in the preparations for the
five-year review of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and the
commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights.
Bearing in mind the need to promote integrated reporting, the
joint work plan will be incorporated into the report of the
Secretary-General submitted under sub-item 3 (a). Implementation of
resolution 41/6 will be integrated into the reports submitted under
sub-items 3 (a) and 3 (c).
Palestinian women
In resolution 1997/16 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; it 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 on the Status of Women at its
forty-second session a report on the progress made in the implementation of
the resolution. Bearing in mind the need to promote integrated reporting,
the report of the Secretary-General on this question will be incorporated
into the report of the Secretary-General submitted under sub-item 3 (a).
Release of women and children taken hostage in armed
conflicts, including those subsequently imprisoned
In resolution 41/1, the Commission requested the
Secretary-General and all relevant international organizations to use their
capabilities and efforts to facilitate the release of women and children
taken hostage in armed conflicts, including those subsequently imprisoned,
and to report to the Commission at its forty-second session on the
implementation of the resolution, taking into account the information
provided by States and relevant international organizations. Bearing in
mind the need to promote integrated reporting, the report of the
Secretary-General on this question will be incorporated into the report of
the Secretary-General submitted under sub-item 3 (a).
Mid-term review of the system-wide medium-term plan for
the advancement of women, 1996-2001
The Economic and Social Council, in resolution 1996/34,
endorsed the revised system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of
women, 1996-2001, taking into account the comments of the Commission on the
Status of Women contained in Commission resolution 40/10 and the annex
thereto, and the conclusions and recommendations of the Committee for
Programme and Coordination, and requested all organizations and bodies of
the United Nations system to implement the revised plan in light of those
comments. The Council decided to undertake, in 1998, a comprehensive
mid-term review of the implementation of the revised plan as a basis for
future programming and coordination of activities for the advancement and
empowerment of women by the United Nations system, including a review of
progress made in mainstreaming a gender perspective. It requested the
Secretary-General to submit to the Council, through the Commission on the
Status of Women at its forty-second session, a progress report on the
implementation of the revised plan. In resolution 41/6, the Commission
requested the Secretary-General to give due attention to the implementation
of the Beijing Platform for Action, including mainstreaming, in the context
of the review of the revised plan in 1998.
The Commission will have before it the report requested.
Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat
The General Assembly, in resolution 52/96 on improvement
of the status of women in the secretariat, called upon the
Secretary-General, to implement fully and monitor the strategic plan of
action for the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat
(1995-2000) in order to achieve the goal of 50/50 gender distribution by
the year 2000; to appoint more women as special representatives and envoys;
to ensure accountability of individual managers for implementing the
strategic plan within their areas of responsibility; to continue work to
create a gender-sensitive work environment; and to enable the Focal Point
for Women effectively to monitor and facilitate progress in the
implementation of the strategic plan. The Assembly requested the
Secretary-General to include in his report on the implementation of the
resolution statistics on the number and percentage of women in all
organizational units and at all levels throughout the United Nations
system.
The Commission will have before it the report requested.
Violence against women
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 will
be provided with such information.
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women
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 sixteenth and seventeenth sessions (A/52/38/Rev.1) and a
note transmitting the results of the Committee's eighteenth session (19
January to 6 February 1998) will be before the Commission for its
information.
Documentation
Report of the Secretary-General on follow-up to and
implementation of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
(E/CN.6/1998/2)
Report of the Secretary-General on a mid-term review of
the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women, 1996-2001
(E/CN.6/1998/3)
Report of the Secretary-General on progress in improving
the status of women in the Secretariat (E/CN.6/1998/8)
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.6/1998/9)
Report of the Secretary-General containing options for a
high-level plenary review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for
Action in the year 2000 (E/CN.6/1998/10)
Documentation for information
Report of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women on its sixteenth and seventeenth sessions
(A/52/38/Rev.1)
Note by the Secretariat transmitting the report on the
activities of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, as mandated by
the Economic and Social Council in its agreed conclusions 1997/1, paragraph
29 (A/52/300)
Report of the Secretary-General on the status of the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,
as mandated in General Assembly resolution 49/164 (A/52/337)
Report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the
International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women,
as mandated by the Economic and Social Council in its agreed conclusions
1997/1, paragraph 29 (A/52/352)
Report of the Secretary-General on the improvement of
the status of women in the Secretariat (A/52/408)
Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the results
of the eighteenth session of the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women (E/CN.6/1998/CRP.1)
(b) Emerging issues, trends and new approaches to issues
affecting the situation of women or equality between women and men
In its resolution 1996/6, the 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
Economic and Social Council in overall coordination, that increased
dialogue between the Bureaux of the Commission on the Status of Women and
the Economic and Social Council and 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.
The Commission, in resolution 41/2 on older women, human
rights and development, decided to consider, at its forty-second session
under the sub-item entitled "Emerging issues, trends and new approaches to
issues affecting the situation of women or equality between women and men",
the status of older women and to make substantive recommendations thereon.
The Commission will have before it a report on this issue, including the
results on an expert group meeting on gender and caregiving.
Documentation
Report of the Secretary-General on the status of older
women (E/CN.6/1998/4)
(c) Implementation of strategic objectives and action in the
critical areas of concern
In resolution 51/69, the General Assembly welcomed
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 Assembly also welcomed the Commission's agreed conclusions
1996/1 on the Commission's methods of work for dealing with the
implementation of the Platform for Action. The Council, in resolution
1996/6, decided on a timetable 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 those areas and bearing in mind that the
critical areas of concern are interrelated and interdependent. Accordingly,
the Commission will review the following four critical areas of concern in
1998: violence against women (Platform for Action, chap. IV.D); women and
armed conflict (Platform for Action, chap. IV.E); human rights of women
(Platform for Action, chap. IV.I) and the girl child (Platform for Action,
chap. IV.L).
In section III of resolution 1996/6, the Economic and
Social Council decided that the Commission would consider, in 1998, under
item 3 of its agenda, a synthesized report on implementation plans of
Governments and the United Nations system, based, inter alia, on national
action plans and any other sources of information already available in the
United Nations system.
In its agreed conclusions 1996/1, the Commission
established the basis for the organization of work at its subsequent
sessions. As stated in the agreed conclusions, the Commission considered
that its effectiveness and efficiency could be improved through innovative
methods of work, including inviting experts to participate in the
substantive debate on selected issues as part of the regular work of the
Commission. The practice of inviting experts was expected to deal
effectively with the critical areas of concern established in the Platform
for Action and to contribute to the effective follow-up to the Conference.
The experts should be chosen from the fields of study addressed under the
critical areas of concern, taking into account equitable geographical
distribution and the involvement of non-governmental organizations. Panels
of experts should be formed. They should include experts appointed by the
Secretary-General, experts working within the United Nations system, and
experts from Governments and from civil society. The selection of experts,
the composition of the panels, and the allocation of time to dialogues
should be decided inter-sessionally by the Bureau of the Commission, taking
into consideration the proposals of the United Nations Secretariat. The
Secretariat should prepare a list of candidates for the panels based on
suggestions from States and civil society. The Bureau should convene
meetings open to the participation of all interested States to ensure a
broad base of participation. Meetings should be allotted for dialogue with
organizations within the United Nations system and civil society and among
governmental delegations. Sufficient time should be devoted to
intergovernmental dialogue.
In accordance with the agreed conclusions, the results
of the dialogues should normally be reflected in concise, action-oriented
agreed conclusions to be transmitted to the Economic and Social Council by
a Commission decision. They should also contain policy recommendations and
identify coordination issues to be dealt with by the Council.
As agreed at the Commission's fortieth session, the
Bureau of the Commission convened consultations as noted above. In
compliance with agreed conclusions 1996/1 of the Commission, and at the
request of the Bureau, the Secretariat prepared non-papers covering
preparations for and procedures to be followed at the forty-second session
of the Commission.
During the consultations, it was agreed that there
should be four panels, one on each of the critical areas of concern. One
meeting would be allocated to each of the four critical areas of concern,
allowing for a panel discussion and dialogue with the panel of experts and
among Member States and observers. Panellists would be instructed to keep
their presentations to seven to ten minutes each and to make their written
statements available in advance.
The consultations emphasized the need to ensure that
experts in the panels made their presentations on the basis of their
experience with the issue, rather than on the basis of official positions
of their organizations or Governments. It was agreed that each panel should
have four experts. In making its proposals concerning the composition of
the panels, the Secretariat was guided by the parameters established in
agreed conclusions 1996/1 of the Commission. The need to ensure a mix of
relevant experience on implementation of the Platform for Action and the
need for geographical balance guided the final selection of panellists by
the Bureau. Governments were invited to submit by 31 October 1997,
nominations for experts who might be considered for the panels, indicating
on which of the four panels the nominee might serve.
In resolution 41/4 on violence against women migrant
workers, the Commission requested the Secretary-General to take into
account and to reflect in his thematic report to the Commission at its
forty-second session the various major findings and recommendations from
all reports of the Secretary-General submitted to the General Assembly on
the issue of violence against women migrant workers, in order for the
Commission to make recommendations on the issue. In resolution 52/97, the
General Assembly invited the Commission to address the issue of violence
against women migrant workers at its forty-second session when considering
violence against women and/or human rights of women.
In its resolution 41/5 on traffic in women and girls,
the Commission decided to examine, at its forty-second session, the reports
of the special rapporteurs and relevant organizations and bodies, with a
view to making appropriate recommendations to the General Assembly at its
fifty-third session, through the Economic and Social Council at its
substantive session of 1998. In resolution 52/98, the Assembly invited the
Commission, at its next session, to address the subject of the traffic in
women and girls when considering violence against women and human rights of
women.
In resolution 52/99, the Assembly welcomed the fact that
the Commission on the Status of Women would address the critical areas of
concern "violence against women", "the girl child" and "human rights of
women" at its session in 1998 and "women and health" in 1999. It invited
the Commission to address the issue of harmful traditional or customary
practices during those sessions, and requested the Secretary-General to
make available to the Commission on Human Rights, at its fifty-fourth
session, in 1998, the outcome of the discussions in the Commission on the
Status of Women on that issue, if necessary in the form of an oral report.
In resolution 41/6 the Commission requested that the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees, relevant special rapporteurs and treaty body
experts be invited to participate in the discussion on the critical areas
of concern "human rights of women" and "the girl child", to be held at the
forty-second session of the Commission.
In following up agreed conclusions 1996/1 of the
Economic and Social Council, the Commission, at its forty-first session,
agreed to include in its report to the Council a text submitted by the
Chairperson, in which it was noted that the Commission on the Status of
Women would undertake in 1998 an overall review of the theme "human rights
of women", and that the Commission on Human Rights should consider
providing, in accordance with paragraph 45 of agreed conclusions 1996/1, an
input to the Commission on the Status of Women on ensuring women's real
enjoyment of their human rights, in particular those relating to the
alleviation of women's poverty, economic development and economic
resources; with a view to facilitating interaction between the two
Commissions, the Secretariat was invited to submit a report on this subject
to both the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Human
Rights, in cooperation with the Centre for Human Rights and the Division
for the Advancement of Women of the United Nations Secretariat (see
E/1997/27, chap. II, para. 178). In resolution 1997/11, the Commission on
Human Rights requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights to submit to the Commission on Human Rights at its fifty-fourth
session, in accordance with agreed conclusions 1996/1 of the Economic and
Social Council, a report, to be prepared by the Centre for Human Rights and
the Division for the Advancement of Women, on the obstacles encountered and
progress achieved in the field of women's rights relating to economic
resources, the elimination of poverty and economic development, in
particular for women living in extreme poverty.
(i) Violence against women
Critical area of concern D of the Platform for Action
deals with violence against women. The Commission will have before it the
report of the Secretary-General on the thematic issues to be addressed at
its forty-second session, including recommendations drawn from studies
carried out on a regional basis on measures taken to prevent violence
against women.
(ii) Women and armed conflict
Critical area of concern E of the Platform for Action
deals with women and armed conflict. The Commission will have before it the
report of the Secretary-General on the thematic issues to be addressed at
its forty-second session, including conclusions and recommendations
emanating from the expert group meeting on gender-based persecution.
(iii) Human rights of women
Critical area of concern I of the Platform for Action
deals with the human rights of women. In resolution 41/2, the Commission
decided that at its forty-second session, in examining the critical area of
concern "human rights of women" it would also pay attention to the
violation of older women's rights. The Commission will have before it the
report of the Secretary-General on the thematic issues to be addressed at
its forty-second session, including conclusions and recommendations
emanating from the expert group meeting on promoting women's enjoyment of
their economic and social rights.
(iv) The girl child
Critical area of concern L of the Platform for Action
deals with the girl child. The Commission will have before it the report of
the Secretary-General on the thematic issues to be addressed at its
forty-second session, including conclusions and recommendations emanating
from the expert group meeting on adolescent girls and their rights.
Documentation
Analytical report of the Secretary-General on the
thematic issues before the Commission in accordance with the multi-year
work programme, including, as far as possible, progress made in national
implementation, based on available data and statistics (E/CN.6/1998/5)
Synthesis report of the Secretary-General on
implementation plans of Governments based, inter alia, on national action
plans and any other sources of information already available in the United
Nations system (E/CN.6/1998/6)
Joint report of the Division for the Advancement of
Women and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights on women's real enjoyment of their human rights, in particular those
relating to economic resources (E/CN.6/1998/11)
Documentation for information
Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the interim
report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the
elimination of all forms of religious intolerance (A/52/477 and Add.1)
Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of
the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the sale of
children, child prostitution and child pornography (A/52/482)
Reports of the Special Rapporteur on violence against
women (E/CN.4/1997/47 and Add.1, Add.1/Corr.1 and Add.2-4, and Add.1-4,
E/CN.4/1996/53 and Add.1, Add.1/Corr.1 and Add.2, E/CN.4/1995/42)
Preliminary report of the Special Rapporteur on the
situation of systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices
during periods of armed conflict (E/CN.4/Sub.2/1996/26)
Report of the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of
Slavery (1997)
4. Communications concerning the status of women
In 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 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 resolution 1983/27, the 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 resolution 1993/11, the Economic and Social Council
reaffirmed that the Commission on the Status of Women was empowered to make
recommendations to the Economic and Social Council on what action should be
taken on emerging trends and patterns of discrimination against women
revealed by such communications.
Documentation
Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the
confidential list of communications concerning the status of women
(E/CN.6/1998/S.W. Communications List No. 32)
Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the
non-confidential list of communications concerning the status of women
(E/CN.6/1998/CR.34)
5. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women, including the elaboration of a draft optional
protocol to the Convention
In resolution 1995/29, the Economic and Social Council
decided that the Commission on the Status of Women should establish an
in-session open-ended working group to consider an optional protocol to the
Convention. It renewed the mandate of the working group in decision
1996/240.
In decision 1997/227, the Economic and Social Council
renewed the mandate of the in-session Open-ended Working Group on the
Elaboration of a Draft Optional Protocol to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, so that it might
continue its work, pursuant to Council resolution 1995/29, during the
forty-second and forty-third sessions of the Commission, and authorized it
to meet in parallel with the Commission. It also decided to invite a
representative of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women to attend those meetings as a resource person.
The Commission, in its resolution 41/3, requested the
Secretary-General to submit to the Commission at its forty-second session
an annotated comparison of the draft optional protocol and the proposed
amendments thereto with the provisions of existing international human
rights instruments, taking into account the report of the Working Group
submitted to the Commission at its forty-first session (E/1997/27, annex
III). The report requested will be before the Commission.
Documentation
Report of the Secretary-General containing an annotated
comparison of the draft optional protocol and the proposed amendments
thereto with the provisions of existing international human rights
instruments, taking into account the report of the Working Group submitted
to the Commission at its forty-first session (E/CN.6/1998/7)
Documentation for information
Report of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women on its sixteenth and seventeenth sessions
(A/52/38/Rev.1)
Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the results
of the eighteenth session of the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women (E/CN.6/1998/CRP.1)
6. Provisional agenda for the forty-third session of the
Commission
Pursuant to paragraph 3 of Economic and Social Council
resolution 1894 (LVII), and in accordance with paragraph 5 of section III,
and paragraphs 3 and 4 of section IV of Council resolution 1996/6, the
Commission will have before it the draft provisional agenda for its
forty-third 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.
7. Adoption of the report of the Commission on its
forty-second session
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-second session.
Annex I
Proposed organization of work
Week of 2-6 March 1998
Monday, 2 March
a.m. Opening of the session
Item 1 Election of officers
Item 2 Adoption of the agenda and other
organizational matters
Item 3 (c) Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on
Women: general discussion (national action
plans)
p.m. Item 3 (c) Continuation of general discussion
Tuesday, 3 March
a.m.* Item 3 (c) Continuation of general discussion
p.m.* Item 3 (c) Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on
Women: implementation of strategic objectives and action
in
the critical areas of concern: human rights of women
Panel of experts: presentation and dialogue
Wednesday, 4 March
a.m.* Item 3 (c) Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on
Women: implementation of strategic
objectives
and action in the critical areas of
concern:
the girl child
Panel of experts: presentation and dialogue
p.m.* Item 3 (c) Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on
Women: implementation of strategic
objectives
and action in the critical areas of
concern:
women and armed conflict
Panel of experts: presentation and dialogue
Thursday, 5 March
a.m.* Item 3 (a) Review of mainstreaming in organizations of
the United Nations system
Item 3 (b) Emerging issues, trends and new approaches
to
issues affecting the situation of women or
equality between women and men
p.m.* Item 3 (c) Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on
Women: implementation of strategic
objectives
and action in the critical areas of
concern:
violence against women
Panel of experts: presentation and dialogue
Friday, 6 March
a.m. Item 3 Informal consultations
p.m.* Item 3 Informal consultations
Week of 9-13 March
Monday, 9 March
a.m.* Item 3 Informal consultations
p.m.* Item 3 Informal consultations
6 p.m. Deadline for submission of draft proposals
on items 3 and 5
Tuesday, 10 March
a.m.* Item 3 Informal consultations
p.m.* Item 3 Informal consultations
Wednesday, 11 March
a.m.* Item 4 Closed meeting of the Commission to
consider
the report of the Working Group on
Communications, followed by:
Item 3 Conclusion of general discussion
p.m.* Item 3 Informal consultations
Thursday, 12 March
a.m.* Item 3 Informal consultations
p.m.* Items 3 & 5 Introduction of draft proposals, followed
by:
p.m.* Informal consultations on all outstanding
issues, if necessary
Friday, 13 March
a.m. and p.m. Report of the Open-ended Working Group on
the
Elaboration of a Draft Optional Protocol to
the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of
Discrimination against Women
Action on draft proposals and on the
proposed
agreed conclusions on item 3 (c)
p.m. Item 6 Provisional agenda for the forty-third
session of the Commission
Item 7 Adoption of the report of the Commission on
its forty-second session
Closure of the session
* The meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Elaboration of a
Draft Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women will be held simultaneously with the
plenary meetings.
a A special event to mark International Women's Day will be organized
by the Department of Public Information, in collaboration with the Division
for the Advancement of Women. The event, scheduled to take place on 5
March from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (time to be confirmed), will be open to
representatives of non-governmental organizations, members of delegations,
the press and members of the Secretariat. Details will be announced in the
Journal.
Annex II
Membership of the Commission on the Status of Women in 1998
(45 members; four-year term)
Membership, Term expires on 31 December
Angola 1998
Belgium 1998
Bolivia 2001
Brazil 1999
Bulgaria 1998
Chile 1999
China 1999
Congo 1998
C“te d'Ivoire 2001
Cuba 2001
Dominican Republic 1999
Ethiopia 2000
France 2000
Germany 2000
Ghana 2000
Greece 1998
India 2001
Indonesia 1998
Iran (Islamic Republic of) 2001
Japan 2000
Lebanon 1999
Lesotho 2001
Malaysia 2001
Mali 1999
Mexico 1998
Morocco 2000
Norway 1999
Paraguay 2000
Peru 2000
Philippines 1998
Poland 2000
Portugal 1998
Republic of Korea 2001
Russian Federation 1998
Rwanda 2001
Saint Lucia 2001
Slovakia 1999
Sri Lanka 2001
Sudan 2001
Swaziland 1999
Thailand 2000
Togo 1998
Uganda 2001
United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland 2000
United States of America 1999
This document has been posted online by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). Reproduction and dissemination of the document - in electronic and/or printed format - is encouraged, provided acknowledgement is made of the role of the United Nations in making it available.
Date last updated: 06 December 1999 by DESA/DAW
Copyright © 1999 United Nations