14 December 1981

United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 35/136 of 11 December 1980, in which it endorsed the Programme of Action for the Second Half of the United Nations Decade for Women, as adopted at the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women, and decided to convene in 1985, at the conclusion of the Decade, a World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women,

Bearing in mind its resolutions 3201 (S-VI) and 3202 (S-VI) of 1 May 1974, containing the the Declaration and the Programme of Action on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order, 3281 (XXIX) of 12 December 1974, containing the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States, and 3362 (S-VII) of 16 September 1975, on development and international economic co-operation,

Emphasizing the importance attached by the International Development Strategy for the Third United Nations Development Decade to the need to improve the status of women and ensure their full participation in the development process as agents and beneficiaries of development,

Taking note of chapter XXV on the role of women in development as contained in the Declaration of the Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Non-Aligned Countries, held at New Delhi from 9 to 13 February 1981,

Emphasizing that the recommendations made in the Programme of Action for the Second Half of the Decade and in other relevant decisions and resolutions as adopted at the Conference should immediately be translated into concrete action by States, the organizations of the United Nations system and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations,

Welcoming the entry into force on 3 September 1981 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the growing number of States that have ratified it,

Convinced that the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women must be given the assistance needed to enable it to begin to function as early as possible in the host country,

Noting that the review and appraisal of the progress made by Governments in implementing the Programme of Action for the Second Half of the United Nations Decade for Women as adopted will be carried out by the Commission on the Status of Women every two years, beginning with the Commission's twenty-ninth session,

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women,

1. Affirms that the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Second Half of the United Nations Decade for Women and of the relevant recommendations, resolutions and decisions of the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women should result in the complete integration of women into the development process and in the effective realization of the objectives of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace;

2. Calls upon Governments to continue taking the measures necessary for achieving substantial progress in the implementation of the relevant recommendations of the Programme of Action with a view to ensuring equal participation by women as agents and beneficiaries in all sectors and at all levels of the development process;

3. Calls upon the organizations of the United Nations system, including the regional commissions, to reserve adequate resources for, and pay increased attention to, the implementation of the Programme of Action, particularly as regards the dissemination of information on the participation of women;

4. Urges the regional commissions to report in full to the Economic and Social Council, at its first regular session in 1982, on the evolution of the situation of women in all the sectors of their development programmes, in order to strengthen and reorient the programmes and reporting methods of those commissions, so as to reflect more adequately the regional concerns of women;

5. Requests the Economic and Social Council, at its first regular session in 1982, to consider the implementation of the Programme of Action, giving high priority in this regard to the report of the Commission on the Status of Women;

6. Emphasizes the role of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat as the focal point for the organizations of the United Nations system with regard to the implementation of the Programme of Action, in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the Decade, and requests the Secretary-General to give the Centre the assistance required to enable it to carry out its mandate;

7. Requests the Commission on the Status of Women, at its session to be held in 1982, to give priority to the question of the preparations for the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women, to be held in 1985, which will mark the end of the Decade, with a view to submitting to the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh session, through the Economic and Social Council, specific proposals on that question;

8. Stresses the need for close and continued co-operation between the United Nations system and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women and requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary measures to allow the Institute to carry out its mandate;

9. Takes note with satisfaction of the effective contribution made by the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women to the implementation of the Programme of Action;

10. Invites the Secretary-General to submit to the General

Assembly at its thirty-seventh session a report on the steps taken for the implementation of the present resolution;

11. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-seventh session the item entitled "United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace".