14 December 1981

United Nations Decade for Women: equal rights to work

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 34/155 of 17 December 1979, in which it called upon Governments to take steps to ensure effective participation of women in the decision-making process with respect to foreign policy and international economic and political co-operation, including steps to ensure that they have equal access to diplomatic functions and that they are represented in the United Nations and other international organizations,

Recalling also its resolutions 33/184 of 29 January 1979 and 34/159 of 17 December 1979, in which it recommended that States should envisage in their policies all appropriate measures to create necessary conditions which will enable women to participate in work on an equal footing with men,

Noting that in some countries legal and administrative regulations hamper the possibilities of accompanying spouses of members of diplomatic missions or consular posts and of staff members of intergovernmental organizations to work,

Concerned that women continue to be underrepresented in the professional staffs of international organizations, including the United Nations and the specialized agencies, and are not always exempt from discrimination when they are recruited,

Invites Governments in host countries to consider granting, when appropriate and to the extent possible, working permits for spouses accompanying members of diplomatic missions or consular posts and staff members of intergovernmental organizations.