24 May 1984

Meeting 19

Concerns of women within the United Nations system

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling the terms of reference of the Commission on the Status of Women set forth in Economic and Social Council resolution 48(IV) of 29 March 1947,

Noting that, in the programme budget for the biennium 1984-1985, women are listed as only one of several specific population groups that are disadvantaged,

Reaffirming the central but not exclusive role of the Commission on the Status of Women within the United Nations in considering matters relating to the achievement of the objectives of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace,

Reaffirming that within the United Nations system the Branch for the Advancement of Women of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Department of International Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat remains the focal point for co-ordination, consultation, promotion and advice on matters relevant to women,

Recognizing that planning for, as well as monitoring of, efforts is essential to advancing the status of women within the United Nations system,

Recognizing also the efforts made by the specialized agencies to integrate women into their ongoing programmes, especially into the establishment of cross-sectoral mechanisms,

Concerned about the need to strengthen and go beyond the present integrated reporting system,

Deeply concerned that international efforts on behalf of women should keep pace with the heightened national efforts to concentrate on more effective national machineries and resources to ensure the integration of women into all stages of planning, monitoring and development activities,

1. Requests the Secretary-General to examine the ways in which the needs and concerns of women can be integrated into all planning and programme activities of the United Nations system and the implications of so doing, and to report the findings of such an examination to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-first session;

2. Also requests the Secretary-General to provide in the programme budget for the biennium 1986-1987 and the revised medium-term plan for the period 1984-1989 for a special financial component, within existing overall budgetary resources, that will reflect the need for ongoing analysis of the impact of programmes on the advancement of women;

3. Recommends the General Assembly to request the specialized agencies to ensure continued co-operation and co-ordination with the Commission on the Status of Women beyond the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, to be held in 1985, in order to achieve the goals of the Decade;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Commission on the Status of Women at each session on all significant developments pertaining to the advancement of women within the United Nations system that have occurred since the previous session.