23 May 1986

19th plenary meeting

Elimination of discrimination against women and exercise of all their rights

The Economic and Social Council,

Mindful of the extreme importance of eliminating discrimination against women to ensure the economic, social, cultural, political and civil rights of women,

Convinced of the necessity of securing conditions under which women can fully enjoy all their rights as embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

Considering that Member States should take all the necessary measures at the national level to create the conditions required for women to play an active role in the political, economic and social development of their countries,

Recalling the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women adopted by the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace,

Affirming the importance and interrelationship of the goals of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace and the need to pursue them,

Recalling the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,

Considering that existing international tension leads to the diversion, as a result of the accumulation of arms in many parts of the world, of immense resources from the implementation of the tasks directly or indirectly related to the advancement of women,

Recognizing that in some countries a considerable number of women living under conditions of economic and social crisis face serious problems in exercising their rights, including the rights to life in peace, education and work,

Noting with concern that, in general, the level of unemployment among women exceeds that of men, making it more difficult for women to exercise their political, economic and social rights,

Aware that the insufficient educational level resulting in lower skills, the lack of political freedom, and social inequality limit the possibilities for women of participating in the development process, and stressing the importance of women's education and of providing women with access to technical training programmes,

1. Calls upon all States, all governmental and non-governmental organizations and the specialized agencies and other United Nations bodies concerned to continue to pay priority attention to the development and implementation of effective measures to secure the exercise by women of their rights;

2. Invites all the United Nations bodies concerned to take an active part in the realization of specific programmes and activities under the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women which are to be implemented following the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to take into account those opinions expressed in the Commission on the Status of Women that concern the ways and means for women to exercise their rights, including the rights to life in peace, education and work;

4. Requests also the Secretary-General, in the preparation of reviews on the role of women in development, to pay the necessary attention to the progress achieved in the elimination of discrimination against women and the exercise of their rights;

5. Recommends the inclusion of an item on the elimination of discrimination against women and the exercise of their rights in the agenda of the 1988 session of the Commission on the Status of Women.