8 July 1987

35th plenary meeting

Integration of women in development in Africa

The Economic and Social Council,

Noting the findings of the study undertaken by the African Training and Research Centre for Women on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,

Considering the importance of planning women's activities within the United Nations and of relating such planning to women and development system-wide through the medium-term plan,

Taking note of resolution 579 (XXI) of 19 April 1986 of the Conference of Ministers of the Economic Commission for Africa, on women and development in Africa,

Bearing in mind General Assembly resolutions 38/106 of 16 December 1983 on the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women and 39/127 of 14 December 1984 on senior women's programme officers posts at the regional commissions, by which the Assembly called for some positions to integrate women in development to be funded from the regular budgets of the regional commissions after 1985, the end of the United Nations Decade for Women:

Equality, Development and Peace,

Noting the recommendations made by the meetings of the subregional committees for the integration of women in development,

Bearing in mind the recommendations contained in Africa's Priority Programme for Economic Recovery, 1986-1990 and the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development 1986-1990,

1. Recommends those States which have not yet done so to consider acceding to and implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, in particular those parts which have to do with education, employment and political and economic activities, and urges women themselves to co-operate with their Governments in publicizing the Convention and including it in educational programmes;

2. Notes the study on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the recommendations of that study;

3. Supports the planning of activities for the integration of women in development taking place within the United Nations system;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to make every effort to ensure that sufficient expertise is made available to the Economic Commission for Africa for the implementation of the work programme of regional and subregional machinery for the integration of women in development and that posts within the regular budget of the Economic Commission for Africa are reassigned to that important function;

5. Requests the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa to ensure that projects related to the integration of women in development are devised in consultation and co-ordination with the councils of plenipotentiaries or ministers of the Multinational Programming and Operational Centres and the Africa Regional Co-ordinating Committee for the Integration of Women in Development.