30 May 1991

12th plenary meeting

Elimination of discrimination against women in accordance with the aims of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 34/180 of 18 December 1979, by which it adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,

Recalling also General Assembly resolution 45/124 of 14 December 1990 and Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/17 of 24 May 1990,

Noting resolutions 35/1 of 7 March 1991 and 35/3 of 8 March 1991 of the Commission on the Status of Women,

Noting that in resolution 45/124, the General Assembly strongly supported the view of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women that the Secretary-General should accord higher priority within existing resources to strengthening technical and substantive support for the Committee,

Having considered the report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on its tenth session,

Noting that the Committee agreed, in examining reports, to take due account of the different cultural and socio-economic systems of States parties to the Convention,

Noting with satisfaction the establishment of the practice of holding a pre-sessional working group three to five days prior to each session of the Committee,

Convinced that the close relationship between the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989, implies that the secretariats of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Committee on the Rights of the Child should work closely together,

Welcoming the general recommendations contained in the report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on its tenth session,

Noting with appreciation the South Pacific regional seminar on the Convention held in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, in March 1991, which recommended that all Pacific Island States accede to the Convention,

Aware that the tenth anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women will take place on 3 September 1991,

1. Takes note of the report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on its tenth session;

2. Welcomes the ratification of or accession to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women by an increasing number of Member States;

3. Urges all States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Convention to do so as soon as possible;

4. Urges the Secretary-General to strengthen the provision of training in the implementation of the Convention at the national, regional and interregional levels, especially in assisting States parties to meet their reporting obligations;

5. Urges States, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations to provide training opportunities on a regular basis for persons preparing periodic reports of States parties to the Convention;

6. Welcomes the initiatives taken to provide regional training courses for government officials on the preparation and drafting of reports of States parties and training and information seminars for States considering acceding to the Convention, and urges the relevant organs and organizations of the United Nations to support such initiatives;

7. Recommends that the strengthening of substantive and technical support for the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women be a priority in the proposed programme of work for the biennium 1992-1993 of the Division for the Advancement of Women;

8. Invites the international community to mark the tenth anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention in an appropriate manner;

9. Invites States parties to the Convention to make every possible effort to submit their initial implementation reports, as well as their second and subsequent periodic reports, in accordance with article 18 of the Convention and the guidelines provided by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and to cooperate fully with the Committee in the presentation of their reports;

10. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide for, facilitate and encourage, within existing resources, the dissemination of public information relating to the Committee, its recommendations, the Convention and the concept of legal literacy, taking into account the Committee's own recommendations in that regard;

11. Recommends that a close relationship be maintained between the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and other United Nations human rights bodies and between the secretariats of those Committees.