30 July 1992

40th plenary meeting

Communications on the status of women

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling its resolutions 76 (V) of 5 August 1947 and 304 I (XI) of 14 and 17 July 1950, which form the basis for the mandate of the Commission on the Status of Women to receive at each of its regular sessions a list of confidential and non-confidential communications relating to the status of women,

Taking into consideration its resolution 1983/27 of 26 May 1983, in which it reaffirmed the mandate of the Commission to consider confidential and non-confidential communications on the status of women and authorized the Commission to appoint a working group to consider communications, with a view to bringing to the attention of the Commission those communications, including the replies of Governments, which appear to reveal a consistent pattern of reliably attested injustice and discriminatory practices against women,

Reaffirming that discrimination against women is incompatible with human dignity and that women and men should participate on the basis of equality, irrespective of race or creed, in the social, economic and political processes of their countries,

Recalling its resolution 1990/8 of 24 May 1990, by which it requested the Secretary-General to examine, in consultation with Governments, the existing mechanisms for communications on the status of women, in order to ensure that such communications receive effective and appropriately coordinated consideration in view of the role of communications in the work of the Commission, and to report thereon to the Commission at its thirty-fifth session,

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on examining existing mechanisms for communications on the status of women, and the various views expressed by Governments,

Noting the conclusion of the Working Group on Communications, in its report to the Commission at its thirty-fifth session that, while the communications procedure provided a valuable source of information on the effects of discrimination on the lives of women, it should be improved to make it more efficient and useful, and that clear criteria for receiving communications should be given,

1. Reaffirms that the Commission on the Status of Women is empowered to make recommendations to the Economic and Social Council on what action should be taken on emerging trends and patterns of discrimination against women revealed by such communications;

2. Requests the Secretary-General to publicize widely among international and national organizations, in particular women's groups, the existence and scope of the communication mechanisms of the Commission;

3. Further requests the Secretary-General to support the activities of the Commission with regard to its consideration of communications and to ensure proper coordination of the activities of the Commission in this area and those of the other bodies of the Council, by taking the following action:

(a) Ensuring that the Division for the Advancement of Women of the United Nations Office at Vienna and the Centre for Human Rights coordinate closely so that all communications received are sent as soon as possible to the appropriate United Nations body and to each concerned Member State, and that the respective offices are informed of the disposition of the communications;

(b) Encouraging the specialized agencies of the United Nations system to provide to the Commission, through the Division for the Advancement of Women, communications or other information in their possession that is relevant to discrimination against women;

(c) Making available to authors of communications any recommendations by the Commission to the Council on situations brought to the attention of the Commission by the Working Group on Communications;

4. Reaffirms that the consideration by the Commission of the communications shall remain confidential until such time as the Commission may decide to make recommendations to the Council;

5. Requests the Commission, in order to avoid duplication of work, to determine whether a trend or pattern of discrimination against women revealed by communications should be brought to the attention of another United Nations body or specialized agency that might be better able to take appropriate action;

6. Further requests the Commission to consider, as appropriate, ways of making the existing procedure for receiving and considering communications, including the standard of admissibility, more transparent and efficient, taking into account the report of the Secretary-General on examining mechanisms for communications on the status of women, which was submitted to the Commission at its thirty-fifth session;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that any costs resulting from the activities set out in the present resolution are kept to a minimum and that the activities are carried out within existing resources.