27 July 1993

43 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 appeared 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 received 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,

Recalling also its resolution 1992/19 of 30 July 1992, in which it requested the Secretary-General to publicize widely the existence and scope of the communications mechanism of the Commission and to ensure proper coordination of the activities of the Commission in this area with those of the other bodies of the Council, and requested the Commission to consider ways of making the procedure for receiving and considering communications, including the standard of admissibility, more transparent and efficient,

Noting the conclusion of the Working Group on Communications on the Status of Women, 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 continue to publicize widely the existence and scope of the communications mechanism of the Commission, using all available media;

3. Further requests the Secretary-General to continue 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;

4. Invites the Commission to take into account the report of the Secretary-General on examining mechanisms for communications on the status of women, submitted to the Commission at its thirty-fifth session, to consider ways of making the existing procedure for receiving and considering communications more effective;

5. Invites each regional group to appoint, one week before each session of the Commission, a member of the Working Group on Communications on the Status of Women;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Commission at its thirty-eighth session on the ways in which the communications mechanism of the Commission has been publicized;

7. Also 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.