SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES AIM OF CREATING EMPLOYMENT ENVIRONMENT SUPPORTIVE OF WOMEN'S NEEDS
Press Release
WOM/956
SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES AIM OF CREATING EMPLOYMENT ENVIRONMENT SUPPORTIVE OF WOMEN'S NEEDS
19970310 In Address to Status of Women Commission, as It Commemorates Fiftieth Anniversary and Begins Forty-First Session at HeadquartersThe full visibility and recognition of women's programmes would be protected in the process of reform and revitalization of the United Nations, Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the Commission on the Status of Women as it commemorated its fiftieth anniversary, as part of the opening meeting of its forty-first session this morning.
While stressing that more effort was needed to reach the twin targets of having 25 per cent of the senior posts filled by women and the target of complete gender equality by the year 2000, he said his aim was to create an employment environment supportive of women's needs, an environment which helped women staff members give their best.
Stating that women continued to suffer disproportionately in armed conflicts, the Secretary-General emphasized the need to ensure that women played a full part in peace negotiations and missions. He recognized that the Commission had been a powerful catalyst for women's equality that had mobilized international efforts to defend women's rights. Today its focus was on gender mainstreaming, the empowerment of women, and ensuring implementation by governments of commitments made at the United Nations conferences on women from 1975 to 1995.
Recognizing women who had contributed to advance the cause of women's rights, Mr. Annan said, "It gives me personal satisfaction to remember the first African Chairperson of the Commission. Justice Annie Ruth Jiagge, who died last year, was my countrywoman and a leading member of the Ghanaian legal profession. She served as a delegate to the Commission from 1962 to 1972. Her contribution was immense. She served both as Rapporteur and as Chairperson. Her shaping of the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women helped to transform dreams into reality.
Statements by representatives of regional groups congratulating the Commission on its achievements over the last 50 years were made by the representative of Egypt (on behalf of the African Group), Finland (on behalf
Women's Commission - 1a - Press Release WOM/956 1st Meeting (AM) 10 March 1997
of the Western European and Other States Group), Republic of Moldova (on behalf of the Eastern European Group), Paraguay (on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean Group of States) and China (on behalf of the Asian Group).
Also this morning, a commemorative booklet on the Commission's history and its achievements was presented by the Special Adviser to the Secretary- General on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women, Angela King.
As part of the ceremony marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Commission, achievements of several women in the area of women's rights were also recognized, including those of: Minerva Bernardino, a signatory to the United Nations Charter at San Francisco, where she represented the Dominican Republic; Mimi Marinovic de Jadresic from Chile, who contributed to the drafting of the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which later was converted into the Women's Anti-Discrimination Convention; and Helvi Sipila of Finland, a former Commission Chairperson.
In addition, the contributions of the following were also mentioned: Rosario Manalo of the Philippines, Commission Chairperson in 1984, who had helped steer the preparations for the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the Decade for Women (Nairobi, 1985); Patricia Licuanan, also of the Philippines, Commission Chairperson in 1994-1995; Olga Pellicer of Mexico, Commission Chairperson in 1986 and 1987; Janet Cockroft of the United Kingdom, Commission Chairperson in 1978; Hanna Bokor-Szego of Hungary, Commission Chairperson in 1969; Johanna Dohnal of Austria, Commission Chairperson in 1989; Mervat Tallay of Egypt, Commission Chairperson in 1992 and 1993.
Also, the Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, Nitin Desai, noted the achievements of Esther Hymer, who had been present at the signing of the United Nations Charter in San Francisco; Margaret Bruce from the Secretariat who had played an instrumental role in organizing the first global women's conference at Mexico City in 1975; and Khunying Supatra Masdit, who had been instrumental in organizing the parallel NGO Forum at the Fourth World Conference in Beijing.
As a part of the commemorative meeting, the Commission watched a video on the four global conferences on women and their parallel NGO forums.
Further this morning, the Commission elected Zakia Amara Bouaziz (Tunisia) to replace Rafika Khouini (Tunisia) and Eva Hildrum (Norway) to replace Karin Stoltenberg (Norway) as Vice-Chairpersons.
The remaining members of the Commission's bureau, who will continue from last year, in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1987/21, are: Sharon Brennen-Haylock (Bahamas), Chairperson; Ljudmila Boskova (Bulgaria), Vice-Chairperson; and Sweeya Santipitakas (Thailand), Rapporteur.
Women's Commission - 1b - Press Release WOM/956 1st Meeting (AM) 10 March 1997
Beginning its forty-first session, the Commission adopted its provisional agenda and organization of work. In addition, it heard introductory statements from the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues, Ms. King, and the Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, Mr. Desai on the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women. The representative of the United Republic of Tanzania, on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, also spoke.
The Commission will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its debate.
Commission Work Programme
The Commission on the Status of Women met this morning to begin its forty-first session, which was scheduled to start with a commemorative ceremony for its fiftieth anniversary.
Also this morning, the Commission was scheduled to elect officers, deal with organizational matters and begin consideration of follow-up to the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women. (For background information on the session, see Press Release WOM/955, of 7 March.)
Among reports before the Commission this morning is the Secretary- General's report on measures taken and progress achieved in the follow-up to the Beijing Conference and in mainstreaming a gender perspective within the United Nations system (document E/CN.6/1997/2).
The report recalls that the Economic and Social Council decided at its resumed substantive session of 1996 to consider, in its coordination segment of 1997, the cross-sectoral theme "mainstreaming of gender perspectives into all policies and programmes in the United Nations system". Referring to activities jointly executed by several entities, it says cooperation continued among the Division for the Advancement of Women, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) in the development of "WomenWatch", a United Nations Internet space on the advancement and empowerment of women. The space -- which was launched on International Women's Day (8 March) -- aims at facilitating global information exchange for monitoring the implementation of the Platform for Action through the use of computer networking technology.
On joint work of the Division for the Advancement of Women and the Centre for Human Rights, the report states that the Division has provided input into the work of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children. The Special Rapporteur on violence against women contributed a paper to the Expert Group Meeting on Violence against Women Migrants Workers, which was held in Manila from 27 to 31 May 1996. In addition, the Centre and the Division would also work together to mobilize extrabudgetary resources to permit the organization of initiatives, including training courses, which seek to sensitize women and men to the rights to which women are entitled under international law.
So far as the governments' follow-up of the Platform for Action is concerned, the report says that based on preliminary analysis of national plans received by the Secretariat thus far, the following general trends could be identified. Completed plans as well as draft plans have been received. Few plans covered all critical areas of concern, but focused instead on a selected number of areas or issues and sometimes prioritized among those. Areas most often covered were poverty, participation in decision-making, education, economy, health, violence and human rights. Few plans provided specific benchmarks for implementation.
In addition, several plans indicated that resources for follow-up to the Platform would be increased, or that such resources would be sought in future in national budgets, according to the report. Most plans provided for a
combination of legislative actions, including reform of discriminatory legislation, as well as targeted projects in specific areas for particular groups of women or in particular geographic areas. Plans included ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women or the withdrawal of reservations to it.
On the follow-up by non-governmental organizations, the report says that in the United Kingdom an international conference on violence, abuse and women's citizenship was convened in Brighton by a consortium of non- governmental organizations from 10 to 15 November 1996.
Commenting on the situation of Palestinian women and assistance provided by the organizations of the United Nations system, the report says that life in the self-rule areas continued to be affected by measures taken by Israeli authorities. As many Palestinian women work in the agricultural sector, they were particularly affected by land seizure, loss of water utilization and other economic and social repercussions of Israeli settlements. In addition, it was reported that Palestinians, including women in labour, had been denied access to medical treatment. Also, problems regarding Palestinian women detainees in Israeli prisons who had not yet been released in accordance with Israeli-Palestinian agreements continued.
So far as the United Nations assistance to Palestinian women is concerned, the report says a coordinated programme is being implemented under the leadership of the United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories. Activities for women have focused mainly on health and family planning, relief and social services, education and training, collection of statistics disaggregated by sex and support for the national machinery for the advancement of women, including training on legal literacy and enhancement of women's role in public life. A tripartite mission of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Palestinian Authority developed a strategic plan and operational framework for a women's health programme in October 1995. Moreover, education and vocational training remains a field of major activities for UNRWA, which also seeks to involve refugee women in remunerative economic activity.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Bank are some of the other bodies active in the area, according to the report. In addition, the Programme of Assistance to Palestinian People of the United Nations Development Programme implemented projects to foster the full participation of Palestinian women in public life and social and economic development.
Also before the Commission is the Secretary-General's report on thematic issues before the session (document E/CN.6/1997/3).
It states that according to the Commission's multi-year programme of work, four critical areas of concern of the Platform for Action have been selected for review at the current session. Those areas include: education
and training of women; women and the economy; women in power and decision- making; and women and the environment.
To prepare for the Commission's consideration of those areas, the Division for the Advancement of Women convened expert group meetings on each of the areas of critical concern, the report says. The expert group meetings focused either on issues which had not previously received specific attention, or which required further exploration in the light of the Platform for Action.
In the area of "women and education and training" recommendations emerging from the expert group meetings had focused on vocational training and lifelong learning, it says. Experts concluded that sufficient effort needed to be made by all actors to meet the targets set in the Platform for Action with regard to eradication of illiteracy and the achievement of universal primary education. It was imperative that education, technical training and lifelong learning be considered as integral parts and seen as a continuum.
The report stresses that in order to bridge the gender gap and increase access of girls and women to science and technology education and to vocational training, action must be taken using a wide range of strategies and mixed modalities. A gender balance in the teaching profession and educational administration at all levels had to be ensured. In addition, the education, training and lifelong learning of women had to be mainstreamed in national human development plans, equal opportunity policies and industrial policies with an emphasis on employment and employability of women.
The effectiveness of training should be enhanced through the establishment of alliances among the various partners, including the public and private sectors, non-governmental organizations, trade unions, organizations of employers and cooperatives, the report states. Also, the governments have a major responsibility in promoting such alliances by developing the regulatory framework, the financing mechanisms, incentive schemes and technical support. In addition, the revision of text books, teaching aids and curricula as well as removal of bias from teacher training was a prerequisite for the development of non-discriminatory education and training.
The report recalls that in addressing the situation of "women in the economy", the Platform for Action had focused on three categories of the economically active female population: women as employees; women as entrepreneurs; and women as economic decision-makers. The Platform for Action stresses that women were virtually absent from economic decision-making, including in the formulation of policies for poverty eradication, structural adjustment programmes, loans and grants. That situation limited their impact on economic structures with a direct impact on society and the status of women.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) had reported that 41 per cent of women aged 15 years and above were economically active in the world today, says the report. While there had been an upward trend in the representation of women in managerial and administrative categories in the last decade, the increase was far below the trends in education and access to formal employment. Once in a career, women might encounter structural and behavioural barriers that restrict their vertical mobility. Whether in the
public or private sector, individuals often advance to top decision-making positions through career paths. The absence of women at top positions suggests that women's career paths are different from men's, and that in trying to follow the same path, women encounter different or more severe obstacles.
There are four perspectives on the reality faced by women in their mobility to decision-making positions, the report says. The first perspective holds that women must change to "fit in" by improving their skills, increase their self-confidence, become more strongly motivated to move up the career ladder, and exhibit more stereotypically male approaches to management. Networking systems and mentoring programmes should be promoted in that regard. The second perspective holds that organizations should create career paths for women and men managers with an equal probability of leading to the top. The third perspective advises that there should be measures such as mandated sessions to educate all managers about the patterns of discrimination. The fourth perspective suggests that the benefits of including more women executives should be stressed to senior executives.
The expert group meeting had concluded that there is ample evidence that increasing the representation of women in decision-making is good for business, not just for equality, the report says. Exclusion of women from decision-making translates into losses and costs; costs of staff turnover and loss of talent; loss of real and potential market share due to overlooking the needs of major consumer bases; and the loss of shareholder value. It translates into loss of half the potential talent if companies are not seen by women as attractive employers. In addition, the full and sustainable empowerment of women requires that a critical mass of women be represented at all levels in the decision-making process.
It was suggested in the expert group meeting that transnational corporations, international financial institutions and governments adopt the goal of having a critical mass of women in decision-making positions. Moreover, it was recommended that the United Nations system take a lead in ensuring that a critical mass of women are represented in top levels of management in its own agencies and in its Member States. Also, non- governmental organizations could act as both advocacy groups and catalysts for change.
Concerning "women in power and decision-making", the report says less prominent in the international discussion of women's role in decision-making has been their potential contribution to decision-making in areas such as peace, security and conflict resolution. Yet, women had in particular suffered as victims of wars and other conflicts, mass rape, and today constituted the majority of refugees. In addition, the downward trend in women's representation in parliaments had continued. Generally, there seemed to be an apparent glass ceiling for women in government administration and they continued to be concentrated in the more "social" ministries.
Women were noticeably absent from decision-making in international organizations, says the report. Throughout the history of United Nations peace-keeping and electoral support there had been only two women in charge of its missions. In its 51 years, only two women have presided over the General Assembly. The factors which contribute to a greater number of women in the
public decision-making, whether through electoral processes or political appointment, or through professional careers in the civil service, needs to be explored further, the report stresses.
In addition, it continues, the number of women in political decision- making continued to be negatively affected by obstacles such as an unequal division of household duties; women's lack of financial independence; custom and tradition that define the public sphere as the male domain while relegating women to the private domestic sphere; prevailing negative attitudes towards women's political participation; a lack of confidence in and support for female candidates by the electorate, including women and political parties; media stereotyping; and more demanding criteria for women politicians than for men.
Significant differences in women's and men's behaviour result from different social constructions of male and female identities, the report says. Bringing a gender perspective to bear on conflict resolution means recognizing that men and women are differently involved in political processes. In addition, recognition of gender perspective means fostering a better understanding of gender roles in specific contexts. Women appear to have different definitions of peace and security and different attitudes to conflict resolution.
With regard to the structure of political parties, attention should be paid to ways and means required to remove discriminatory practices, the report states. Gender issues should be incorporated in their political agendas. The impact of various types of electoral systems on women's representation should be noted. Recruitment and career development programmes should be restructured to ensure a gender balanced composition of decision-making bodies and transparency of criteria for recruitment and promotion. Also, the existence of comprehensive databases disaggregated by sex is essential to demonstrate the extent to which women do or do not participate in government.
The expert group meeting also suggested that the Commission may wish to reinforce the above proposals and suggest concrete and tangible measures which would result in gender balanced distribution of decision-making positions between now and the year 2000.
In the area of "women and the environment", the expert group meeting concluded that in order to elaborate gender-sensitive policies, women should not be seen as the primary victims or as primary conservers of the environment or as a homogenous group, the report says. Moreover, the consideration of environmental issues should not focus exclusively on women. It was emphasized that understanding the gender differences provided scope for identifying whether joint or targeted programmes were necessary. In addition, governments and international agencies should increase funding and reassign budget allocations for gender sensitive population and sustainable development programmes.
Statement by Secretary-General
SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN said 50 years of dedicated work of the
Commission on the Status of Women was being honoured today. New challenges awaited it. Real meaning had to be given to the ideals of women's equality and equal participation. The Commission had been a powerful catalyst for women's equality. It had mobilized international efforts to defend women's rights. It had played a crucial role in monitoring progress in the advancement of women and in holding governments accountable for their actions. It was a place where all women had a voice in shaping the policies of the international community.
Four determined women had signed the Charter of the United Nations, he said. One of those, Minerva Bernardino of the Dominican Republic, was present at today's meeting. The Secretary-General recognized that the Commission was to an important extent her creation.
He continued that it gave him personal satisfaction to remember the first African Chairperson of the Commission, Justice Annie Ruth Jiagge, who had died last year. She had been a leading member of the Ghanaian legal profession and had served as a delegate to the Commission from 1962 to 1972. She had also served both as its Rapporteur and Chairperson. Her shaping of the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women had helped transform dreams into reality.
The Commission had received vital support from the United Nations Secretariat and one of the early members of the Commission's Secretariat, Margaret Bruce was present in today's meeting, he said. She had played an instrumental role in organizing the first global women's conference at Mexico City in 1975.
He also welcomed Esther Hymer, who had also been present 52 years ago in the San Francisco Conference. It was impossible to recognize the remarkable contribution of several women in his short address, he said. It was likewise impossible to describe all of the Commission's achievements. But one achievement stood out: the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the treaty that defined international standards touching all aspects of the lives of women in every national and every stratum of society.
In its early days, the Commission had sought to provide international guarantees in areas such as voting and nationality rights, he said. In the 1960s and 1970s, it had addressed the issue of gender development. Today the focus was on gender mainstreaming, the empowerment of women, and ensuring implementation of government commitments made at the United Nations conferences on women from 1975 to 1995. All the many individuals, organizations and governments involved in the Commission's work had been guided by three fundamental principles. Those principles involved equality, development and peace.
First of all, freedom and equality were essential to human development, he said. Women must have equal access with men to political power and decision-making. Secondly, the well-being and progress of society was possible only when both men and women had a clear role to play in the building of their societies. Women were more than mere participants in development. That fact was still insufficiently recognized in development plans and programmes. Thirdly, women must take an active part in the promotion of peace
and in the prevention of aggression, both personal and public. In war-torn societies, women often kept the society going. They maintained the social fabric. They replaced dislocated social services and tended to the sick and the wounded.
As a result, women were often the prime advocates of peace, he said. It had to be ensured that women were enabled to play a full part in peace negotiations, in peace processes and in peace missions. Modern media graphically showed the persistence of gender inequality. Women continued to suffer disproportionately in armed conflicts. Rape had become a common weapon of aggression and women continued to suffer abuse even in the family. The United Nations had a long road to travel to achieve gender equality.
More effort was needed to reach the twin targets of 25 per cent women in senior positions and complete gender equality by the year 2000, he said. His aim was to create an employment environment supportive of women's needs and which helped women staff members give their best. He assured delegates of his personal commitment to equality between women and men in the United Nations and to the creation of a gender-sensitive workplace. He recalled that he had appointed Angela King as his Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women and she would report directly to him. In the process of reform and revitalization the full visibility and recognition of women's programmes would be protected, he concluded.
Other Statements
NABIL ELARABY (Egypt), speaking on behalf of the African Group of States, said today was an occasion for celebration and reflection. The efforts of the Commission in the elaboration of international legal instruments on women's rights, protection, political participation, and economic and social well-being could neither be denied or underestimated. The women in Africa had suffered and continued to suffer from poverty, unemployment, and lack of economic and political participation. The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women had been adhered to by a very large extent by countries around the world. Africa looked forward to the universality of the Convention.
The Commission should learn from past experiences, he said. Poverty and religious intolerance plagued women and men as the gap between the North and South continued to widen. He stressed that the journey ahead was daunting and the resources were not enough. It was important that the Commission should look at the next 50 years with renewed courage.
FREDRIK WILHELM BREITENSTEIN (Finland), speaking on behalf of the Western European and Other States Group, said the Commission had been instrumental in drawing attention to women facing hardship and disadvantage. The adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1979 had been the culmination of the Commission's work.
He said that despite the progress made in the past 50 years in the advancement of women and equality between women and men there remained considerable discrimination against women. The Commission's work was not yet
done and would need the support of everyone in fulfilling its mandate in the future.
VLADIMIR CHIRINCIUC (Republic of Moldova), speaking on behalf of Eastern European States, said over the years the United Nations had helped to create a historic legacy to advance the status of women worldwide. It was an outstanding achievement that governments today agreed that standards should be applied throughout the world to amend discriminatory legislation and practices at the national, regional and international levels.
The Commission on the Status of Women was at the forefront of the crucial challenge of the time to promote and mainstream the human rights of women in all societies and throughout the United Nations system, he said. The Commission had actively made recommendations and suggested policy goals for the United Nations and Member States aiming at the advancement of women.
CRISTINA MUNOZ (Paraguay), speaking on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean States Group, said the Commission represented a significant advance in the promotion of women's rights. Securing women's rights in the political field was necessary to realize those rights in other areas and promote equality between women and men.
She said the Commission had always been concerned with the education of women at all levels. It had also contributed to initiate innovations in equal rights in labour relations and had also played a fundamental role in creating rules of international law.
In the 1960s the Commission had looked at women in developing countries and set out to improve their lot, she said, adding that the Commission was now ready to tackle the structural causes of poverty in order to eradicate it and to put an end to the feminization of poverty. The review of some of its successes had forced the Commission to look at what remained to be done. The strength of the Commission on its fiftieth birthday lay in its ability to secure and exercise equality.
FENG CUI (China), speaking on behalf of the Asian Group, said over the past 50 years the Commission had made great contributions to the advancement of women's causes. Women all over the world had gained great attention and unity in those years. Under the Commission's effort, four world conferences on women had been held that had helped further the cause of the women. The Fourth World Conference on Women, in Beijing in 1995, had been a landmark event. Nationally, regionally and globally any solutions to the questions of equality and peace and development required women's participation. Politicians had to pay attention to the fact that women were half the world's population. She also stressed that governments should direct efforts to implement the Beijing Platform for Action.
Discussion on Follow-up to Beijing Conference
ANGELA KING, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, introduced the Secretary-General's reports on progress achieved in the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and in mainstreaming a gender perspective within the United Nations system, and on thematic issues before the Commission. She also introduced the Secretary- General's note on the agreed conclusions 1996/1 adopted by the Economic and Social Council on the coordination of the United Nations system on poverty eradication, and the Secretary-General's reports on improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat and on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 50/166, on the role of UNIFEM in eliminating violence against women.
Ms. KING expressed her appreciation for the encouragement she had received since her appointment on 1 February 1996 as the Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women and since 28 January as Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women. That appointment had been a positive consolidation and strengthening of issues relating to gender in the
United Nations system. It constituted the Secretary-General's response to the request contained in the Platform for Action. On gender issues, such as monitoring the status of women in the secretariats of the United Nations system, she would be reporting to the Secretary-General. In all matters concerning the advancement of women and the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women, she would report to the Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development.
She also told the Commission that last year at this time, the Division with 16 established posts at the Professional and above levels had only a little over 60 per cent of its posts filled. However, today it had 93.75 per cent of its posts filled in conformity with Article 101 of the United Nations Charter, which stresses the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity in recruiting staff.
NITIN DESAI, Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, said he wanted to focus on the context of the work of the Commission. The Commission had to focus on integrated follow-up to the recent major United Nations conferences. One characteristic common to all conferences had been the desire to link issues to the broader theme of development. The conferences had also stressed that there should be no artificial separation of national and international issues. As a cycle, the conferences had focused on consensus-building and had involved all the actors, including non-governmental organizations and the civil society. Therefore, the Commission should see its work in the broader context and should dwell on the impact that its work had on the United Nations system as a whole. In addition, it should view itself in the entire framework within which social and economic policy was implemented.
RADHIA N. MSUYA (United Republic of Tanzania), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said the adoption of the Beijing Platform was not an end, it rather marked the beginning of a long journey towards the advancement of the status of women. The success of the Beijing Platform depended on its implementation. The important task of the Commission was to make specific, concrete recommendations that would enhance that process. She urged the Commission to come up with specific recommendations on topics including new resources for implementation, the improvement of institutional capacities, the expansion of women's access to education and ownership of property, and legislative measures.
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