Actions to be taken at the international level

Assist Governments, at their request, in building institutional capacity and developing national action plans or further implementing existing action plans for the implementation of the Platform for Action.

Support non-governmental organisations, especially women's organisations, to build their capacity to advocate for, implement, assess and follow up the Platform for Action.

Allocate sufficient resources to regional and national programmes to implement the Platform for Action in its 12 critical areas.

Assist Governments in countries with economies in transition to further develop and implement plans and programmes aimed at economic and political empowerment of women.

Encourage the Economic and Social Council to request the regional commissions, within their respective mandates and resources, to build up a database, to be updated regularly, in which all programmes and projects carried out in their respective regions by agencies or organisations of the United Nations system are listed, and to facilitate their dissemination, as well as the evaluation of their impact on the empowerment of women through the implementation of the Platform for Action.

Continue to implement and evaluate and follow up the mandated work of the United Nations agencies, drawing on the full range of expertise available within the United Nations system, as well as agreed conclusions of the Economic and Social Council and other programmes and initiatives, to mainstream a gender perspective into all policies, programmes and planning of the United Nations system, including through the integrated and co-ordinated follow-up to all major United Nations conferences and summits, as well as to ensure the allocation of sufficient resources and maintenance of gender units and focal points to achieve this end.

Assist countries, upon their request, in developing methods for and compiling statistics on the contributions of women and men to society and the economy, and the socio-economic situation of women and men, in particular in relation to poverty and paid and unpaid work in all sectors.

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Support national efforts, particularly in developing countries, for enlarged access to new information technology as part of the efforts to develop collaborative research, training and information dissemination, including through the gender awareness information and networking system being developed by the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), while at the same time supporting traditional methods of information dissemination, research and training.

Ensure that all United Nations personnel and officials at headquarters and in the field, especially in field operations, receive training in order to mainstream a gender perspective in their work, including gender impact analysis, and ensure appropriate follow-up to such training.

Support the Commission on the Status of Women, within its mandate, in assessing and advancing the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and its follow-up.

Assist Governments, upon their request, in incorporating a gender perspective as a dimension of development into national development planning.

Assist States Parties, upon their request, in building capacity to implement CEDAW, and in this regard encourage States Parties to pay attention to the concluding comments as well as the general recommendations of the Committee.

Assist Governments, upon request, in developing gender-sensitive strategies for the delivery of assistance and, where appropriate, responses to humanitarian crises resulting from armed conflict and natural disasters.

Ensure and support the full participation of women at all levels of decision-making and implementation in development activities and peace processes, including conflict prevention and resolution, post-conflict reconstruction, peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace-building, and in this regard, support the involvement of women's organisations, community-based organisations and non-governmental organisations.

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Encourage the involvement of women in decision-making at all levels and achieve gender balance in the appointment of women and men, with full respect for the principle of equitable geographical distribution, including as special envoys and special representatives and in pursuing good offices on behalf of the Secretary-General in matters relating to peacekeeping, peace-building and in operational activities, including as resident co-ordinators.

Provide gender-sensitive training to all actors, as appropriate, in peacekeeping missions in dealing with victims, particularly women and girls, of violence, including sexual violence.

Take further effective measures to remove the obstacles to the realisation of the right of peoples to self-determination, in particular peoples living under colonial and foreign occupation, that continue to adversely affect their economic and social development.

Support activities aimed at the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls, including providing support for the activities of women's networks and organisations within the United Nations system.

Consider launching an international "zero tolerance" campaign on violence against women.

Encourage the implementation of measures designed to achieve the goal of 50/50 gender balance in all posts, including at the professional level and above, in particular at the higher levels in their secretariats, including in peacekeeping missions, peace negotiations and in all activities, and report thereon, as appropriate, and enhance management accountability mechanisms.

Take measures, with the full participation of women, to create, at all levels, an enabling environment conducive to the achievement and maintenance of world peace, democracy and peaceful settlement of disputes, with full respect for the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of States and non-intervention in matters which are essentially within the jurisdiction of any State, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law, as well as the promotion and protection of all human rights, including the right to development, and fundamental freedoms.

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