UN Commission on the Status of Women – 60th Anniversary – Major Achievements +

Introduction

The United Nations’
commitment to the advancement of women began with the signing of the
United Nations
Charter in San Francisco in
1945. Its Preamble declared faith “in fundamental human rights, in
the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of
men and women and of nations large and small…”

In 1946 the Commission on the Status of Women was
established to promote the advancement of women throughout the
world. The Commission met for the first time at Lake Success, New
York, in February 1947.

Initially, the Commission focused on legal measures
to protect the human rights of women and awareness-raising on the
status and situation of women around the world. Debates in the
Commission brought unfamiliar issues into the international
political arena. From the very beginning, the work of the Commission
attracted the interest, participation and support of the growing
international women’s movement.

By the mid 1960s, the Commission had begun to
address women’s role in economic and social development. Delegates
from developing countries drew attention in particular to the
situation of women in rural areas and the need to enhance their
contributions and address their priorities and needs.

In 1975, at the urging of the Commission and
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the United Nations observed
International Women’s Year with the theme “Equality, Development and
Peace”. The culmination of the year was the first global Women’s
Conference in Mexico City which adopted a global plan of action to
improve the status of women.

The United Nations Decade for Women from 1976-1985,
and the following world conferences on women, created an
unprecedented momentum for change. The Platform for Action adopted
in Beijing in 1995 consolidated the consensus and commitments
achieved through the work of the Commission.

Major Achievements

The Commission’s 60-year history is marked by
significant achievements. The Commission ensured that provisions for
equality between women and men were included in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights – a milestone in the struggle for
equality.

In 1979, after four years of preparatory work by the
Commission, the General Assembly adopted the historic Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW). This landmark treaty entered into force in 1981 and by
early June 2006 had been ratified by 183
countries. The Optional
Protocol to the Convention, was adopted by the General Assembly
in 1999. The fact that 79
States were party to this instrument by early June 2006 attests
to the willingness of Governments to adhere to the terms of the
Convention.

The Convention has been an inspiration for women in
all parts of the world. It has had a positive impact on legal and
policy development at national level, for example through the
strengthening of provisions in constitutions, the establishment of
commissions to review legislation, and the development of temporary
special measures to enhance women’s participation in different
areas.

The Commission has played a critical catalytic role
in promoting gender mainstreaming at national level and within the
United Nations system. The positive outcomes can be seen in the
attention to gender perspectives in other functional commissions of
ECOSOC, the role ECOSOC plays
in promoting and monitoring the implementation of gender
mainstreaming, the work of the General Assembly on the human rights
of women, as well as the path-breaking work of the Security Council
on women, peace and security.

The Commission continues to provide unique
opportunities for exchange of ideas, experiences, good practices and
lessons-learned to enhance implementation of commitments at national
level, through interactive expert panels on the themes under
consideration and roundtables for high level representatives
attending the annual sessions.

 

World Conferences on Women

The Commission has made a decisive contribution in
organizing and following-up the world conferences on women in Mexico
in 1975, Copenhagen in 1980, Nairobi in 1985 and Beijing in 1995.
The world conferences set in motion an important and continuing
cycle of research and analysis; goal-setting; progress review to
identify achievements as well as gaps and obstacles; and renewal and
expansion of commitments.

The world conferences offered a forum in which
women´s organizations could broaden their participation and increase
their voice in shaping the work of the United Nations. The number of
NGOs involved in the work of the Commission grew dramatically during
the Decade for Women.

Over the past ten years the Commission has
systematically reviewed progress in implementation of the twelve
critical areas of concern identified in the Platform for Action at
its annual sessions, and has adopted recommendations for action to
facilitate increased implementation.

The Commission acted as the Ad-hoc Preparatory
Committee for the five-year review of implementation of the Platform
for Action in the 23rd special session of the General Assembly in
June 2000. The outcome identified persistent gaps and challenges and
provided new recommendations for action to ensure full
implementation of the commitments made in Beijing in 1995.

The ten-year
review of implementation held during the 49th session of the
Commission in 2005 indicated that while progress had been made
at national level and gains could be seen in relation to each of the
12 priority areas in all regions, serious obstacles and challenges
were reported in every area.

In the Declaration adopted during the ten-year
review, Member States reaffirmed the Beijing Declaration and
Platform for Action and the outcome documents of the 23rd special
session of the General Assembly and pledged to ensure their full and
accelerated implementation.

New Challenges and
Opportunities

World leaders assembled at the United Nations
Millennium Summit in September 2000, emphasized their commitment
to promote gender equality and empowerment of women. The 2005 World Summit
reiterated this resolve to eliminate discrimination against women
and renewed commitment to the gender mainstreaming strategy.

The Platform for Action continues to represent the
global policy framework for gender equality and empowerment of women
and guides the work of Member States, the United Nations,
international and regional bodies, and civil society. The Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
provides the normative framework. The synergies between the two
instruments were recognized by the Commission on the Status of Women
in its 49th session
and are regularly highlighted by the Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women. A major challenge for
the Commission is ensuring accountability for implementation of
existing policy recommendations and human rights standards at
national level.

The framework of the Millennium Development Goals
provide new opportunities for the Commission’s work through
mobilization of governments, international organizations and NGOs
around time-bound, measurable targets, and through increasing the
visibility of gender issues in national development planning and
reporting, facilitating the development of alliances with new
partners and increasing access to resources.

The Commission on the Status of Women has been an
untiring advocate for gender equality and empowerment of women
across the globe. It has provided a unique space for exchange of
national experience and good practice and for bringing the voice of
the women’s movement to the United Nations. The Commission will
continue to play a critical leadership role to ensure that the work
of the United Nations has a positive impact on the lives of women at
country level and remains a driving force for gender equality and
empowerment of women.

United Nations Publications

Agreed Conclusions of the Commission on the Status
of Women on the Critical Areas of Concern of the Beijing Platform
for Action, 1996-2005. (New York: Division for the Advancement of
Women, 2006).

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women and its Optional Protocol (New York:
Division for the Advancement of Women, 2004)

Women Go Global: The United Nations and the
International Women’s Movement, 1945-2000, An interactive,
multimedia CD-ROM. (New York: Division for the Advancement of Women,
2002)

Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action with the
Beijing +5 Political Declaration and Outcome Document. (New York:
Division for the Advancement of Women, 2001).

The United Nations
and The Advancement of Women, 1945-1995. The United Nations Blue
Books Series, Volume VI, Rev. Ed. (New York,
1996).

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