Commission on the Status of Women
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Ec onomic and Social Council E/2014/27-E/CN.6/2014/15 Official Records, 2014 Supplement No. 7 Commission on the Status of Women Report on the fifty-eighth session (15 March 2013 and 10-21 March 2014) United Nations • New York, 2014 Note Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document. ISSN 0252-0117 E/2014/27 E/CN.6/2014/15 Summary At its fifty-eighth session, the Commission on the Status of Women, in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 2009/15, considered as its priority theme “Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls”; it also considered as its review theme “Access and participation of women and girls in education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work”, evaluating progress in the implementation of the agreed conclusions from its fifty-fifth session. It further considered an emerging issue, “Women’s access to productive resources”. As part of its consideration of these themes, the Commission held one high- level round table and five panel discussions. The Commission adopted agreed conclusions on the priority theme. These include references to existing commitments; assessments of the situation of women and girls in regard to each of the Millennium Development Goals; critical issues related to gender equality and the empowerment of women that were not adequately addressed by the Millennium Development Goals; and factors that have held back the achievement of the Goals for women and girls. The Commission urges all stakeholders to take action in the following five areas: (a) Realizing women’s and girls’ full enjoyment of all human rights; (b) Strengthening the enabling environment for gender equality and the empowerment of women; (c) Maximizing investments in gender equality and the empowerment of women; (d) Strengthening the evidence base for gender equality and the empowerment of women; (e) Ensuring women’s participation and leadership at all levels and strengthening accountability. With respect to the post-2015 development agenda, the Commission calls for gender equality, the empowerment of women and human rights of women and girls to be reflected as a stand-alone goal and to be integrated through targets and indicators into all goals of any new development framework. It also calls for review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and for commemorative activities to be undertaken for the twentieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women. The Commission’s work on the priority theme and its agreed conclusions constitute an input to the 2014 annual ministerial review of the Economic and Social Council. In addition, the Commission adopted: (a) By a recorded vote, a resolution entitled “Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women”, for action by the Economic and Social Council; (b) A decision for adoption by the Council, entitled “Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its fifty-eighth session and provisional agenda and documentation for the fifty-ninth session of the Commission”; 14-02869 3/95 E/2014/27 E/CN.6/2014/15 (c) By a recorded vote, a resolution entitled “Women, the girl child and HIV and AIDS”; (d) A resolution entitled “Release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts”; (e) A resolution entitled “Gender equality and the empowerment of women in natural disasters”. The Commission further decided to take note of the report of its Working Group on Communications and to include it in the present report in its entirety. 4/95 14-02869 E/2014/27 E/CN.6/2014/15 [4 April 2014] Contents Chapter Page I. Matters calling for action by the Economic and Social Council or brought to its attention . 6 A. Agreed conclusions on the challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls ............................. 6 B. Draft resolution for adoption by the Council .................................... 25 Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women ................................ 26 C. Draft decision for adoption by the Council ...................................... 29 Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its fifty-eighth session and provisional agenda and documentation for the fifty-ninth session of the Commission . 29 D. Matters brought to the attention of the Council .................................. 30 Resolution 58/1 . Release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts .................................... 30 Resolution 58/2 . Gender equality and the empowerment of women in natural disasters . 35 Resolution 58/3 . Women, the girl child and HIV and AIDS ........................ 40 Decision 58/101 . Documents considered by the Commission on the Status of Women . 50 II. Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century” .................................................. 53 III. Communications concerning the status of women .................................... 86 IV. Follow-up to Economic and Social Council resolutions and decisions .................... 90 V. Provisional agenda for the fifty-ninth session of the Commission ....................... 91 VI. Adoption of the report of the Commission on its fifty-eighth session .................... 92 VII. Organization of the session .................................................. 93 A. Opening and duration of the session ........................................... 93 B. Attendance .................................................. .............. 93 C. Election of officers .................................................. 93 D. Agenda and organization of work ............................................. 94 E. Appointment of the members of the Working Group on Communications on the Status of Women .................................................. ............... 95 F. Documentation .................................................. .......... 95 14-02869 5/95 E/2014/27 E/CN.6/2014/15 Chapter I Matters calling for action by the Economic and Social Council or brought to its attention A. Agreed conclusions on the challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls 1. The following agreed conclusions adopted by the Commission are transmitted to the Economic and Social Council, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 68/1 , as an input to the 2014 high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council. Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls * 1. The Commission on the Status of Women reaffirms the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the outcome documents of the twenty- third special session of the General Assembly, and the declarations adopted by the Commission on the occasion of the tenth and fifteenth anniversaries of the Fourth World Conference on Women. 2. The Commission reaffirms that the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Optional Protocols thereto, as well as other relevant conventions and treaties, provide an international legal framework and a comprehensive set of measures for the elimination and prevention of all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls and the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. 3. The Commission reaffirms that the full and effective implementation of the goals and objectives of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is an essential contribution to achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration. 4. The Commission also reaffirms the international commitments made at relevant United Nations summits and conferences in the area of gender equality and the empowerment of women, including in the Programme of Action at the International Conference on Population and Development and its key actions for its further implementation. 5. The Commission further reaffirms the commitments to gender equality and the empowerment of women made at the Millennium Summit of the United Nations, the 2005 World Summit, the High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals, held in 2010, and the special event to follow up efforts made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, held in 2013. It also reaffirms the outcome document of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the realization of the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed __________________ * For the discussion, see chap. II. 6/95 14-02869 E/2014/27 E/CN.6/2014/15 development goals for persons with disabilities: the way forward, a disability- inclusive development agenda towards 2015 and beyond. 6. The Commission acknowledges the important role played by regional conventions, instruments and initiatives and their follow-up mechanisms, in their respective regions and countries, in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls. 7. The Commission reaffirms the outcome document of the United Nations Conference