[Islam-Online- Society]

23rd Special Session of the General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the 21st Century".
June 5-9, 2000

Since the first United Nations' World Conference on Women in 1975, held in Mexico City, the world has changed considerably. Women's access to education and sufficient health care has increased. The level of fairness between men and women has been greatly aided by legislation that has favored women more than ever before.

Still, the situation for women requires much work. Even a quarter-century later, women are still the victims of gross inequalities and even violence. Women today continue to make up an overwhelming majority of the more than 1 billion people living in abject poverty and among the illiterate.

The United Nations headquarters was this past week host to the Fifth World Conference on Women.

"Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the 21st Century" is the United Nations' follow-up to the historic Beijing conference five years ago. The historic Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, China was the largest United Nations' conference ever. Delegates from 189 counties and 2600 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) attended.

The Beijing gathering produced the Beijing Declaration and a Platform for Action, agreed to unanimously by all 189 attending governments. The Platform was divided into 6 chapters and included a list of 12 "critical areas of concern" to be faced by the world's female population. The Platform was reinforced by the Declaration which reaffirmed the commitment of governments to eliminate discrimination against women and to remove all obstacles to equality. Governments also saw a need to ensure a gender perspective in all decisions and policies in the future.

The meeting this past week focused on the details of those plans made 5 years ago - specific targets, including timetables. The 12 "critical areas of concern" are as follows:
   1. Protect women from armed conflict,
   2. Advance the economic well-being of women,
   3. Advance education and training among women,
   4. Benefit women and the environment,
   5. Benefit and protect the girl-child,
   6. Advance women's health,
   7. Protect the human rights of women,
   8. Promote the institutional advancement of women,
   9. Advance women in the media,
10. Combat poverty among women,
11. Advance power and decision-making among women, and
12. Combat violence against women.

Watch for detailed coverage of this historic conference, including statements from the participating countries