In preparation for the 49th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2005, United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) will attempt to track the global progress made on the achievement of the 12 Critical Areas (and associated strategic objectives) set forth in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (PfA). Such analysis, 10 years after the inception of the Beijing platform, will allow INSTRAW to assess the progress made on the PfA and its implementation, and identify persistent and future obstacles in achieving gender equality. This review process should give INSTRAW insight into global and national commitments to the Declaration, as demonstrated by participation of high-level actors in the 49th session of the CSW, the production of national and global-level reports by governments, civil society, and international organizations, and the availability (or lack) of data and indicators related to the 12 Ciritcal Areas set out in the Beijing PfA.
The 12 critical areas include: women and poverty; education and training; women and health; violence against women; women and armed conflict; women and the economy; women in power and decision making; institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women; human rights of women; women and the media; women and the environment; and the girl child.
INSTRAW’s website will include reports on each of the 12 Crticial Areas, and a list of specific resources related to that issue, including materials, news items, and UN and other commitments and declarations. These resources will be uploaded as they become available. The first report, on Women and Armed Conflict, is available now.
Compiled from: Home Page, United Nations International Research and Training Institute and Training Institute on the Advancement of Women, 2004.