Model for the establishment of a data Bank and women's information network for Africa (WINA)

Abstract

Throughout the United Nations Decade for Women, and following the adoption of the 1984 Arusha Strategies for the Advancement of Women in Africa, and of the Forward-Looking Strategies at the 1985 Nairobi World Conference, there has been increasing awareness on the part of development agencies that, for policy and programming purposes, more attention should be given to improving the availability and accessibility of data and information on the situation of women. The Arusha Strategies specifically called upon the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) to facilitate the collection, analysis and dissemination of data and information on women and development. Among the resolutions presented at Nairobi, many addressed the need to strengthen the national machineries and establish networking among them in order to pursue more effectively the Forward-Looking Strategies until the year 2000, Moreover, the Strategies recommended that the regional commissions of the United Nations should reinforce national women's information systems.