Follow-up to the fourth world conference on women: review of mainstreaming in organizations of the United Nations system

Abstract

In 1993, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) established a system-wide medium-term plan (SWMTP) for the advancement of women for the period 1996-2001, aiming to promote gender equality and women's empowerment across the United Nations (UN) system. Revised after the second review of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies and the adoption of the Platform for Action at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the updated SWMTP was endorsed by the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC), and ECOSOC. The revision process was driven by extensive collaboration among UN agencies, with the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) serving as the Secretariat. The plan emphasized integrating gender perspectives into all UN activities, aligning with the Platform for Action’s critical areas of concern, such as poverty, education, health, and violence against women. It highlighted the need for joint efforts, gender mainstreaming, capacity-building, and resource mobilization to support national implementation of the Platform.