Improvement of the Status of Women in the Secretariat

A/RES/53/119No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 103Advancement of women, published in 1999.

What other versions does this mandate have?

12 versions · 1989–2000

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/54/139

2000A/RES/54/139Improvement of the status of women in the SecretariatLatestCompare with previous version
1999A/RES/53/119Improvement of the status of women in the SecretariatCompare with previous version
1998A/RES/52/96Improvement of the status of women in the SecretariatCompare with previous version
1997A/RES/51/67Improvement of the status of women in the SecretariatCompare with previous version
1996A/RES/50/164Improvement of the status of women in the SecretariatCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

12 topics

Focal Points Gender Equality Geographical Distribution Guidelines Personnel Management Programmes of Action Sexual Harassment Specialized Agencies Top Echelon Staff Women Workers Women's Status Working Conditions

What does this mandate say?

13 operative paragraphs

Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General and the recommendations contained therein, takes note of the statement of the Administrative Committee on Coordination on gender equality and mainstreaming in the work of the United Nations system: a commitment for action, adopted by the Committee in March 1998, and requests the Secretary-General to report in the year 2000 to the Commission on the Status of Women, in its capacity as the preparatory committee for the high-level plenary review to appraise and assess the progress achieved in the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women and the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women,1 to be convened by the General Assembly in the year 2000, on progress made to achieve the goals outlined in the statement;

Reaffirms the goal of 50/50 gender distribution by the year 2000 in all categories of posts within the United Nations system, especially at the D-1 level and above, with full respect for the principle of equitable geographical distribution, in conformity with Article 101 of the Charter of the United Nations, and also taking into account the continuing lack of representation or under-representation of women from certain countries, in particular from developing countries as well as countries with economies in transition;

Welcomes the ongoing personal commitment of the Secretary-General to meeting the goal of gender equality and his assurance that gender balance will be given the highest priority in his continuing efforts to bring about a new management culture in the Organization, which will include full implementation of the special measures outlined in his report;

Calls upon the Secretary-General to implement fully and to monitor the strategic plan of action for the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat (1995-2000) in order to achieve the goal of 50/50 gender distribution by the year 2000, especially at the D-1 level and above;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that individual managers are held accountable for implementing the strategic plan within their areas of responsibility;

Encourages the Secretary-General to appoint more women as special representatives and envoys and to pursue good offices on his behalf, especially in matters related to peacekeeping, peace-building, preventive diplomacy and economic and social development, and in operational activities, including resident coordinators, as well as to appoint more women to other high-level positions;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that heads of departments and offices develop gender action plans that establish concrete strategies for the achievement of gender balance in individual departments and offices, with full respect for the principle of equitable geographical distribution and in conformity with Article 101 of the Charter, so as to ensure, as far as possible, that the appointment and promotion of women will be not less than 50 per cent until the goal of 50/50 gender distribution is met;

Also requests the Secretary-General to continue his work to create a gender-sensitive work environment supportive of the needs of his staff, both women and men, including through the development of policies for flexible working time, flexible workplace arrangements, child-care and elder-care needs, as well as through the expansion of gender-sensitivity training in all departments and offices;

Further requests the Secretary-General to develop further the policy against harassment, including sexual harassment, and to issue detailed guidelines, based on the results of the comprehensive inter-agency survey;

Requests the Secretary-General to enable the Focal Point for Women in the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women to monitor effectively and facilitate progress in the implementation of the strategic plan, including by ensuring access to the information required to carry out that work;

Strongly encourages Member States to support the efforts of the United Nations and the specialized agencies to achieve the goal of 50/50 gender distribution, especially at the D-1 level and above, by identifying and regularly submitting more women candidates for appointment to intergovernmental, judicial and expert bodies and encouraging more women to apply for positions within the Secretariat, the specialized agencies, funds and programmes and the regional commissions, including in areas in which women are under-represented, such as peacekeeping, peace-building and other non-traditional areas;

Also strongly encourages Member States to identify women candidates for assignment to peacekeeping missions and to improve the representation of women in military and civilian police contingents;

Requests the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of the present resolution, including by providing statistics on the number and percentage of women in all organizational units and at all levels throughout the United Nations system and on the implementation of gender action plans, to the Commission on the Status of Women at its forty-third session and to the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session.

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Who created this mandate?

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What does this mandate say?

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