Chapter V PREPARATIONS FOR THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN: ACTION FOR EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE 1. The Commission considered item 6 of its agenda at its 1st to 6th and 14th to 17th meetings, from 7 to 9 and 16 to 18 March 1994. It had before it the following documents: (a) Report of the Secretary-General on preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace (E/CN.6/1994/9 and Corr.1); (b) Report of the Secretary-General on the draft Platform for Action (E/CN.6/1994/10); (c) Report of the Inter-sessional Working Group of the Commission on the Status of Women (E/CN.6/1994/12); (d) Report of the Secretary-General containing a preliminary executive summary of the updated World Survey on the Role of Women in Development (E/CN.6/1994/13); (e) Note by the Secretariat containing the draft provisional rules of procedure of the Conference (E/CN.6/1994/L.3). 2. In her introductory statement the Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women referred to the preparatory activities that had been undertaken by the Conference secretariat, the United Nations system, Governments and non-governmental organizations, including the appointment by the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations of a High-level Advisory Group of eminent persons to facilitate the preparations and to play an advocacy role for global action. She noted that other United Nations conferences - including the World Conference on Human Rights, which placed the human rights of women on the human rights agenda; the International Conference on Population and Development, which would address the need for a new definition and interpretation of productive and reproductive rights and the shared responsibilities of men and women; and the World Summit on Social Development, focusing on the alleviation and eradication of poverty and problems of employment and social integration - were part of the framework for the preparatory work and for the Conference itself. At its thirty-eighth session, the Commission on the Status of Women, through further elaboration of the draft Platform for Action, should enable the secretariat to complete a revised, action-oriented draft before the last preparatory meeting, in 1995. The road to Beijing should be paved with vision, commitment and a determination by Governments, civil society and non-governmental organizations to create a strong image of women as agents of change and full citizens with rights and responsibilities. The broader participation of non-governmental organizations, including those without consultative status, would widen the constituency and support actions towards the advancement of women in society. 3. In an address to the Commission, the President of Ireland, Ms. Mary Robinson, stressed the historical role played by the United Nations Decade for Women and the three world conferences on women in raising awareness and changing attitudes surrounding women’s issues and the role and status of women in society. Although only some of the many targets had been reached, the entry into force of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of -83-