Help rural women to overcome poverty 69. Rural women in particular should be provided equal access to productive resources through ensuring legal equality in access to land and other productive resources and through the development of programmes to provide credit and extension. Affirmative actions, specific programmes and the inclusion of poor rural women in the definition of policies for poverty alleviation should orient any action. These could include review of the effects on poor rural women of any policy; mutual actions between Governments and non-governmental organizations; provision of adequate human and financial resources; training, including in new fields; sensitization through the media about their situation and increase in United Nations assistance to rural women. Address the needs of women migrant workers and displaced women 70. Migrant and displaced women are both extremely economically vulnerable groups with specific needs and mechanisms for solution. Therefore, actions on poverty should also include measures to improve their situation. In the receiving countries, measures should be taken to provide them with legal protection of their rights as workers. B. Ensure women’s access to quality education and training for self-reliance at all levels and in all fields and sectors 71. A substantial quantitative and qualitative improvement in the education of girls and women needs to be made to achieve equality as one of the major priorities arising from the Conference, and resources need to be committed for this purpose. The international community should, in partnership, forcefully address the gender disparities and develop gender-sensitive education and training. Relevant non-governmental organizations, organizations of the United Nations system and other national, regional and interregional bodies should assist Governments in the establishment and implementation of a broad approach to the education of girls and women in the context of overall development strategies in full recognition of the benefits to society of investment in women’s education. Achieve education for all 72. Top priority should be given to removing gender disparities from national policies and programmes for universal primary, secondary and higher education and adult literacy. The existing gap in education between developing and developed countries has to be removed. The necessary expenditure should be allocated and affirmative actions defined to achieve equality in enrolment and educational achievements and prevent drop-outs of girls from formal schooling. Incentives should be given to families to minimize the opportunity cost of girls’ education on families through such means as free textbooks, scholarships for girls, flexible school schedules, and child-care systems for young siblings. Action to promote mutual sharing of girls’ workload in the household and to delay marriage and avoid early pregnancy would also prevent drop-outs of girls. This would create a learning environment which could retain girls in schooling when equality in enrolment is not achieved. In accordance with the Jomtien Declaration on Education for All, the gender gap in basic and functional literacy should be eliminated by the year 2000 and the disparities in literacy between developed and developing countries narrowed. Literacy programmes based on the social context and basic needs of the learners should be provided. -42-