Prepare women for the twenty-first century 73. Measures should be taken to encourage women and girls to enter new fields of studies which offer different job opportunities and career perspectives. Human resource development should draw on the untapped talents and potentials of women. Vocational guidance and counselling services in secondary, vocational and higher-level education should be strengthened, including innovative strategies such as use of role models, in order to encourage girls and women to enter and remain in new fields, notably scientific and technical education, and to be retained in them. Flexible educational provisions must be established in order to reach remote areas or special groups. Life-long training should be promoted to allow women to re-enter the labour market after interruptions for caring responsibilities. Action should be taken to increase women’s participation at decision-making levels in education. Make education gender-sensitive 74. Action should focus on the elimination of social stereotypes from curricula, textbooks and teacher training and on materials that present the positive role and contribution of women in order to enhance the empowerment and self-reliance of girls and women and ensure a gender-sensitive educational environment. This would also promote women’s role in public life and eliminate violence against women. At the community level, parents’ organizations and non-governmental organizations should play an active supporting role. Research by and on women must be encouraged and supported, in the areas of both human and natural sciences. Components on legal literacy and information on human rights should be incorporated in the curricula, as well as on reproductive health and rights and sustainable development. C. Increase women’s full access throughout the life cycle to appropriate, affordable and quality health care and related services 75. Adequate financing must be provided to ensure availability of primary health services to all that respond to women’s specific health needs in all stages of the life cycle. There is a joint responsibility of women and men for the next generation. The targets set for health for all in the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade should be achieved. Deliver affordable and accessible health care for all 76. A comprehensive, integrated model of health services for women should be applied, adequately funded and available to all at affordable cost. It should emphasize health promotion and disease prevention, including prevention of disabilities, utilization of traditional medicine and establishment of care systems for the elderly. There should be support for gender-sensitive research and training for health workers and greater participation and effective representation of women, especially female health-care workers, in planning and programme delivery, including training of women doctors and health technicians. Service delivery should emphasize quality-related aspects. Traditional health knowledge should be used and respected. International financial institutions should take steps to assist Governments to deliver these health services by instituting policies favourable to public investment in health. Efforts should be made to combat HIV/AIDS through a recognition of gender factors and its specific and growing impact on women. -43-