United Nations
General Assembly
A/RES/58/144
Distr.: General
19 February 2004
Fifty-eighth session
Agenda item 110
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 22 December 2003
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/58/501)]
58/144. Improvement of the status of women in the
United Nations system
The General Assembly,
Recalling Articles 1 and 101 of the Charter of the United Nations, as well as
Article 8, which provides that the United Nations shall place no restrictions on the
eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of
equality in its principal and subsidiary organs,
Recalling also the goal, contained in the Platform for Action adopted by the
Fourth World Conference on Women, 1 of achieving overall gender equality,
particularly at the Professional level and above, by 2000 and the further actions and
initiatives set out in the outcome document adopted by the General Assembly at its
twenty-third special session, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development
and peace for the twenty-first century”, 2
Recalling further its resolution 57/180 of 18 December 2002, as well as its
resolution 57/305 of 15 April 2003, in particular section II, paragraphs 39 to 41
thereof,
Taking note of Commission on Human Rights resolution 2003/44 of 23 April
2003 on integrating the human rights of women throughout the United Nations
system, 3 in particular paragraph 15 thereof, in which the Commission recognized
that gender mainstreaming would strongly benefit from the enhanced and full
participation of women, including at the higher levels of decision-making within the
United Nations system,
Taking into account the continuing lack of representation or
underrepresentation of women from certain countries, in particular from developing
countries, including least developed countries and small island developing States,
_______________
1
Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4–15 September 1995 (United Nations
publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.
2
Resolution S-23/3, annex.
3
See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2003, Supplement No. 3 (E/2003/23), chap. II,
sect. A.
03 50322