Chapter VIII ORGANIZATION OF THE SESSION A. Opening and duration of the session 1. The Commission on the Status of Women held its thirty-ninth session at United Nations Headquarters from 15 March to 4 April 1995. The Commission held 19 meetings and a number of informal meetings as a Working Group of the Whole. 2. The session was opened by the Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development. In his statement he emphasized the importance of the thirty-ninth session of the Commission in the process of preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. He stressed the importance of incorporating into the preparations for the Conference the results and achievements of the other United Nations Conferences. He pointed out that the Fourth World Conference on Women and all the other United Nations conferences were searching for the appropriate role of public policies, with special emphasis on the perspective of women. All those conferences had attempted to define the responsibility of all political and public actors in the emerging new paradigm for social and political processes. It was important to achieve synergy among Governments, representatives of the private sector and non-governmental organizations in their efforts to create a real civil society. Non-governmental organizations had played a crucial role in getting the issues of sustainable development, civil society and participatory democracy on the global agenda. He also addressed the vital role of women in development and the negative consequences of prevailing gender inequality for any society. 3. In her opening statement, the Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women stressed that the preparatory process at the national and regional levels had proceeded successfully owing to the strong involvement of Governments, international, political, financial and development organizations, the private sector, academic and research institutions, donors and, especially, non-governmental organizations. All the United Nations conferences had demonstrated that it was imperative to address the gender dimension in finding solutions to problems that faced the world today. In that respect the Fourth World Conference on Women would provide the opportunity for Governments to commit themselves to specific actions. It would be a forum where non-governmental organizations not only proposed solutions to women’s problems, but presented women’s vision of a peaceful, developed and just world. 4. The main document of the Conference - the Platform for Action - would spell out the practical steps required to bring about the necessary changes. Furthermore, the Platform for Action provided a script to each of the actors and would make them accountable to women. Accountability, she stressed, demanded the re-examination of priorities and the reallocation of resources. It entailed the enactment, review and enforcement of laws so as to afford women equal opportunities in all spheres of life, including participation in political and economic decision-making. B. Attendance 5. The session was attended by representatives of 39 States members of the Commission. Observers for other States Members of the United Nations and for non-member States, representatives of organizations of the United Nations system -69-