United Nations
General Assembly
A/RES/59/164
Distr.: General
10 February 2005
Fifty-ninth session
Agenda item 98
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 20 December 2004
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/59/496)]
59/164. 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
1.
Takes note with appreciation the report of the Secretary-General; 3
2.
Welcomes:
(a) The commitment of the Secretary-General to meeting the goal of gender
equality and his assurance that gender balance will be given the highest priority in
his continuing efforts to bring about a new management culture in the Organization;
(b) The new initiatives and strategies undertaken system-wide and at the
Secretariat level to achieve gender balance, including paying special attention to the
identification of suitably qualified women candidates, strengthening of recruitment
sources for women, development of recruitment strategies in substantive areas,
enhancing women’s career development, fostering attitudinal changes and
introducing family-friendly policies;
(c) The increase in the proportion of women in the Professional and higher
categories of staff with appointments of one year or more;
_______________
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
A/59/357.
04-48610