E/1999/27 E/CN.6/1999/10 “Upholding the importance of attaining full mental health for all people, as recognized in General Assembly resolution 46/119 of 17 December 1991, entitled ‘The protection of persons with mental illness and the improvement of mental health care’, “Welcoming the strong commitments to women and mental health made by the Director General of the World Health Organization at the forty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women, “Concerned that depression affects women twice as often as men, owing, among other factors, to the imposed inferior social and economic status of women and girls throughout the world, “Concerned also that women throughout their life cycle experience tremendous health burdens created by gender discrimination; all forms of violence, including domestic and sexual violence; lack of appropriate physical and mental health care, nutrition and education or access to them; high rates of illiteracy; and the stress of multiple and conflicting roles, “Acknowledging that special attention must be given to the mental health needs of women, including those who are marginalized because of, inter alia, race, ethnicity, religion, age, social and economic status, physical and/or mental disability, exploitative commercial sex, displacement, migration and HIV/AIDS, “1. Calls for the urgent implementation of the health objectives of the Beijing Platform for Action and other relevant international agreements with the integration of mental health as a priority issue; “2. Requests Governments to include in their national policies and plans of action for women specific measures that would address the mental health needs of women and girls, especially the need for psychosocial care and counselling services; “3. Calls upon Governments to take all possible steps to eliminate discrimination against women and girls in mental health care and to provide access to appropriate treatment that is responsive to women’s mental health needs at all ages; “4. Urges Governments to develop and implement public awareness campaigns on mental health and education and public health policies that are gender-sensitive and focus on women and girls who are most in need of psychological support; “5. Requests Governments to provide or enhance mental health education and both pre-service and in-service training to primary health care workers, social service professionals, teachers and other educators, and community workers; “6. Calls upon Governments to develop and implement legislation and comprehensive social and economic policies that address the mental health needs of women and girls; “7. Encourages non-governmental organizations, private funding institutions and individual donors to organize and support, with the consent of the Governments concerned, mercy missions (along the lines of Médecins sans frontières) to areas where psychological/psychiatric problems are prevalent among the population, in particular among poor urban and rural women, with a view to providing not only primary treatment but also training for family members and/or other persons who may take over the care of the afflicted persons; “8. Requests pharmaceutical companies to donate medicines for the treatment of mental disorders, or to make them more affordable to areas where psychological/psychiatric problems are prevalent; 36