Summary At its forty-third session, the Commission on the Status of Women recommended one draft resolution to be recommended by the Economic and Social Council for adoption by the General Assembly, and four draft resolutions and three draft decisions for adoption by the Economic and Social Council. In addition, it adopted three resolutions and one decision to be brought to the attention of the Council. Draft resolution to be recommended by the Economic And Social Council for adoption by the General Assembly In the draft resolution on an optional protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the General Assembly would adopt and open for signature, ratification and accession the optional protocol to the Convention, the text of which is annexed to the resolution. The Assembly would request the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to hold meetings to exercise its functions under the protocol after its entry into force, in addition to its meetings held under article 20 of the Convention. It would request the Secretary-General to provide the staff and facilities necessary for the effective performance of the functions of the Committee under the Protocol, and to include information on the status of the Protocol in her or his regular reports to the General Assembly on the status of the Convention. Draft resolutions and decisions recommended for adoption by the Economic and Social Council In draft resolution I on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, the Council would urge all Afghan parties, in particular the Taliban, to bring to an end without delay all human rights violations against women and girls. It would urge the Secretary-General to ensure that all United Nations activities in Afghanistan are carried out according to the principle of non-discrimination against women and girls, and that a gender perspective and special attention to the human rights of women and girls are fully incorporated into the work of the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan. In draft resolution II on Palestinian women, the Council would request the Commission on the Status of Women to continue to monitor and take action with regard to the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, in particular paragraph 260 concerning Palestinian women, and the Beijing Platform for Action. It would request the Secretary-General to continue to review the situation and to assist Palestinian women, and to submit a report to the Commission at its forty-fourth session. In draft resolution III on the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women, 2002–2005, the Council would invite the Secretary-General to formulate the plan for 2002–2005 in two phases. The Council would decide that the first phase, containing an assessment, would be submitted to it through the Commission on the Status of Women in the year 2000, and the new plan for 2002–2005 would be submitted to the Council through the Commission in 2001. iii