United Nations
A/RES/56/126
General Assembly
Distr.: General
25 January 2002
Fifty-sixth session
Agenda item 112
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/56/576)]
56/126. Situation of older women in society
The General Assembly,
Reaffirming the obligations of all States to promote and protect human rights
and fundamental freedoms as stated in the Charter of the United Nations, and
emphasizing also their obligations under the human rights instruments, in particular
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 1
and the Optional Protocol thereto, 2
Recalling its resolution 44/76 of 8 December 1989 on elderly women,
Economic and Social Council resolutions 1982/23 of 4 May 1982 on elderly women
and the World Assembly on Ageing and 1986/26 of 23 May 1986 and 1989/38 of
24 May 1989 on elderly women, and resolution 36/4 of 20 March 1992 of the
Commission on the Status of Women, on the integration of elderly women into
development, 3
Recalling also the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General
Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the
twenty-first century” 4 and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 5 in
particular their provisions regarding older women,
Welcoming the convening of the Second World Assembly on Ageing, to be held
at Madrid in April 2002,
Aware that women constitute the majority of older populations in all regions of
the world and represent an important human resource, whose contribution to society
has not been fully recognized,
Recognizing the increasing role of older women in taking the responsibility of
providing care and assistance to victims of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired
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1
Resolution 34/180, annex.
Resolution 54/4, annex.
3
See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1992, Supplement No. 4 (E/1992/24), chap. I,
sect. C.
4
Resolution S-23/2, annex, and resolution S-23/3, annex.
5
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, annexes I and II.
2
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