A/RES/S-23/3 A. Actions to be taken at the national level By Governments: 66. (a) Set and encourage the use of explicit short- and long-term time-bound targets or measurable goals, including, where appropriate, quotas, to promote progress towards gender balance, including women’s equal access to and full participation on a basis of equality with men in all areas and at all levels of public life, especially in decision- and policy-making positions, in political parties and political activities, in all government ministries and at key policy-making institutions, as well as in local development bodies and authorities; (b) Address the barriers faced by women, particularly by indigenous and other marginalized women, in accessing and participating in politics and decisionmaking, including lack of training, women’s double burden of paid and unpaid work, negative societal attitudes and stereotypes. 67. (a) Ensure policies that guarantee equal access to education and the elimination of gender disparities in education, including vocational training, science and technology and completion of basic education for girls, especially for those living in rural and deprived areas, and opportunities for continuing education at all levels for all women and girls; (b) Support the implementation of plans and programmes of action to ensure quality education and improved enrolment retention rates for boys and girls and the elimination of gender discrimination and gender stereotypes in educational curricula and materials, as well as in the process of education; (c) Accelerate action and strengthen political commitment to close the gender gap in primary and secondary education by 2005 and to ensure free compulsory and universal primary education for both girls and boys by 2015, as advocated by several global conferences, and eliminate policies that have been proven to worsen and perpetuate the gap; (d) Develop a gender-sensitive curriculum from kindergarten to elementary schools to vocational training and universities in order to address gender stereotyping as one of the root causes of segregation in working life. 68. (a) Design and implement policies that promote and protect women’s enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and create an environment that does not tolerate violations of the rights of women and girls; (b) Create and maintain a non-discriminatory and gender-sensitive legal environment by reviewing legislation with a view to striving to remove discriminatory provisions as soon as possible, preferably by 2005, and eliminating legislative gaps that leave women and girls without protection of their rights and without effective recourse against gender-based discrimination; (c) Ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,8 limit the extent of any reservations to it, and withdraw reservations that are contrary to the object and purpose of the Convention or otherwise incompatible with international treaty law; (d) Consider signing and ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women;9 21