especially devoted to the advancement of women, including the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women and the United Nations Development Fund for Women, are in the process of reviewing their programmes of work in the light of the Platform for Action and its implementation; 4. Decides, in view of the traditional importance of non-governmental organizations in the advancement of women, that such organizations should be encouraged to participate in the work of the Commission and in the monitoring and implementation process related to the Conference to the maximum extent possible, and requests the Secretary-General to make appropriate arrangements to ensure full utilization of existing channels of communication with non-governmental organizations in order to facilitate broad-based participation and dissemination of information; 5. Decides, in recognition of the valuable contribution of non-governmental organizations to the Fourth World Conference on Women, that the Council and its Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations will review the applications of these non-governmental organizations under Council resolution 1296 (XLIV) of 23 May 1968 as expeditiously as possible, and also decides that, prior to the forty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Council will take a decision on the participation of the non-governmental organizations that were accredited to the Conference and that have applied for consultative status, in Conference follow-up and in the work of the Commission on the Status of Women, without prejudice to the work of the Open-ended Working Group on the Review of Arrangements for Consultation with Non-Governmental Organizations; 6. Requests the Secretary-General urgently to draw the attention of non-governmental organizations accredited to the Fourth World Conference on Women to the provisions of the present resolution and to the process established under Council resolution 1296 (XLIV); II Terms of reference 1. Confirms the existing mandate of the Commission on the Status of Women as set out in its resolutions 11 (II), 48 (IV) and 1987/22, bearing in mind that the Platform for Action builds upon the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women; 2. Decides that the Commission shall assist the Economic and Social Council in monitoring, reviewing and appraising progress achieved and problems encountered in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at all levels, and shall advise the Council thereon; 3. Decides that the Commission shall continue to ensure support for mainstreaming a gender perspective in United Nations activities and develop further its catalytic role in this regard in other areas; 4. Decides further that the Commission shall identify issues where United Nations system-wide coordination needs to be improved in order to assist the Council in its coordination function; 5. Decides that the Commission shall identify emerging issues, trends and new approaches to issues affecting the situation of women or equality between -4-