of the Council and requested the Commission to consider ways of making the procedure for receiving and considering communications, including the standard of admissibility, more transparent and efficient, Noting the conclusion of the Working Group on Communications on the Status of Women, in its report to the Commission at its thirty-fifth session 23/ that, while the communications procedure provided a valuable source of information on the effects of discrimination on the lives of women, it should be improved to make it more efficient and useful, and that clear criteria for receiving communications should be given, 1. Reaffirms that the Commission on the Status of Women is empowered to make recommendations to the Economic and Social Council on what action should be taken on emerging trends and patterns of discrimination against women revealed by such communications; 2. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to publicize widely the existence and scope of the communications mechanism of the Commission using all available media; 3. Further requests the Secretary-General to continue to support the activities of the Commission with regard to its consideration of communications and to ensure proper coordination of the activities of the Commission in this area and those of the other bodies of the Council; 4. Invites the Commission to take into account the report of the Secretary-General on examining mechanisms for communications on the status of women, 24/ submitted to the Commission at its thirty-fifth session, to consider ways of making the existing procedure for receiving and considering communications more effective; 5. Invites each regional group to appoint, one week before each session of the Commission, a member of the Working Group on Communications on the Status of Women; 6. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Commission at its thirty-eighth session on the ways in which the communications mechanism of the Commission has been publicized; 7. Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure that any costs resulting from the activities set out in the present resolution are kept to a minimum and that the activities are carried out within existing resources. DRAFT RESOLUTION IV Women, environment and development* The Economic and Social Council, Taking into account General Assembly resolution 46/167 of 19 December 1991 on women, environment, population and sustainable development, in which the * For the discussion, see chap. IV. 23/ See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1991, Supplement No. 8 (E/1991/28), para. 48. 24/ E/CN.6/1991/10. -17-