Chapter II PROGRAMMING AND COORDINATION MATTERS RELATED TO THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM 1. The Commission considered item 3 of its agenda jointly with agenda item 4 (Monitoring the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women) at its 7th, 8th, 14th and 15th meetings on 10, 11, 15 and 17 March 1994. It had before it the report of the Secretary-General on the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat (E/CN.6/1994/5). 2. In introducing the item, the Coordinator, Focal Point for Women, Office of Human Resources Management, informed the Commission of the progress made towards improving the status of women in the Secretariat. As a result of the grade-bygrade promotion exercise of 1992, the percentage of women in the posts subject to geographical distribution in the Secretariat had increased during the period June 1993 to December 1993 from 31.3 to 32.0 per cent. She stated that the slow progress towards the equality of women was a reflection of the situation of women in the world and that the existing structures needed to be transformed to allow a better gender balance. She further stated that the Department of Administration and Management and the Office of Human Resources Management, under the strong guidance and direction of the Secretary-General, were obliged to achieve that transformation through an evolutionary process, and by integrating the goals of equality for women into the regular management and personnel procedures of the Secretariat. She also stated that the commitment of Member States, backed by resources and mandates, would be needed to implement those goals. Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat 3. Some representatives welcomed the improvement of the participation of women in the Secretariat, but noted that the current rate of increase was insufficient to achieve the targets set by the General Assembly, at 35 per cent of overall participation and 25 per cent at the senior policy- and decision-making level. Greater efforts were required to achieve those targets. 4. Several representatives stated that the participation of women at the decision-making level throughout the United Nations system would accelerate the advancement of women, as it would ensure the incorporation of women’s perspectives and concerns in the development of mainstream policies and programmes. A few representatives indicated that Member States could play a crucial role in that respect by increasing the number and participation of women through the submission of qualified female candidates for high-level posts. 5. Several representatives welcomed the development by the Secretary-General of a plan of action for the biennium 1993-1994 to improve the status of women in the Secretariat by 1995, and urged his strong and visible commitment to its implementation. 6. A few representatives expressed the need for full implementation of the measures designed to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. One representative, on behalf of a group of countries, stated that it was time to review the effectiveness of the administrative instruction issued in 1992 on the procedures for dealing with sexual harassment to ensure that all aspects of the issue were addressed. -58-