E/2004/27 E/CN.6/2004/14 Welcoming further the decision of the Economic and Social Council to devote a coordination segment in 2004 to a review and appraisal of the system-wide implementation of its agreed conclusions 1997/2 on mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes of the United Nations system,45 Reaffirming that gender mainstreaming is a globally accepted strategy for promoting gender equality, which requires making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated, Reaffirming also that gender mainstreaming constitutes a critical strategy in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action46 and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly,47 Recognizing that enhancing women’s opportunities, potential and activities requires a dual focus, namely, programmes aimed at meeting the basic as well as the specific needs of women for capacity-building, organizational development and empowerment, together with gender mainstreaming in all programme formulation and implementation activities, Expressing its concern that gender equality is not yet fully integrated into the work of the United Nations, Underlining the catalytic role of the Commission in promoting gender mainstreaming, 1. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on the measures taken and progress achieved in the follow-up to and implementation of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the special session of the General Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”, especially in mainstreaming gender perspectives in entities of the United Nations system;48 2. Also welcomes the ongoing activities undertaken and efforts made by entities of the United Nations system to promote an active and visible policy of gender mainstreaming; 3. Expresses its concern at the remaining constraints on the full implementation of gender mainstreaming into all policies and programmes of the United Nations system, including inadequate support for and follow-up of gender equality policies and strategies, poor utilization of gender analysis, inadequate monitoring mechanisms and a number of ongoing critical institutional constraints; 4. Invites all entities of the United Nations system, in pursuit of governmental and intergovernmental commitments to gender mainstreaming and gender equality goals, to: __________________ 45 46 47 48 24 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-second Session, Supplement No. 3 (A/52/3), chap. IV, para. 4. See Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4-15 September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E. 96.IV.13). General Assembly resolutions S-23/2 and S-23/3. E/CN.6/2004/3.