E/2005/27 E/CN.6/2005/11 information and communication technologies and their impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women, Noting the report of the Commission on the Private Sector and Development entitled Unleashing Entrepreneurship: Making Business Work for the Poor,54 Noting also the report of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization entitled A Fair Globalization: Creating Opportunities for All,55 Noting further that hundreds of millions of women and girls, worldwide, live in poverty and that the majority live in rural areas where their livelihoods are dependent on subsistence and small-holder agriculture and employment in the informal sector, including forest and common property resources, Emphasizing that the empowerment of women is a critical factor in the eradication of poverty and that the implementation of special measures aimed at empowering women can help to achieve this, Recognizing that improving women’s economic status also improves the economic status of their families and their communities and thereby creates a multiplier effect for economic growth, Recognizing also that women should have equal opportunities to achieve economic independence, since discrimination against women and lack of equal access to education, training, financial services, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities and other economic resources, property and inheritance rights and other legal protections pose a major obstacle to sustainable economic growth, sustainable development and the sustainable economic advancement of women, Emphasizing that full representation and full and equal participation of women in political, social and economic decision-making in societies enhances socioeconomic development policies, Recognizing that diligent and transparent application of the rule of law at the national, regional and international levels, access to justice and democracy and the promotion of women’s economic autonomy and non-discrimination policies are necessary elements in the promotion of sustainable economic growth and sustainable development, Reaffirming that the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms is essential for the empowerment of women and girls, Aware that while globalization and liberalization processes have created employment opportunities for women in many countries, in particular in developing and least developed countries, they have also made women more vulnerable to problems caused by increased economic volatility, Recognizing that women’s social and economic marginalization and unequal rights can hamper their ability to fully and effectively participate in the economic life of their communities and societies and that they may need special support and legal empowerment in order to address the challenges and take full advantage of the opportunities of globalization and market liberalization, __________________ 54 55 United Nations publication, Sales No. E.04.III.B.4. See A/59/98-E/2004/79. 25