the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and other
international human rights instruments, or where reservations that are
incompatible with the object or purpose of the Convention have been entered, or
where national laws have not yet been revised to implement international norms
and standards, women’s de jure equality is not yet secured. Women’s full
enjoyment of equal rights is undermined by the discrepancies between some
national legislation and international law and international instruments on
human rights. Overly complex administrative procedures, lack of awareness
within the judicial process and inadequate monitoring of the violation of the
human rights of all women, coupled with the underrepresentation of women in
justice systems, insufficient information on existing rights and persistent
attitudes and practices perpetuate women’s de facto inequality. De facto
inequality is also perpetuated by the lack of enforcement of, inter alia,
family, civil, penal, labour and commercial laws or codes, or administrative
rules and regulations intended to ensure women’s full enjoyment of human rights
and fundamental freedoms.
220. Every person should be entitled to participate in, contribute to and enjoy
cultural, economic, political and social development. In many cases women and
girls suffer discrimination in the allocation of economic and social resources.
This directly violates their economic, social and cultural rights.
221. The human rights of all women and the girl child must form an integral part
of United Nations human rights activities. Intensified efforts are needed to
integrate the equal status and the human rights of all women and girls into the
mainstream of United Nations system-wide activities and to address these issues
regularly and systematically throughout relevant bodies and mechanisms. This
requires, inter alia, improved cooperation and coordination between the
Commission on the Status of Women, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights, the Commission on Human Rights, including its special and thematic
rapporteurs, independent experts, working groups and its Subcommission on
Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, the Commission on
Sustainable Development, the Commission for Social Development, the Commission
on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, and the Committee on the Elimination
of Discrimination against Women and other human rights treaty bodies, and all
relevant entities of the United Nations system, including the specialized
agencies. Cooperation is also needed to strengthen, rationalize and streamline
the United Nations human rights system and to promote its effectiveness and
efficiency, taking into account the need to avoid unnecessary duplication and
overlapping of mandates and tasks.
222. If the goal of full realization of human rights for all is to be achieved,
international human rights instruments must be applied in such a way as to take
more clearly into consideration the systematic and systemic nature of
discrimination against women that gender analysis has clearly indicated.
223. Bearing in mind the Programme of Action of the International Conference on
Population and Development 14/ and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of
Action 2/ adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights, the Fourth World
Conference on Women reaffirms that reproductive rights rest on the recognition
of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and
responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the
information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of
sexual and reproductive health. It also includes their right to make decisions
concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence, as
expressed in human rights documents.
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