II. SPECIFIC COMMENTS A. Women and poverty 9. More emphasis should be placed on the need for joint efforts by the United Nations system as regards the use of gender-disaggregated data and the development of indicators to monitor trends in poverty from a gender perspective. 10. Insufficient attention is given to an understanding of the underlying causes of poverty. The system-wide medium-term plan should reinforce the principle that resources allocated to development policies and programmes aimed at the eradication of poverty should not be diverted to emergency relief assistance. 11. The notion that women’s empowerment and the promotion and protection of their human rights are fundamental for the achievement of development, should also be better reflected in the plan. 12. The integration of a gender dimension in the design and implementation of both macroeconomic and micro-economic policies, including structural adjustment programmes, is crucial. The system-wide medium-term plan highlights this as regards both research/analysis and operational activities. It is surprising, however, that no reference is made to the role of the World Bank in paragraph 29 or to United Nations funds and programmes (the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations Population Fund). 13. There is a need for all United Nations bodies to be involved in development cooperation activities to mainstream a gender perspective into all their policies and programmes. This would imply the integration of gender analysis and the development of gender expertise both at Headquarters and in the field. B. Education and training of women 14. Action within the United Nations Secretariat should include analysis and monitoring of data, policy development and coordination of action by various parts of the United Nations. Currently action is limited almost exclusively to United Nations agencies. There are limited references to the Division for the Advancement of Women of the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development and the Department of Public Information. 15. The United Nations system should consider how to integrate lifelong education and training throughout the activities of the system and promote similar action at the national level. Appropriate support mechanisms for teaching in difficult, especially violent, situations should be established. 16. Data collection and research should include wider activities of the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis. 17. Data collection should focus on data not currently available. Existing data may need to be presented in a different format to be useful to relevant committees but duplication of data collection should be avoided. 18. Measures that encourage the participation of girls and women in science and technology in primary, secondary and further education should be included. -41-