E/2010/27 E/CN.6/2010/11 generation of decent work the primary goal of macroeconomic policies; ensuring women’s control over and equal access to economic and financial resources; ensuring universal access to affordable food; and addressing past policy neglect in relation to the agricultural sector, in particular subsistence farming where women farmers are concentrated. Actions should also be taken to ensure the development and financing of universal and gender-sensitive social protection and insurance systems, and to facilitate the reconciliation of paid and unpaid work, including through improved public provisioning of adequate support mechanisms and services. The specific needs and priorities of women and girls facing multiple forms of discrimination and marginalization require enhanced attention. 8. The very limited progress made in improving maternal health, in particular maternal mortality, is an issue of great concern. Almost all maternal deaths can be prevented through effective interventions and increased investment. A number of reliable strategies and actions have been identified that give greater priority to, and achieve the desired results in, reducing maternal mortality and improving maternal health, such as increased access to health services, skilled health professionals and birth attendants, the promotion of hospital delivery, and better transport to and from hospitals. In the light of the increase in adolescent pregnancies, the unmet health needs of young women require increased attention, including access to quality sexual and health services and counselling, and to sexual education for both young women and men. 9. Participatory processes involving a range of stakeholders can result in better policies, planning and budgets for gender equality and women’s empowerment, and in increased ownership and outcomes at the national level. Collaboration, partnerships and cooperation among all stakeholders, including civil society and women’s organizations, should therefore be enhanced. Since women at the grass-roots level often do not benefit from large-scale development initiatives, it is necessary to identify and put in place mechanisms to ensure that women’s voices are heard in decision-making processes and programme development. Social dialogue is another key aspect for promoting equal opportunities for women and men. 10. The availability of credible and reliable data and the development of gender-sensitive indicators, as well as tools such as scorecards, peer reviews and gender auditing, can also contribute to strengthening accountability for implementation, including through better monitoring and evaluation of actions taken. Efforts to strengthen national capacity to collect and analyse sex- and age-disaggregated data and to develop gender-sensitive indicators should be enhanced. National censuses provide an opportunity to expand the availability of such data, and various surveys, such as those of health, domestic violence and time-use, also contribute towards increasing the availability of data for enhanced policy development. Gender-responsive budgeting is increasingly recognized as an important tool for gender mainstreaming and for ensuring the mobilization and expenditure of public resources for the promotion of gender equality, and for enhancing overall transparency and accountability. 11. Civil society organizations and the media continue to play an important role in holding Governments accountable for commitments made in regard to 10-30576 45