Mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes in the United Nations system 134. At the 14th meeting, on 20 March, the observer for Canada,1 also on behalf of Australia1 and New Zealand,1 introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1997/L.14) entitled "Mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes in the United Nations system", which read as follows: "The Commission on the Status of Women, "Recalling General Assembly resolution 50/203 of 22 December 1995 and 51/69 of 12 December 1996, "Recalling Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/6, in which the Council decided that the Commission on the Status of Women would have a catalytic role in mainstreaming a gender perspective in policies and programmes and would identify issues where United Nations system-wide coordination needed to be improved in order to assist the Council in its coordination function, "Emphasizing the need for full implementation of the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women, 1996-2001, "Welcoming the note by the Secretary-General on agreed conclusions 1996/1 adopted by the Economic and Social Council on coordination of United Nations system activities for poverty eradication, in particular its emphasis on the mainstreaming of a gender perspective in United Nations activities for poverty eradication, "Having considered the question of mainstreaming in organizations of the United Nations system and the statement in the report of the SecretaryGeneral that comments from the Commission on the Status of Women on mainstreaming would provide valuable input into the preparation of the report requested for the Economic and Social Council at its coordination segment in 1997, "1. Reaffirms that mainstreaming a gender perspective is integral to the empowerment of women and to achieving gender equality; "2. Welcomes the reports of the Secretary-General on the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women, which underscore the importance of implementing the commitments to mainstream a gender perspective by translating the concept into practical action and, in this regard, notes the steps involved in mainstreaming a gender perspective into programming and policy-making; "3. Also welcomes the efforts to increase cooperation between the Division for the Advancement of Women and other parts of the United Nations system in such areas as peacekeeping and humanitarian affairs and the results already achieved with respect to the Commission on Sustainable Development and the special session of the General Assembly to review and appraise the implementation of Agenda 21, as well as the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and the World Food Summit; "4. Welcomes the initial sessions of the Inter-Agency Committee on Women and Gender Equality and the importance of its work in regularly monitoring progress made in incorporating a gender perspective in -54-