[23 March 2012] Contents Chapter I. Page Matters calling for action by the Economic and Social Council or brought to its attention . . . 1 A. Draft decision recommended to the Council for adoption by the General Assembly . . . . 1 Ending female genital mutilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Draft resolution for adoption by the Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Draft decision for adoption by the Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its fifty-sixth session and provisional agenda and documentation for the fifty-seventh session of the Commission . 4 Matters brought to the attention of the Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Resolution 56/1. Release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Resolution 56/2. Gender equality and the empowerment of women in natural disasters . 9 Resolution 56/3. Eliminating maternal mortality and morbidity through the empowerment of women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Resolution 56/4. Indigenous women: key actors in poverty and hunger eradication . . . . . 22 Resolution 56/5. Women, the girl child and HIV and AIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Decision 56/101. Documents considered by the Commission on the Status of Women at its fifty-sixth session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 B. C. D. II. Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 III. Communications concerning the status of women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 IV. Follow-up to Economic and Social Council resolutions and decisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 V. Provisional agenda for the fifty-seventh session of the Commission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 VI. Adoption of the report of the Commission on its fifty-sixth session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 VII. Organization of the session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 A. Opening and duration of the session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 B. Attendance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 C. Election of officers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 iii