and to submit a comprehensive report on the views expressed to the Commission on the Status of Women; decide that the Commission should establish an in-session open-ended working group to consider the report with a view to elaborating a draft optional protocol to the Convention; and encourage States to limit the extent of any reservation entered, regularly review them and encourage States who are behind schedule in submitting their periodic reports to the Committee to do so promptly. In the draft decision (Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its thirty-ninth session and provisional agenda and documentation for the fortieth session of the Commission), the Council would approve the provisional agenda and documentation for the fortieth session of the Commission. In matters brought to the attention of the Council, the Commission adopted eight resolutions on various subjects. In resolution 39/2 (Release of women and children who have been taken hostage in armed conflicts and imprisoned, the Commission urges all parties to conflicts to release all women and children who have been taken hostage in areas of armed conflict before the opening of the Fourth World Conference on Women; requests the Secretary-General and all relevant international agencies to use all their potentialities to facilitate their release; and requests the Secretary-General to report on the matter to the Commission at its fortieth session. In resolution 39/3 (Integration of women in the Middle East peace process), the Commission urges Governments, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations to include women in the peace process; to assist the Palestinian people to ensure Palestinian women’s political development and participation; and urges Member States to expedite economic, financial and technical assistance to Palestinian women. In resolution 39/4 (Rape and abuse of women in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia), the Commission strongly condemns the practice of rape and abuse of women and children; demands its immediate cessation; condemns denial of access to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the former Yugoslavia and others by the Bosnian Serb forces; urges punishment of perpetrators; urges the Chief Prosecutor to consider the appointment to his office of experts in the prosecution of crimes of sexual violence; urges Member States to consider continuing to provide necessary medical and psychological care to victims of rape and to cooperate with the International Tribunal and the Office of the Prosecutor; and requests the Secretary-General to provide such necessary means as are available to him in the area to enable any future missions to have free and secure access to places of detention. In resolution 39/5 (Mainstreaming the human rights of women), the Commission recommends that the Division for the Advancement of Women provide input for the next meeting of the persons chairing human rights treaty bodies in order to assist treaty bodies in addressing violations of the human rights of women; encourages the Division to provide relevant material it receives or prepares through the Centre for Human Rights, for the information of the treaty bodies in their work and to provide information to the Special Rapporteur on violence against women; encourages the Division and the Centre for Human Rights to explore the possibility of organizing training in the human rights of women; encourages the efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, within his mandate, to promote and protect the human rights of women; and requests the Secretary-General to see to the preparation of a joint work plan on -iv-