(s) Strengthen the capacities of ministries, emergency authorities, practitioners and communities to apply a gender-sensitive approach to environmental management and disaster reduction and the involvement of women professionals and field workers; 11.  The Commission on the Status of Women welcomes the convening of the International Conference on Financing for Development and takes note of the recognition contained in the draft Monterrey Consensus of the particular needs of women and the importance of gender equality and the empowerment of women, as well as the recognition of the impact of disasters. (t) Forge constructive partnerships between Governments, international organizations and civil society, including the private sector and NGOs, and other stakeholders in integrated and gender sensitive sustainable development initiatives to reduce environmental risks; (u) Encourage civil society, including NGOs, to main- stream a gender perspective in the promotion of sustainable development initiatives, including in disaster reduction; 12.  (v) Ensure coordination in the United Nations sys- The Commission on the Status of Women also welcomes the convening of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, to be held in Johannesburg, stresses the importance of gender mainstreaming throughout the process and urges gender balance in the composition of delegations as well as the involvement and full participation of women in the preparations, work and outcome of the World Summit, thus renewing the commitment to gender equality objectives at the international level. The Commission on the Status of Women further reiterates that all States and all people shall cooperate in the essential task of eradicating poverty as an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, in order to decrease the disparities in standards of living and better meet the needs of the majority of the people of the world. ■ tem, including the full and active participation of funds, programmes and specialized agencies to mainstream a gender perspective in sustainable development including, inter alia, environmental management and disaster reduction activities. 8. The Commission on the Status of Women calls for the integration of a gender perspective in the implementation of all policies and treaties related to sustainable development and in the review of the implementation of the Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World: Guidelines for Natural Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Mitigation and its Plan of Action, scheduled for 2004. 9. The Commission on the Status of Women wel- comes the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction efforts to mainstream a gender perspective in the mitigation of disasters. 10. The Commission on the Status of Women wel- comes the policy statement of the Inter-agency Standing Committee for the integration of a gender perspective in humanitarian affairs of 31 May 1999. Source: United Nations document E/2002/27 3