E/2003/27 E/CN.6/2003/12 Chapter VIII Organization of the session A. Opening and duration of the session 1. The Commission on the Status of Women held its forty-seventh session at United Nations Headquarters from 3 to 14 March and on 25 March 2003. The Commission held 15 meetings (1st to 15th). 2. The session was opened by the Chairperson of the forty-sixth session of the Commission, Othman Jerandi (Tunisia), who also made a statement. B. Attendance 3. The session was attended by representatives of 45 States members of the Commission. Observers for other States Members of the United Nations and for non-member States, representatives of organizations of the United Nations system and observers for intergovernmental, non-governmental and other organizations also attended. A list of participants is contained in annex IV to the present report. C. Election of officers 4. In accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1987/21, the officers elected to the Bureau of the Commission should serve a term of office of two years. The following officers elected at the forty-sixth session continued to serve during the forty-seventh session: Chairperson: Othman Jerandi (Tunisia) Vice-Chairpersons: Fernando Estellita Lins de Salvo Coimbra (Brazil) Kyung-wha Kang (Republic of Korea) Birgit Stevens (Belgium) Lala Ibrahimova (Azerbaijan) who also serves as Rapporteur D. Agenda and organization of work 5. At its 1st meeting, on 3 March, the Commission adopted its provisional agenda and approved its organization of work as contained in document E/CN.6/2003/1. The agenda read as follows: 1. Election of officers. 2. Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters. 3. Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the special session of the General Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”: (a) Review of gender mainstreaming in entities of the United Nations system; 45