The United Nations views women's rights as fundamental to the achievement of global human rights. It has initiated CEDAW, ratified by member states in 1979 and regional as well as global conferences such as the World Conference on Women in 1995, Beijing.

The UN has incorporated gender mainstreaming into its structures whereby it attempts to obtain gender equality by implementing gender sensitive policies across its entities.

In promoting, facilitating and supporting the implementation of gender mainstreaming throughout the United Nations, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women, OSAGI, has been introduced and it has initiated consultations on gender mainstreaming with senior management in many different United Nations entities. The office works to create awareness of the benefits of incorporating gender perspectives into work programmes throughout the United Nations system, including departments within the Secretariat. The objective of these efforts is to encourage all entities within the United Nations to take gender perspectives into account in their work programmes, as called for in the Platform for Action, ECOSOC Agreed Conclusions 1997/2 and all other intergovernmental mandates.

In its work in support of gender mainstreaming, OSAGI is guided by intergovernmental mandates that include the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and Agreed Conclusions 1997/2 of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). More recent policy statements include the outcome document of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, June 2000, ECOSOC resolution 2001/41 and resolution 2002/42, and, in the area of women, peace and security, Security Council resolution 1325. The Special Adviser reports to the Secretary-General on progress in gender mainstreaming on a regular basis. She participates at the policy-making level of the Executive Committees for Humanitarian Affairs, Peace and Security, and Economic and Social Affairs, to ensure a gender perspective is taken into account in their work.

Beyond the structures of the United Nations, the work of the Special Adviser also includes advocacy and the promotion of gender mainstreaming through a variety of means and methods, including briefings and networking with entities within the United Nations, delegations from States and NGO's. By establishing working partnerships, the Special Adviser is able to monitor levels of gender mainstreaming throughout the regions and to see if objectives and targets are met.

In this way, the United Nations entities have incorporated gender awareness across their own areas of expertise whether it is he WHO or UNICEF or UNESCO. From its entities, policies are derived and implemented nationally and regionally and developed by the work of NGOs.

Analysis provided by: Soraya Pascoe, Legal Expert on Gender.