BRIEFING for Wednesday, 10 March

43rd SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN (CSW) - 12th MEETING AND INFORMAL CONSULTATIONS (Wednesday, 10 March 1999)

The 12th (closed) meeting of the CSW's 43rd Session commenced at 10:00 am to hear the report of the Working Group on Communications (Agenda Item 5). At 11:30 am, the Commission resumed with scheduled informal consultations on the draft agreed conclusions from last week's panel discussions (Agenda Item 3). Much of the day was taken up with the draft text on institutional mechanisms, as well as the draft on women and health. Discussions on the text dealt with a range of issues, including: mainstreaming of a gender perspective; the role of national machineries; and the provision of the resources necessary for the advancement of women. Informal consultations on these draft texts continued in afternoon and evening sessions.

THE OPEN-ENDED AD HOC WORKING GROUP

The Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group (WG) of the CSW met to continue discussion on agenda item 6, namely the elaboration of a draft optional protocol to CEDAW. With the previous day's evening session coming reasonably close to achieving an agreed text, further last minute negotiations on an updated draft text continued today. Important sections under discussion included Articles 2 and 10.

By the conclusion of the morning session the Working Group reached agreement that the latest version of the text of the optional protocol could be sent for translation in order that the document could be ready the next day. During the afternoon session, delegates discussed the wording of an enabling resolution to the optional protocol. The WG is due to report to the CSW on the progress it has made during the last two weeks on Friday, 12 March, and many participants have expressed a strong desire to see an agreed text submitted at this stage.