Press Release

UNIFEM, INSTRAW SIGN AGREEMENT FOR INCREASED COLLABORATION, COOPERATION TO PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY, WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT

NEW YORK, 22 November (INSTRAW) -- For the first time in the history of both entities, the Directors of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), Noeleen Heyzer and Carmen Moreno, respectively, signed an agreement to establish a flexible coordination mechanism for increased collaboration and cooperation towards the achievement of their common objectives of promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women, with due respect to their individual mandates. This agreement responds in part to the United Nations Secretary-General’s call for increased collaboration within the United Nations system, included in his recent report “Women and peace and security” on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 [S/2004/814].

The text of the UNIFEM-INSTRAW agreement highlights the significance of the year 2005 for the Review and Appraisal of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which “represents a crucial benchmark both for reviewing progress on the achievement of gender equality and for establishing future work programmes and priorities”. It also indicates that the integration of a gender perspective into the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals requires additional efforts.

Through the agreement, the heads of UNIFEM and INSTRAW express their conviction that building synergies and alliances to achieve their common purpose of promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women will further strengthen their work and contribute to the optimal use of available resources.

The complete text of the agreement is available through the INSTRAW Web site at www.un-instraw.org.

UN Press Release, 22 November 2004