Throughout the international community, women have been a primary focus of
the United Nations due to their importance to the economic and social balance
in a country. The advancement of women is a vital issue concerning the world
as the new millenium begins. Although the international community views
women with high regard and of the utmost respect, ancient traditions, one
sided beliefs, and false stereotypical propaganda, which demean and belittle
women are existent in the world today. Historically, women have been victims
of inequality and abusive practices, and due to this, many women never reach
their full potential in the economic world. First, the primary root that
hinders the progress of women is the inferiority complex at an early age.
In document UN/ CRC/ 531, analyzed through UNICEF, an estimated 25% of the
world’s children (developing world) are in the web of child labor. To add to
this, nearly 70% of all girl/female laborers go unregistered, often
performing acts of prostitution and strenuous domestic housework. This form
of unregistered work is dangerous to young girls because the employers often
abuse their employees sexually and physically, as well as psychologically
scarring them for years. This alarming fact can be attributed to the
inequality of education given to young girls. At an early age, many girls
are taught to be inferior to their male counterparts, both mentally and
physically. Currently, 75% of all the world’s illiterates are women, with
this burdensome fact, it is no wonder why women can not fully advance,; and
this is due to their poor access to education. In many countries these
superiority complexes possessed by the males are enforced through gender bias
and stereotypical propaganda. In this abused state of mind, these young
girls often have to deal with many problems, which are not existent in the
lives of most males. Typical gender bias such as this, often plague a girl’s
life until womanhood where even at an older age, she can still be abused.
It is important to address the need for establishing equality in the
household as a primary step in advancing a woman’s role in society. Women are
also subject to traffickers, who force these girls into a life of
prostitution, creating a situation hopeless for economic development. They
are lured by the hopes of earning money for families, instead their lives are
endangered and the possibilities for a successful future become miniscule.
Girls in rural areas are also subjected to several domestic responsibilities
that fail to serve as any type of advancement. The employment of women in
these areas are concentrated in low pay and are denied the opportunities to
be promoted to higher positions of economic growth. The Commission on the
Status of Women stresses the importance for governments to provide equal
access to education, technical assistance, training, and counseling to
further advance women to higher economic positions in the work environment.
Economic advancement of women cannot be established without international
female representation in the community and political scene. Recently, the CSW
proposed the use of quotas and targets in hopes of raising the percentage of
women in government and other decision-making positions. The idea of quotas
was denied but minimum percentages and targets have been strongly endorsed as
a valid strategy. As a part of incorporating women into decision-making,
providing equal access to education and improving literacy rates has been a
priority. The CSW urged governments to designate approximately 20 percent of
the national budget and personal efforts to decrease female illiteracy rates
in comparison to previous years.


UN Actions:
Among the many UN conferences and women advancement campaigns, the UN Fourth
Conference on Women in Beijing made impressive efforts in creating equality
of men and women. The Platform for Action focused on the importance of women
as active decision-makers and as entrepreneurs, especially in rural areas.
Addressing the economic advancement of women specifically, the Division for
the Advancement of Women organized a meeting of Transnational Corporations
and International Financial Institutions to discuss increasing the women’s
role.
     UN organizations also provide much support for the advancement of
women. These include UNIFEM, FORWARD, and the foundation for Women’s Health
Research and Development. Also, women’s rights were put at the center of the
world policy agenda at the International Conference on Population and
Development in Cairo. Further efforts in Beijing were displayed when NGO
representatives and government officials gathered to discuss the aspects of
women’s rights. As a result of such efforts and the cooperation of several
governments, the General Assembly has adopted Resolution 48/104, and 50/166,
which both address the elimination of discrimination against women. The
Commission on Human Rights also adopted resolution 1998/52. The newly adopted
document reiterates much of what was said at the Beijing Conference with
special emphasis on international support.
     Committees such as the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women have increased their meeting time by 100 percent. This time is
used to analyze state reports, and consult with other UN agencies on
currently working programs. In correlation with these programs, the World
Bank now lends an average of 5 billion a year for projects that strengthen
the role of women in development. Funding is used many times to set up
micro-credit programs for women to develop businesses and eventually become
financially independent.