Chronology of the International Events and Treaties Promoting Gender Equality

1945

Adopted UN Charter - the first international tool setting the principle of equality between man and woman

1946

Established Commission on Status of Women

1948

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights reflects discrimination against women (Article 2); International Labor Organization (ILO) adopted the Night Work (Women) Convention

1949

The UN General Assembly adopted the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution by Others. It calls for punishment for white slavery.

1951

ILO adopted the Equal Remuneration for Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value

1952

Adopted the International Convention on the Political Rights of Women

1955

ILO elaborated Maternity Protection Convention

1957

The Convention on the Nationality of Married Women

1958

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention

1960

The UNESCO’s Convention against Discrimination in Education initiated equal opportunities for girls and women

ILO Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention took effect

1962

Convention on the Political Rights of Women obliged the country-members to ensure voting rights for women and their representation in public organizations on equal with men basis.

The adopted Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages sets that marriage cannot take effect without consent of the both parties

1964

Convention concerning Equality of Treatment of Nationals and Non-Nationals in Social Security took effect

1965

UN Recommendations on consent to marriage, minimum age for marriage and registration of marriages

1966

Adopted International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that obliged the country-members to ensure civil and political rights of everybody within their respective jurisdictions irrespective of race, sex and other circumstances, including the right to life, the prohibition of torture, the right to freedom and privacy, the right to freedom of religion, expression, and conscience. Since 1995, the countries that ratified the Covenant were offered to present information about facts affecting equal exercising of women’s rights under each article.

Adopted Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Adopted International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights that spelled out working conditions, social security, adequate standards of living, physical and mental health, education, and employment.

Employment Policy Convention entered into force.

1967

UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

1972

UN General Assembly proclaimed the year 1975 as the International Year of Women

1974

Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict

The Economic and Social Council (ESC) convenes a world conference on women’s problems on the threshold of the International Year of Women

1975

The First World Action Plan adopted in Mexico.

UN General Assembly proclaims the decade of 1976-1985 as Women’s Decade

1976

UN General Assembly approved a decision of ESC to establish the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW), the most important objective of which was to study the ways how to monitor and evaluate the impacts of programs and projects for woman involvement in development activities.

UN General Assembly creates the UN Voluntary Fund for the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (transformed later into the UN Women’s Fund for Development)

1979

UN General Assembly adopted Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), a first international bill on women’s rights and on abolishing of any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the human rights and fundamental freedoms in all fields

1980

The UN Second World Conference for Women held in Copenhagen. Action Program adopted for latter half of the decade.

UN-INSTRAW became an autonomous body within UN

1982

First meeting of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

1983

ILO Convention concerning Equal Opportunities and Equal Treatment for Men and Women Workers: Workers with Family Responsibilities came into force

1984

The UN Voluntary Fund for the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women has become an autonomous body within the framework of the UN Development Program and was renamed into the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)

1985

The Third World Conference for Women was held in Nairobi. The Strategy of the Future for the Advancement of Women was approved.

1988

UN’s Database on Women Indicators and Statistics acts as a coordinating framework for the collection of the world statistics on women

Adopted Convention on Employment Promotion and Protection against Unemployment (Convention 168)

1989

Adopted Convention on the Rights of the Child

1990

The Commission on Status of Women reviewed implementation of the Strategy of the Future for the Advancement of Women and recommends the Fourth World Conference for Women

Adopted International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families

Adopted Protocol to ILO’s Night Work (Women) Convention

1991

UN issued publication Women of the World: Tendencies and Statistics

1992

UN Conference on Environment and Development was held in Rio-de-Janeiro and adopted the Agenda 21.

1993

The UN World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna, Austria.

The UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women.

UN recommends standard rules for ensuring equal opportunities for disabled

1994

Commission on Human Rights appointed a Special Rapporteur on the problem of violence against women for the collection of data and the development of recommendations for the elimination of violence and its consequences

UN International Conference on population and development held in Cairo

1995

The Fourth World Conference for Women held in Beijing, China adopted the Beijing Declaration and Action Platform

UN World Summit on social development held in Copenhagen

Issued second publication Women of the World: Tendencies and Statistics

UN Secretary General appointed Deputy Secretary General Rosario Grin as Senior Adviser for Secretary General on gender issues

1996

Meeting of the UN Expert Group for the development of guidelines on gender mainstreaming in programs and measures for human rights

The first UN International Agencies Meeting on Women and Gender Equality (IAMWGE).

1998

Adopted UN General Assembly’s Resolution on measures for the prevention of crime and the criminal justice in order to eliminate violence against women

1999

Adopted Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. ILO adopted Convention of the worst forms of child labor

2000

UN Commission on Human Rights adopts the Resolution on Land Ownership – for the first time, the resolution on women’s rights was adopted within an agenda of the UN Commission on Human Rights

UN General Assembly’s Resolution 55/2 approved the Millennium Declaration, which obliged the Governments to advance gender equity as an effective way for the eradication of poverty, feminine and diseases.

Adopted Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child regarding children traffic, child prostitution, and child pornography

Campaign Beijing+5 for the equality between men and women and the improvement of women’s status

Twenty Third UN General Assembly Special Session held on gender equality

2001

UN’s Asian-Pacific Symposium held on integration of gender approaches

2002

Came into effect Charter of the International Criminal Court that set violent use as weapon of war as an outrage upon humanity.

2003

Adopted UN General Assembly’s Resolution 58/146, report of the Secretary General on various aspects of the advancement of rural women, including an impact of macroeconomic policy on their conditions

2005

10 years after Beijing: review of progress made in gender equality – 49th session of UN’s Commission on Status of Women adopted a statement confirming obligations made in Beijing in 1995 and calling the government for taking necessary actions for their implementation

UN set the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to Legal Protection and Damage Compensation for Victims of Gross Violation of International Rules in the Field of Human Rights and of Serious Violation of the International Humanitarian Right

[UNIFEM]