Minister Releases Background Paper on Canada's Progress on Implementing 1995 Beijing Platform for Action

March 2, 2010

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NEW YORK - Following her address to the 54^th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), the Honourable Helena Guergis, Minister of State (Status of Women), today released a background paper outlining Canada's progress on implementing the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action.

The bilingual paper, titled Beijing Platform for Action: Government of Canada's Progress / Programme d'Action de Beijing : Progrès du Gouvernement du Canada, addresses Canada's progress in each of the Platform's 12 critical areas of concern: Women and Poverty; Education and Training of Women; Women and Health; Violence Against Women; Women and Armed Conflict; Women and the Economy; Women in Power and Decision-Making; Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of Women; Human Rights of Women; Women and the Media; Women and the Environment; and the Girl Child.

The paper will be available for download from the Status of Women Canada web site at www.swc-cfc.gc.ca.

The UNCSW/Beijing+15 meeting marks an international milestone, particularly in light of the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in December 2009, and the 25th anniversary of the equality provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 2010.

The UNCSW is a commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council and is dedicated to gender equality and advancement of women. The Commission brings together representatives of Member States at UN Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards, and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide. The meeting of the Commission is held each year over a period of 10 working days, normally scheduled in late February and early March.

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For more information, please contact:

Emily Goucher
Senior Special Assistant, Communications
Office of the Minister of State (Status of Women)
819-956-4000

Nanci-Jean Waugh
Director General, Communications and Strategic Planning
Status of Women Canada
613-995-7839

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