What does the UN do to promote the equal rights of women?
The UN has been instrumental in improving the status of women by spearheading change and raising awareness of their rights throughout the world. * The equal rights of women are enshrined in the Preamble to the UN Charter and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which legally establish gender equality as a fundamental human right. * The UN has set international standards on women’s rights and created instruments to monitor their observance around the world. In 1979, it adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women – an international bill of rights for women and a blueprint for action by countries to guarantee those rights. Nearly 170 countries have ratified the Convention, legally committing themselves to ensuring women’s equality. A special UN committee of independent experts monitors implementation of the Convention. * Established in 1946, the UN Commission on the Status of Women meets annually on matters concerning women’s rights. It
