Preparations are now beginning for a UN conference on women to be held in 1995. Women in Development Europe (WIDE) has decided to begin preparing for this event by assessing the achievements/failures of the Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies. WIDE is also planning to be involved in the early discussions about the agenda of the Conference by applying for official UN observer status.

Pauline Eccles, Mieke van der Veken and Anna Foca will make up the core working group which will prepare a discussion paper assessing the Forward Looking Strategies (FLS) for broader discussion among WIDE network.

At present the group is collecting information and responding to a paper sent to the group by Erika Maerke on the FLS.

Possible themes

The UN division for the Advancement of Women in Vienna reports that the priority themes for the meeting are: equality, increased awareness by women of their rights including legal literacy, equal pay for equal value, equality in economic decision making,elimination of stereotyping of women, development, women in extreme poverty, integration of women's concerns in national development planning, women in urban areas, population, and nutrition, health factors, migration, drug consumption AIDS, peace, women and the peace process, measures to eradicate violence against women, women in international decision-making, and education for peace.

Contact addresses

Focal points for United Nations agencies who are preparing the meeting are:

• Division for the Advancement of Women, Vienna International Centre P.O. Box 500 A-1400 Vienna, Austria

• International Research Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (Instraw) Avenida Cesar Nicolas Penson 102-AP.O. Box 21747 Santo Domingo,Dominican Republic

Source: WIDE Bulletin, August 1991 2. c/o SID, Palazzo Civilta del Lavaro 00144 EUR Rome, Italy.Fax: 39/6/5919836.