Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW)

The predecessor to the Division for the Advancement of Women was established in 1946. The DAW works for gender mainstreaming in all aspects of national and international decision-making and works for the implementation of agreements from the World Conferences on Women.

The current Division for the Advancement of Women has four main subsidiaries:

1. The Gender Advisory Services Unit
The GASU works primarily with member states in order to facilitate their attempts to mainstream gender issues in national programs and initiatives. It also works to help governments implement and monitor compliance with CEDAW (the Convention to Eliminate Discrimination Against Women) as well as helping to implement the Beijing Platform for Action and the Beijing +5 Outcome Document. (For more information on these conventions and documents see the UN World Conferences section)
The Chief of the Gender Advisory Services Unit is Fatiha Serour. She can be contacted at serour@un.org

2. Gender Analysis Section
The Gender Analysis Section provides studies for intergovernmental bodies on priority areas outlined in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for action and the Outcome Document of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly. The Section organizes expert group meetings, workshops and discussions to gather information on the implementation of the platform. It also maintains a network with international organizations, civil society, NGOs and academics on substantive gender issues.
The Chief of the Gender Analysis Section is Dorota Gierycz. She can be contacted at gierycz@un.org

3. Women's Rights Unit
The Women's Rights Unit works primarily with and for the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. It prepares reports for the committee and provides advice on the implementation of the Convention. It works for gender mainstreaming in the work of other human rights mechanisms (including treaty bodies) and conducts outreach activities to create awareness of women's human rights.
The Chief of the Women's Rights Unit is Jane Connors. She can be reached at connorsj@un.org

4. The Coordination and Outreach Unit
The Coordination and Outreach Unit is the primary contact for NGOs, academic researchers, women's networks and development institutions. It is responsible for the production of reports on the experience of the UN system with gender mainstreaming as well as helping UN entities implement relevant parts of the Beijing Platform for Action. This unit is responsible for producing Women2000, a journal on issues concerning the advancement of women, and for managing the WomenWatch internet project.
The Chief of the Coordination and Outreach Unit is Amina Adam. She can be reached at adama@un.org

United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women Webpage

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