Section One
The Basics

This guide was created to help participants prepare for the five-year assessment of the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women (NFLS) and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (PFA). Most of the references concern the planning for and participation in the United Nations General Assembly (GA) Special Session entitled 'Women 2000: Gender equality, development and peace in the twenty-first century,' (commonly referred to as Beijing +5). In addition, the information may also be useful for activities related to United Nations intergovernmental processes more generally, including other five-year reviews of world conferences.

A Special Session of the UN GA is an additional meeting convened for a specific purpose. Since the opening of the United Nations, the GA has held 22 Special Sessions, addressing topics which have ranged from disarmament and apartheid to international economics. The Special Session, 'Women 2000: Gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century,' is scheduled to be the 23rd Special Session in the United Nations' history.

We hope that this guide will help the reader to:

• Make informed choices about how to participate in the five-year review of the NFLS and the PFA;
• Determine what level of participation is most appropriate: national, regional, or international;
• Understand the requirements and procedures--both written and unwritten--for access by, and effective participation of, NGOs in the review process;
• Undertake advance planning to improve the input and participation of both NGOs and government representatives.

Deciding to become involved in Beijing +5 means participating in the setting of international priorities, efforts that are intimately linked with national and local policy-making.