Section Seven
After the Review: Implementation and Accountability

The final documents that emerge from the five-year review will specify mechanisms for the follow-up and monitoring of implementation of the PFA. These will identify obstacles to implementation and suggest strategies for overcoming them. The outcome documents will also look at issues that were not clearly specified in the PFA that have emerged as key issues affecting the advancement of women and gender equality in an evolving global context. They will spell out the relevant responses for actors at the national and international level. Finally, they will indicate the process for the continued review and appraisal of the PFA.

The priorities and targets agreed to in the five-year review will reflect governments' political intentions or policy priorities. Effective implementation of the agenda for gender equality, however, requires commitment to building or bolstering the infrastructure and financing that is needed to meet these goals. The funding and institutional arrangements that are set out as the steps necessary to ensure or accelerate implementation of the PFA can benefit from the input of NGOs. In other words, NGOs have an important role to play in providing substantive information to governments and in monitoring efforts toward implementation.

In order to monitor the commitments that governments have made, it is important to remember these points:

• The documents that emerge from UN meetings result from political negotiation and compromise and are written in formal language. However, they are of use to women and women's groups working for social change worldwide.
• UN resolutions and recommendations are but the first step in the process of achieving the aims that they express. The central importance of these resolutions lies in the follow-up undertaken at the national level. UN resolutions and recommendations are not legally binding. Signing or endorsing the program of action or series of resolutions is not equivalent to passing legislation or ratifying a treaty. Rather, it is a signal of political intention, around which work may be mobilized. A program of action is effective when it is used as a guide for national legislation and action and when it helps shape international priorities.
• UN resolutions and recommendations are addressed to different bodies. Many of the final documents or programs of action resulting from UN conferences contain recommendations to governments, to the UN system, to NGOs, and to other specific types of institutions. In addition, UN resolutions and recommendations generally specify a mechanism for monitoring implementation.
• In the case of the PFA, the CSW (which meets annually in March) is the body responsible for monitoring and reporting to the UN on progress made in fulfilling the recommendations of the PFA. Periodic UN global conferences on women have been important organizing tools and venues for keeping gender on the global agenda. The Beijing +5 review will lay the groundwork for the continued review of the PFA, including the possibility of convening another world conference on women.

Whether you attend the five-year review of the PFA or not, the resolutions and recommendations contained in the resulting documents can be used as local organizing tools. Here are some suggestions for how to follow-up on the issues raised and the decisions made:

• Check official websites for any final documents, since most will be posted on-line, or contact the Secretariat. (See Annex One.)
• Identify the appropriate department(s) in your government that are responsible for implementing the PFA and incorporating the recommendations from Beijing +5.
• Continue to work in regional and international networks as these will provide a powerful source of information for sharing strategies and building accountability practices.
• Organize a meeting within two to three months after the Special Session to develop an action plan and commitments to follow-up. Invite relevant actors--government representatives, NGOs, the media, academics, private sector representatives, donors, UN organizations--to brainstorm together on next steps.