On 2-3 November, UNECE will hold a Beijing +15 Regional Review Meeting in Geneva. Focussing on “New challenges and opportunities for gender equality in the ECE region: key issues and policy responses,” the meeting aims to take stock of the progress made in the region on gender equality and women’s empowerment. It will consider the major challenges ahead; discuss gender-sensitive economic policies; facilitate policy design and implementation based on successful experiences in engendering economic and labour market policies; promote partnerships to increase gender equality in the region; create a forum for discussing forward-looking action; and contribute to the global 15-year review of implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.
NGOs can attend the Regional Review Meeting.

• NGOs with  ECOSOC consultative status and NGOs which were officially accredited to the Beijing Conference (1995), the ECE Regional Preparatory Meeting for Beijing +5 (Geneva, January 2000) and/or to the ECE Regional Preparatory Meeting (Geneva, December 2004) are automatically accredited. These NGOs are requested to send a letter by 2 October 2009 to the ECE secretariat, expressing their intention to attend the meeting and providing the name(s) of their representative(s).

• Other NGOs are requested to complete an Application Form to be filled in and returned by 15 September 2009, and provide information on their organization and activities to the ECE secretariat.

NGO Roundtables

Prior to the meeting, on 30-31 October, the NGO Working Group on Women’s Employment and Economics of Gender is organising an interactive roundtable in preparation for the 15th Year Review of the Implementation of the Platform for Action of the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women.  This meeting will help review progress on gender-sensitive economic policies and practices in the context of the economic and financial crisis; gender and the corporate sector; and new partnerships, networks and alliances for gender equality.