Gender equality and freedom from the feminisation of poverty is enshrined in many international instruments, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW – 1979), and the Beijing Declaration and Platforms that will undergo its ten year review at the end of this month. The recent UN Millennium Development Project (UNMDP) report also outlines some important strategic priorities in achieving Millennium Goal number three – Gender equality and empowerment of women..
The agenda at the G8 Summit in 2006 was global energy security, the fight against infectious diseases and education. All these focus areas have implications for the realization of women's rights, although the G8's primary objectives may not have much to do with the universal realization of human rights.