SUMMARY

The current issue of the journal is focused on gender equality. The opening article contains commentaries on the model law draft ½On State Guarantees of Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women╗. The article has been presented by Maria V. Ikharlova, the Secretary of the Commission of the General Trade Union Confederation on Working WomenÆs Issues.

In the beginning the author has covered the background of the Confederation as well as its goals and objectives. Before Ms. Ikharlova has given her overview of the work done on the law draft and her comments on the document, she has provided the readers with the references to similar initiatives in different countries.

The author has also described the main ideas, comments and suggestions contributed by the representatives of different trade union organizations from such CIS countries as Kyrgiszstan, Belarus, Moldova, Tadjikistan. Ms. Ikharlova has also pointed out that members of the womenÆs movement of Russia expressed their solidarity while giving their feedback on the law draft. Thus, Dr. S. Polenina and Dr. L. Rzhanitsina as independent experts contributed their resolution on the issue.

In the end the author has reviewed some of the feedback given by the organizations and the agencies involved into this work.

The commentary article is followed by the complete text of the model law draft ½On State Guarantees of Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women╗. It consists of six chapters. It is important to mention that one of the articles of the draft is a vocabulary of basic gender notions used in the text of the law draft.

The Institute for Social and Gender Policy has presented the announcement on the book ½Gender Reconstruction of Political Systems╗ edited by Dr. Natalia M. Stepanova, Mikhail M. Kirichenko, Ph.D., Elena V. Kochkina, Ph.D. The book is a compilation of 40 articles about the research data on gender policy written by the most prominent scholars in this field, such as S. Aivazova, E. Israelyan, V. Konstantinova, E. Kochkina, Dr. S. Polenina. The edition consists of two parts, one of them entitled ½Gender Policy in the Countries of North America, Scandinavia, Western Europe╗ and ½Gender Phases of Political History of Russia╗. Readers may also find a brief review of the structure and the contents of the book as well as the contact information of the Institute for Social and Gender Policy.

The following document is critical in terms of the issue of gender equality in Russia. This year the Ministry of Labor and Social Development has released the Decree on Gender Strategy of the Russian Federation. The document consists of five chapters, particularly vocabulary of basic gender terms; goals and objectives of state gender policy; main perspectives of gender policy up to 2015, etc. In the end the authors included priority objectives for the 2005 (the first phase of gender policy implementation).

Dr. AlÆbina An. Shirobokova, President of Angara WomenÆs Union, The Baikal Region, is the author of the fifth article focused on the Gender Development Program of the Siberia Federal Region (½Okrug╗). The author has mentioned that the Program was developed in the course of the Fourth International Forum ½Women for Survival of the Planet╗. The background of the Forum, its goals and objectives and a brief information of its activities are also presented. Dr. Shirobokova has also pointed out the main decisions and documents adopted at the Forum. In the end readers may find the announcement of the Forum 2004.

The review of the regional conference ½Expertise of Development and Implementation of the Legislation on Gender Equality╗ held in March 22û23, 2004 in Kishineu, Moldova, is presented in the issue. The joint initiative on development of the legislation on gender equality of non-governmental organizations and the Government of Moldova has been funded and supported by the UNIFEM Foundation. It is being implemented under the guidance of the Ministry for Labour and Social Development of the Republic. In the framework of the Project gender expertise of the Moldova legislation has been done. Besides, the law draft has been developed and presented at the conference. In the conference review one may also find the complete description of the conference agenda.

Dr. Svetlana V. Polenina is an author of the following brief analysis of the Conference agenda. She has presented the historical background of the problem as well as the current situation in terms of implementing gender equality into contemporary legislation of Moldova and other countries, particularly Russia. Dr. Polenina has referred the participants of the Conference to the model law draft ½On State Guarantees of Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women╗.

The next document is issued as a follow up of the Duma (Parliament) hearings held on March 4th, 2004. The document is entitled ½Recommendations of the Parliament hearings on ½Law-Creating Activities on Women, Family and Youth and Cooperation with Federal Ministries, Governmental Bodies of the Russian Federation and Non-Governmental Organisations╗.

The document has included statistical data on the social situation in the Russian Federation and specific recommendations for the Committee on Women, Families and Youth of the State Duma (Parliament), to the Government of the Russian Federation, to non-governmental organizations working on womenÆs / childrenÆs rights and other governmental / non-governmental agencies and institutions.

The summary is prepared by Larisa Ponarina