ABSTRACT
Four of the most important non-treaty instruments are: the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women; the Declaration of Mexico; the World Plan of Action; and the Programme of Action. The Delaration of Mexico and the World Plan are products of the International Women's Year Meeting in Mexico City in 1975; the Programme of Action was adopted at the World Conference in Copenhagen in 1980. One of the most significant aspects of the non-discriminatory documents is the unprecedented extent to which they outline a new role for men as well as for women and signify a genuine effort to make available a wider range of options to both sexes. As with the World Plan there are corrective provisions, one set in particular aimed at rural women and the urban poor. The integration of women into the development of their country is a major theme of the International Women's Year and the United Nations Decade for Women.
