A/HRC/15/60 Nations system and Council resolution 12/17 of 2 October 2009 on the elimination of discrimination against women, Bearing in mind that international human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender and include guarantees to ensure the enjoyment by women and men, and girls and boys, of their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights on a basis of equality, Deeply concerned by the fact that women everywhere are still subject to significant disadvantage as the result of discriminatory laws and practices and that de jure and de facto equality has not been achieved in any country in the world, Recognizing that women face multiple forms of discrimination, Reiterating the need to intensify efforts to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women throughout the world, Recognizing that the full and equal participation of women in all spheres of life is essential for the full and complete economic and social development of a country, Recognizing also that the elimination of discrimination against women, in law and in practice, is primarily the responsibility of States, and that the United Nations human rights system plays an important role in contributing to these efforts, Mindful of the fact that the elimination of discrimination against women requires the consideration of women’s specific socio-economic context, and recognizing that laws, policies, customs and traditions that restrict women’s equal access to full participation in development processes and public and political life are discriminatory and may contribute to the feminization of poverty, Recalling its resolution 5/1 on institution-building of the Council and resolution 5/2 on the code of conduct for special procedures mandate holders of the Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that the mandate holder shall discharge his/her duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto, 1. Reaffirms the obligation of States to take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women by any person, organization or enterprise; 2. Welcomes the commitments made by the international community to fully implement the Millennium Development Goals, and stresses, in that context, the resolve of Heads of State to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women as effective ways to combat poverty, hunger and disease and to stimulate development that is truly sustainable; 3. Also welcomes the efforts made by States around the world to reform their legal systems in order to remove obstacles to women’s full and effective enjoyment of their human rights; 4. Expresses concern at the fact that, despite the pledge made at the Fourth World Conference on Women and the review conducted by the General Assembly at its twenty-third special session to modify or abolish remaining laws that discriminate against women and girls, many of these laws are still in force and continue to be applied, thereby preventing women and girls from enjoying the full realization of their human rights; 5. Calls upon States to fulfil their international obligations and commitments to revoke any remaining laws that discriminate on the basis of sex and remove gender bias in the administration of justice, taking into account the fact that those laws violate the human right of women to be protected against discrimination; GE.11-17043 59