Underscoring that the principle of equality between women and men is essential for the enjoyment of each of the specific rights enumerated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as recognized by the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Recalling all previous resolutions, including those adopted by the Commission on Human Rights and those of the Economic and Social Council, regarding the integration of the human rights of women and of gender mainstreaming into all policies and programmes throughout the United Nations system, Acknowledging the need for a comprehensive approach to the promotion and protection of the human rights of women and the need to integrate a gender perspective in a more systemic way into all aspects of the work of the United Nations system, including the treaty bodies, and the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms, Noting with appreciation the Secretary-General’s report on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and progress made in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly (E/2006/65) and on mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes of the United Nations system (E/2007/64), Recognizing the important work of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and of the Commission on the Status of Women in promoting equality between women and men and in fighting discrimination against women, Recognizing also the importance of the participation of women at all levels of decision-making throughout the United Nations system for the achievement of gender equality and the realization of the human rights of women, Welcoming General Assembly resolution 61/143 of 19 December 2006 and its invitation to the Human Rights Council to discuss, by 2008, the question of violence