One of the concrete outcomes of the Fourth World Conference on Women has been an overwhelming demand for statistics and indicators on gender issues. Similarly there has been a growing recognition that statistics and indicators are needed for improving policy formulation and for monitoring progress towards targets. The lack of accurate instruments to plot the progress and reverses in women’s situation is an obstacle to achieving gender equality and sustainable social development. UNESCAP’s efforts in this area include the development of a set of indicators with which to evaluate regional and international agreements concerned with improving the situation of women and promoting gender equality. Specifically, the set of indicators developed is aimed at assessing the degree of implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action by Asian and Pacific countries. Additionally, the regional framework underpinning these indicators is premised on the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly and the Millennium Development Goals as well as the Jakarta Declaration and Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women in Asia and the Pacific.