National Machineries (or national focal points) for the advancement of women are the government offices, which are responsible for gender mainstreaming and incorporating gender equality into all policies, legislation, programmes and projects. Such national machineries work as central policy-coordinating units in governments bearing the main task to support government-wide gender mainstreaming efforts. Within the UNESCAP region and globally, national machineries vary considerably in terms of mandates, location, composition and resources. They often face problems of marginalization of women's issues and programmes; little or no access to the national decision-making level; lack of information and statistical data, as well as human and financial resources. UNESCAP encourages the establishment of national machineries where they do not exist, supports capacity building of existing national machineries, and increases channels for partnership and dialogue between governments, civil society and national machineries. For UNESCAP, national machineries are key partners in advancing the situation of women and girls. The functions of National Machineries may include:

• Facilitate the formulation and implementation of government policies on equality between women and men, develop appropriate strategies and methodologies, and promote coordination and cooperation within the central Government in order to ensure mainstreaming of a gender perspective in all policy-making processes;
• Promote and establish cooperative relationships with relevant branches of government, centres for women's studies and research, academic and educational institutions, the private sector, the media, non-governmental organizations, especially women's organizations, and all other actors of civil society;
• Undertake activities focusing on legal reform with regard, inter alia, to the family, conditions of employment, social security, income tax, equal opportunity in education, positive measures to promote the advancement of women, and the perception of attitudes and a culture favourable to equality, as well as promote a gender perspective in legal policy and programming reforms;
• Promote the increased participation of women as both active agents and beneficiaries of the development process, which would result in an improvement in the quality of life for all;
• Establish direct links with national, regional and international bodies dealing with the advancement of women;
• Provide training and advisory assistance to government agencies in order to integrate a gender perspective in their policies and programmes.