L 143/40 Official Journal of the European Union 30.4.2004 REGULATION (EC) No 806/2004 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 21 April 2004 on promoting gender equality in development cooperation THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE equality through the gender mainstreaming strategy, COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 179 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (), Whereas: The United Nations Millennium Development Goals call for gender equality and empowerment of women, setting clear targets in the field of education that have to be achieved no later than 2015. Two-thirds of children out of school are girls. Enrolment rates for girls are still lower than those for boys and drop-out rates for girls are higher. Article 3(2) of the Treaty stipulates that in all the activities referred to therein, including a policy in the sphere of development cooperation, the Community is to aim to eliminate inequalities, and to promote equality, between men and women. A disproportionate majority of the world’s poor are women. Therefore, the promotion of gender equality is important for the overarching goal of poverty reduction by 2015. Gender equality of women and men of all ages is recognised as being important to effective and efficient work against poverty. To achieve the goal of gender (1) Opinion of the European Parliament of 18 December 2003 (not yet published in the Official Journal), Common Position of the Council of 19 February 2004 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and Position of the European Parliament of 30 March 2004 (not yet published in the Official Journal). there is a need to combine it with specific measures in favour of women of all ages. Women'’s contribution to development is achieved in the face of numerous obstacles, limiting the outcome of their work and reducing the benefits for themselves and to society as a whole. The importance of women’s economic, social, and environmental roles across the life course, in developing countries has led to increasing international recognition that their full participation without discrimination is indispensable for sustainable and effective development. The Community and its Member States were signatories to the Declaration and Platform for Action of the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, which stressed the need for action against world-wide obstacles to gender equality and established gender mainstreaming as a strategy to promote gender equality. The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women considers discrimination against women as an obstacle to development, and the parties to the Convention agree to eliminate this discrimination using all appropriate means. Council Regulation (EC) No 2836/98 of 22 December 1998 on integrating of gender issues in development cooperation (%) aims to support the mainstreaming of gender analysis in all area of development cooperation policies and to support and facilitate the inclusions of actions addressing major gender disparities. It ensures that gender equality is promoted in national plans designed to implement major elements of the Beijing Platform for Action. That Regulation expired on 31 December 2003. (3 OJ L 354, 30.12.1998, p. 5. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (O] L 284, 31.10.2003, p. 1).