A/C.3/65/L.5 consider the draft United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders as a matter of priority for appropriate action, Takes note with appreciation of the work of the expert group to 1. develop supplementary rules specific to the treatment of women in detention and in custodial and non-custodial settings at its meeting held in Bangkok from 23 to 26 November 2009 and of the outcome of that meeting; 15 2. Expresses its gratitude to the Government of Thailand for having acted as host to the meeting of the expert group and for the financial support provided for the organization of the meeting; Adopts the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women 3. Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders, annexed to the present resolution, and approves the recommendation of the Twelfth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice that the Rules should be known as “the Bangkok Rules”; Recognizes that, in view of the great variety of legal, social, 4. economic and geographical conditions in the world, not all of the rules can be applied equally in all places and at all times; and that they should, however, serve to stimulate a constant endeavour to overcome practical difficulties in their application, in the knowledge that they represent, as a whole, global aspirations amenable to the common goal of improving outcomes for women prisoners, their children and their communities; Encourages Member States to adopt legislation to establish 5. alternatives to imprisonment and to give priority to the financing of such systems, as well as to the development of the mechanisms needed for their implementation; Encourages Member States having developed legislation, 6. procedures, policies or practices for women in prison or on alternatives to imprisonment for women offenders to make information available to other States and relevant international, regional and intergovernmental organizations, as well as non-governmental organizations, and to assist them in developing and implementing training or other activities in relation to such legislation, procedures, policies or practices; Invites Member States to take into consideration the specific needs 7. and realities of women as prisoners when developing relevant legislation, procedures, policies and action plans and to draw, as appropriate, on the Bangkok Rules; Also invites Member States to collect, maintain, analyse and publish, 8. as appropriate, specific data on women in prison and women offenders; 9. Emphasizes that, when sentencing or deciding on pretrial measures for a pregnant woman or a child’s sole or primary caretaker, non-custodial measures should be preferred where possible and appropriate, with custodial sentences being considered when the offence is serious or violent; __________________ 15 4 A/CONF.213/17. 10-56194