followed in establishing or strengthening national machinery and make specific recommendations on the kind of support that should be provided to national machinery at both the national and international levels. 161. Many Lepresentatives emphasized the crucial role of national machinery in implementing the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women and generally in improving the status of women. They suggested that national machinery, which came in a diversity of models, should be given a broader definition and not necessarily be viewed in terms of legal issues. National machinery should be strengthened progressively. Many representatives mentioned various factors that could improve the effectiveness of national machinery, such as the existence of general and co-ordinated social policy, the need for national machinery to b& at a sufficiently high level and to have access to both authority and information, and the importance of monitoring and co-ordinating functions i: order to translate policies into quantifiable plans. It was further pointed out by several representatives that national machinery could not act alone but needed to work closely with non-governmental organizations and other women's organizations. Several representatives observed that national machinery had to play a broad role, since all issues concerning women were interrelated, but it should also concentrate on specific national priority issues~ such as unemployment or job segregation. One representative stated that national machinery was not necessarily the only solution; non-governmental organizations had, in addition to financial and political power, considerable flexibility and were potentially more effective and in a better position to identify new issues and monitor and disseminate information. 162. Several representatives underlined the importance of the interrelationship between the Commission and national machinery and the role that the United Nations system could play in strengthening national machinery through co-ordination between the United Nations Secretariat, the International Research and Training Institute 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the role of national machinery in implementing the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women and improving the status of women. It highlights the importance of national machinery's relationship with non-governmental organizations and the United Nations system. The text emphasizes the need for national machinery to be strengthened and for it to play a broad role in addressing women's issues, including specific national priority issues.

**Category**
Education, Employment