When the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) came into existence in 1988, the United Nations Decade of Women with its theme of Equality, Development and Peace had contributed greatly to the process of eliminating obstacles to the improvement of the status of women at the national, regional and international levels. Out of this emerged the Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women which were designed to provide an effective guide for global action by the international community to the advancement of women and the elimination of gender-based discrimination, particularly in the areas of employment, health and education.