COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN TO HOLD FIFTEENTH SESSION AT HEADQUARTERS, 15 JANUARY - 2 FEBRUARY

12 January 1996

Press Release
WOM/874

COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN TO HOLD FIFTEENTH SESSION AT HEADQUARTERS, 15 JANUARY - 2 FEBRUARY

19960112 Background Release To Consider Situation of Women In Rwanda and Reports from Eight Other Countries

Scrutinizing the human rights situation of women in Rwanda will be among the tasks facing the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, when it holds its fifteenth session from 15 January to 2 February at Headquarters. In accordance with its mandate, the Committee will also examine the measures being taken by eight States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women to ensure equal participation of women in their countries' political, economic and cultural life.

The 23-member expert Committee is the monitoring body for the implementation of the Convention, which was adopted in 1979 and opened for signature in March 1980. States parties are required to submit an initial report within one year of accession to the Convention and periodic reports at least every four years. The reports are to give account of legislative, judicial, administrative or other measures adopted by the States to give effect to the provisions of the Convention and on progress achieved towards that end.

The report on Rwanda is being presented on an exceptional basis in response to a request by the Committee in light of its previous work on violence against women. At its forthcoming session, the Committee will have before it the combined initial and second periodic reports of Cyprus, Iceland and Paraguay; the combined initial, second and third periodic reports of Ethiopia; the second periodic report of Belgium; the combined second and third periodic reports of Cuba; and the third periodic reports of Hungary and Ukraine.

Also to be discussed at the current session are the results of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace. That Conference, held last year in Beijing, urged universal ratification of the Convention by the year 2000 and asked Governments to limit their reservations to it. As in previous years, the Committee will also discuss ways and means to expedite its own work.

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Two working groups will meet during the session. Working Group I is devoted to suggesting ways to expedite the work of the Committee, and Working Group II deals with implementation of article 21 of the Convention, which provides that the Committee may make suggestions and general recommendations based on the examination of reports and information received from States parties.

In addition, the Committee will analyse article 2 of the Convention, as well as reservations to it. Under article 2, States parties agree to combat discrimination against women in various ways, including the adoption of laws prohibiting all such discrimination, and ensuring that public authorities and institutions refrain from any discriminatory act or practice.

The Committee will also consider a draft recommendation on articles 7 and 8 of the Convention, which concern the participation of women in public life and international organizations. In addition, it will have before it reports from specialized agencies of the United Nations on the implementation of the Convention in areas falling within the scope of their activities.

The Committee reports annually to the General Assembly, through the Economic and Social Council, and makes suggestions and recommendations based on its examination of the information provided by States. The Assembly, at its last session, noted with approval a proposed amendment to article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention, by which the Committee would meet annually for a period deemed necessary instead of the stipulated period of not more than two weeks annually.

Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against Women

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women entered into force on 3 September 1981. It is the single most authoritative legal document to emerge from the United Nations Decade for Women (1976-1985). The Convention spells out what is meant by discrimination and how equality can be achieved. In so doing, it establishes not only an "international bill of rights for women", but also an agenda for action by countries to guarantee the enjoyment of those rights.

The Convention sets standards for countries to improve the conditions under which women live and work. In 30 articles, it provides for Governments to reshape society in order to guarantee a just distribution of the rights and obligations of men and women. Constitutional, legislative and other measures described in the Convention seek to promote equality through affirmative action, maternity protection, equal education and employment opportunities, and equality before the law, including matrimonial law.

States parties are called upon to take measures such as guaranteeing maternity leave with pay, special protection of pregnant working women and development of childcare facilities. The Convention states further that

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husband and wife should be equal in all matters, including the right to own property and to choose a family name. Men and women should have the right to freely choose a spouse and enter into marriage only with their free and full consent.

The Convention also emphasizes the importance of development in conditions affecting rural women. It calls for adequate standards of living, including access to housing, sanitation, electricity and water supply, transport and communications. Women should also have access to agrarian reform programmes. The right of women to participate in government policy and to hold public office and perform all functions at all levels of government is also guaranteed by the Convention.

Contracting Parties to Convention

The following 151 States have either ratified or acceded to the Convention: Albania, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania and Luxembourg.

Also, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Committee Membership

The 23 expert members of the Committee, serving in their personal capacity, are as follows: Charlotte Abaka, of Ghana; Emna Aouij, of Tunisia; Gul Aykor, of Turkey; Tendai Ruth Bare, of Zimbabwe; Desiree Patricia Bernard, of Guyana; Carlota Bustelo Garcia del Real, of Spain; Sylvia Rose Cartwright, of New Zealand; Ivanka Corti, of Italy; Aurora Javate de Dios, of the

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Philippines; Miriam Yolanda Estrada Castillo, of Ecuador; Evangelina Garcia- Prince, of Venezuela; Liliana Gurdulich de Correa, of Argentina; Sunaryati Hartono, of Indonesia; Salma Khan, of Bangladesh; Pirkko Anneli Makinen, of Finland; Elsa Victoria Munoz-Gomez, of Colombia; Ahoua Ouedraogo, of Burkina Faso; Ginko Sato, of Japan; Hanna Beate Schopp-Schilling, of Germany; Carmel Shalev, of Israel; Lin Shangzhen, of China; Kongit Sinegiorgis, of Ethiopia; and Mervat Tallawy, of Egypt.

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