WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE CONCLUDES TWENTY-FIRST SESSION

Press Release
WOM/1146/Rev.1

WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE CONCLUDES TWENTY-FIRST SESSION

Concluding its three-week twenty-first session this afternoon, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women adopted recommendations for advancing the status of women in Georgia, Nepal, Belize, Chile, Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom.

The 23-member expert body monitors compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Throughout the session, Committee members expressed concern on issues such as the increased use of tobacco and alcohol by young women, and the serious impact of policies which permitted trafficking in women, and threats to women's reproductive rights.

The Committee began the session on 7 June with a special ceremony in commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention by the General Assembly. In addition to its Chairperson, Aida Gonzalez Martinez of Mexico, the Committee heard from Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette; the first chairperson of the Committee, Luvsandanzangyn Ider; the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Nitin Desai; the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, Angela E.V. King; and the Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women, Yakin Erturk.

Also that day, the Committee held a round-table discussion on "The Impact of the Convention at the Domestic Level". Several former and present members of the Committee, including former chairpersons, representatives of United Nations bodies and non-governmental organizations, as well as special guests, participated in the discussion.

The Committee's adoption of specific country recommendations followed an intensive examination of the reports and presentations of the seven governments. States parties to the Convention are required to submit periodic reports on their efforts to comply with the treaty.

This afternoon, the Committee adopted its report for the twenty-first session. Also, it adopted the dates for its twenty-second session, and the pre-session working group for the twenty-third session to be held, respectively, from 17 January to 4 February 2000, and 11 to 14 January.

In her closing remarks, the Committee's Chairperson, Aida Gonzalez Martinez of Mexico, said that 20 years after the Convention had been adopted, women continued to face many problems including adolescent pregnancy, reduced protection of reproductive rights, problems regarding prostitution, as well as violence against women and family violence. Yet, it was also clear that worldwide, efforts were being made to combat those problems, and real results were being obtained. The General Assembly's adoption of the optional protocol would pose new challenges for the Committee in its ongoing work to safeguard the rights of women.

Addressing the Committee, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, Angela King, said the Committee's new working methods had allowed for a vibrant dialogue between it and the States parties. Welcoming the fact that many former chairpersons and former members had attended the twentieth anniversary celebrations, she proposed forming an "alumni group" to maintain contact and access to expertise. The Division for the Advancement of Women was beginning to plan for the optional protocol, exploring the implications of its adoption.

Committee Report

By adopting its report, the Committee decided to consider reports of eight States parties at its twenty-second session: the initial reports of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Jordan and Myanmar; the second periodic reports of Burkina Faso and Luxembourg; the third periodic report of Belarus; and the combined second and third period reports and fourth periodic report of Germany.

Also, the Committee decided to consider reports of eight States parties at its twenty-third session: the initial reports of Lithuania, Maldives and the Republic of Moldova; the third periodic reports of Iraq and the Netherlands; the third and fourth periodic reports of Austria; and the fourth periodic reports of Cuba and Romania.

Background on Committee, Convention

The Committee of experts, who serve in their personal capacity, monitor the implementation of the Convention, which was adopted by the General Assembly in 1979, opened for signature in March 1980, and entered into force in 1981. The Convention -- ratified by 163 countries -- is the most comprehensive, legally binding treaty on women's human rights. Often referred to as an international bill of rights for women, it establishes an agenda for national action to end

Women's Anti-Discrimination Committee - 3 - Press Release WOM/1146/Rev.1 444th Meeting (PM) 25 June 1999

discrimination. The first 16 articles of the Convention call on States parties to take appropriate measures to ensure women's civil, political, economic and cultural rights and their legal equality.

States Parties to Convention

The following 163 States have either ratified or acceded to the Convention, which entered into force on 3 September 1981: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, 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, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece and Grenada.

Also, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, 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, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Committee Membership

The 23-expert members of the Committee, serving in their personal capacity, are: Charlotte Abaka, of Ghana; Ayse Feride Acar, of Turkey; Emma Aouij, of Tunisia; Carlota Bustelo Garcia del Real, of Spain; Silvia Rose Cartwright, of New Zealand; Ivanka Corti, of Italy; Feng Cui, of China; Naela Gabr, of Egypt; Yolanda Ferrer Gomez, of Cuba; Aida Gonzalez Martinez, of Mexico; Savitri Goonesekere, of Sri Lanka; Rosalyn Hazelle, of Saint Kitts and Nevis; Salma Khan, of Bangladesh; Yung-Chung Kim, of the Republic of Korea; Rosario Manalo, of the Philippines; Mavivi Myakayaka-Manzini, of South Africa; Ahoua Ouedraogo, of Burkina Faso; Zelmira Regazzoli, of Argentina; Anne Lise Ryel, of Norway; Hanna Beate Schopp-Schilling, of Germany; Carmel Shalev, of Israel; Kongit Sinegiorgis, of Ethiopia; and Chikako Taya, of Japan.

Women's Anti-Discrimination Committee - 4 - Press Release WOM/1146/Rev.1 444th Meeting (PM) 25 June 1999

Committee Officers

The Committee is currently chaired by Aida Gonzalez Martinez of Mexico. Its three vice-chairpersons are: Yung-Chung Kim, of the Republic of Korea; Ahoua Ouedraogo, of Burkina Faso; and Hanna Beate Schopp-Schilling, of Germany. Ayse Feride Acar, of Turkey, is the Rapporteur. The officers are elected for a two-year period and the current bureau was elected in January.

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