WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE HOLDS TWENTY-THIRD SESSION IN NEW YORK FROM 12 TO 30 JUNE
Press Release
WOM/1211
WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE HOLDS TWENTY-THIRD SESSION IN NEW YORK FROM 12 TO 30 JUNE
20000608 Background ReleaseCommittee to Review Reports of 7 States Parties
NEW YORK, 8 June (Division for the Advancement of Women) -- The twenty-third session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women -- the only United Nations human rights treaty body that deals exclusively with women s rights -- will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 12 to 30 June.
The 23 experts of the Committee, who serve in their personal capacity, monitor the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which was adopted by the General Assembly in 1979 and came into force in 1981. The Convention, which as of 1 May had been ratified or acceded to by 165 countries, requires States parties to eliminate discrimination against women in the enjoyment of all civil, political, economic and cultural rights. In pursuing the Convention s goals, States parties are encouraged to introduce affirmative action measures designed to promote equality between women and men.
Since 1997, the Committee has met twice annually. At this forthcoming session, it will review the reports of seven States parties to the Convention, including the initial reports of Cameroon and the Republic of Moldova, the initial and second periodic reports of Lithuania, and the combined second and third periodic report of Iraq. It will also examine the combined third and fourth periodic report and fifth periodic report of Austria, the fourth periodic report of Cuba, and the combined fourth and fifth periodic report of Romania. This session marks the first time that fifth periodic reports will be examined by the Committee.
Countries that have ratified or acceded to the Convention are legally bound to put its provisions into practice. They are also committed to submit national reports, one year after becoming a State party and then at least once every four years, on measures they have taken to comply with their treaty obligations. In addition to reviewing the reports and evaluating the progress made, the Committee formulates general recommendations to the States parties as a whole on eliminating discrimination against women. It may also invite United Nations specialized agencies to submit reports for consideration and receive information from non- governmental organizations.
To date, the Committee has considered 105 initial, 75 second, 51 third and 15 fourth periodic reports. It has also received five reports on an exceptional
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basis -- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Rwanda.
The Committee has adopted general recommendations covering such issues as women s economic position; the impact of structural adjustment policies; maternity leave; measures taken to allow women to combine child-bearing with employment; violence against women; the dissemination of the Convention and its provisions; and the extent to which non-governmental organizations have been incorporated into the process of preparing reports on the implementation of the Convention. As of 1 May, there were 24 general recommendations.
Experts receive country-specific information from non-governmental organizations which are able to brief the Committee s pre-session working group and plenary meeting.
165 States Parties
With Niger being the last country to ratify or accede to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on 8 October 1999, the number of States parties to the Convention became 165. Adopted in 1979 and opened for signature in March 1980, the Convention is now among the international human rights treaties with the largest number of ratifications. However, it also is among those treaties with the highest number of reservations by States parties.
Often described as an international bill of rights for women, the Convention, in its 30 articles, defines discrimination against women and provides an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. Discrimination against women is defined as any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil, or any other field.
The Convention spells out the basis for realizing equality between men and women through ensuring women s equal access to, and equal opportunities in, political and public life -- including the right to vote and to stand for election -- as well as education and employment. States parties agree to take all appropriate measures, including legislative and temporary special measures, so that women can enjoy all their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
On 6 October 1999, the United Nations General Assembly adopted an Optional Protocol to the Convention which enables women victims of sex discrimination to submit complaints to the Committee. By accepting the Optional Protocol, States recognize the competence of the Committee to receive and consider complaints from individuals or groups of individuals within its jurisdiction in cases where they have exhausted domestic remedies. It also creates an inquiry procedure enabling the Committee to initiate inquiries into situations of grave or systematic violations of women s rights. Although the Optional Protocol includes an opt-out clause , allowing States upon ratification or accession to declare that they do not accept the inquiry procedure, it explicitly provides that no reservations may be entered to its terms. Opened for signature on 10 December 1999, as of 1 May, 34 States had signed the Protocol.
The 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women called upon governments to promote and protect the human rights of women through the full implementation of all human
rights instruments, especially the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. It urged universal ratification of the Convention by the year 2000 and asked governments to limit the extent of any reservations to the Convention.
States Parties to Convention
The following 165 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, Bahrain, 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, 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, Grenada, 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, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Committee Membership
The 23 expert members of the Committee, serving in their personal capacity, are: Charlotte Abaka, Ghana; Ayse Feride Acar, Turkey; Emna Aouij, Tunisia; Carlota Bustelo Garcia del Real, Spain; Silvia Rose Cartwright, New Zealand; Ivanka Corti, Italy; Feng Cui, China; Naela Gabr, Egypt; Yolanda Ferrer Gomez, Cuba; Aida Gonzalez Martinez, Mexico; Savitri Goonesekere, Sri Lanka; Rosalyn Hazelle, St. Kitts and Nevis; Salma Khan, Bangladesh; Yung-Chung Kim, Republic of Korea; Rosario Manalo, Philippines; Mavivi Myakayaka-Manzini, South Africa; Ahoua Ouedraogo, Burkina Faso; Zelmira Regazzoli, Argentina; Anne Lise Ryel, Norway; Hanna Beate Schöpp-Schilling, Germany; Carmel Shalev, Israel; Kongit Sinegiorgis, Ethiopia; and Chikako Taya, Japan.
For more information on the Committee and women s rights contact: The Women s Rights Unit, Division for the Advancement of Women/Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Room DC2-1226, United Nations, New York, NY 10017; Fax: (212) 963- 3463, e-mail: connorsj@un.org.
Visit the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women page of the Division for the Advancement of Women on the World Wide Web at http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw.
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