Committee on Elimination of

Discrimination against Women

996^th Meeting* (PM)

Women’s Anti-discrimination Committee Adopts Observations, Recommendations

 

on Eight National Reports as Forty-ninth Session Concludes

 

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women concluded its work today by adopting observations and recommendations arising from its consideration of eight country reports that it took up during its forty-ninth session.

Under consideration during the three-week session were periodic reports submitted by the Governments of Costa Rica, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Italy, Nepal, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Zambia.

The Committee also adopted, as orally amended, the draft report of the session, presented by Violet Tsisiga Awori, Rapporteur and expert member from Kenya.  In other business, it adopted the draft report of the Working Group of the Whole on implementation of Article 21 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, on reporting, and the on ways and means to expedite its work.

Thanking all those involved in the Committee’s work, Silvia Pimentel, Chairperson and expert member from Brazil, said the session had been difficult but fruitful.

The Committee monitors State parties’ compliance with the Convention, often described as an international bill of rights for women.  Adopted by the General Assembly in 1979, the treaty consists of a preamble and 30 articles.  It prescribes national actions for the elimination of discrimination.

Each of the following expert members serve the Committee in a personal capacity:  Ms. Pimentel, Chairperson, Brazil; Ms. Awori, Rapporteur, Kenya; Ayse Feride Acar, from Turkey; Nicole Ameline, Vice-Chairperson, France; Olinda Bareiro-Bobadilla, Paraguay; Magalys Arocha Dominguez, Cuba; Barbara Evelyn Bailey, Jamaica; Meriem Belmihoub-Zerandi, Algeria; Niklas Bruun, Finland; Naela Mohamed Gabr, Egypt; Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, Israel; Yoko Hayashi, Japan; Ismat Jahan, Bangladesh; Indira Jaising, India; Soledad Murillo de la Vega, Spain; Violeta Neubauer, Slovenia; Pramila Patten, Mauritius; Maria Helena Lopes de Jesus Pires, Timor-Leste; Victoria Popescu, Vice-Chairperson, Romania; Zohra Rasekh, Vice-Chairperson, Afghanistan; Patricia Schulz, Switzerland; Dubravka Šimonović, Croatia; and Zou Xiaoqiao, China.

The Committee’s fiftieth session is scheduled for 3-21 October 2011 in Geneva.

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*     The 995^th Meeting was not covered.

For information media • not an official record