Secretary-General Welcomes Tonga’s Decision to Ratify Women’s Rights Convention, Encourages Concrete Steps for Treaty’s Implementation

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General welcomes the Government of Tonga’s announcement to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

The Secretary-General views the Convention as the international community’s express commitment to promote and respect the human rights of women and girls worldwide.  The Secretary-General applauds Tonga for its decision to join the global movement to empower women and achieve gender equality and to hold itself to these universal standards.  He also commends civil society organizations for their tireless efforts to sustain the momentum and advocate on behalf of the Convention.

The Secretary-General encourages the Government of Tonga to start undertaking concrete steps for implementing CEDAW.  He affirms the continuous support of the United Nations for its efforts to improve the position of women in Tonga.