[women-rights] CEDAW 28th Session: Women's anti-discrimination committee concludes three-week session

UNITED NATIONS
Press Release
31 January 2003

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WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE CONCLUDES THREE-WEEK SESSION, AFTER 
CONSIDERING REPORTS OF EIGHT STATES PARTIES TO CONVENTION
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Committee on Elimination of
Discrimination against Women
608th Meeting (PM)


Legislative Reforms, Customary Law and Traditional Practices,
Women's Participation in Politics among Broad Range of Issues Addressed


At the conclusion of its twenty-eighth session, having considered the 
reports of eight States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All 
Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention's monitoring body 
made recommendations for the advancement of women in Albania, Canada, 
Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Kenya, Luxembourg, Norway and Switzerland.

Opinions and considerations of the Committee on the Elimination of 
Discrimination against Women –- the only international treaty body that 
deals exclusively with women's rights –- are to be included in the final 
report for the twenty-eighth session (from 13 to 31 January), which was 
adopted today.  The report will be issued at a later date.

During the session, the 23 expert members of the Committee, serving in 
their personal capacities, considered reports of countries with vastly 
different levels of economic development.  Three of the eight countries -– 
Albania, Republic of the Congo and Switzerland –- reported for the first 
time.  Experts focused on a broad range of issues, including constitutional 
and legislative reforms; customary laws and traditional practices; women's 
participation in economic decision-making and political life; rural women; 
immigrant women's rights; and access to health care and education.

Highlighting the achievements of the session, Angela E.V. King, Assistant 
Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of 
Women, said the Committee had considered reports from a diverse group of 
States parties.  While conditions in those States differed greatly, the 
Committee had identified a number of cross-cutting concerns, including the 
persistence of stereotypical attitudes towards the gender roles of women 
and men; violence against women, including domestic violence; trafficking 
in women and girls; and the under- representation of women at the highest 
levels of decision-making.  Contributions from national non-governmental 
and grass-roots organizations had slowly, but steadily, increased.

The informal meeting last week with States that were not yet party to the 
Convention had provided an excellent opportunity to establish direct 
contacts and exchange initial views, she continued.  She had been 
encouraged to learn that some of those States might soon ratify the 
Convention.  She was also pleased with the decision to convene an informal 
meeting during the twenty-ninth session with States whose reports were 
overdue for more than five years.  Discussions with the Chairperson of the 
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Committee, the Special Rapporteur on 
violence against women, and officials of the Office of the United Nations 
High Commissioner for Human Rights had also provided opportunities for 
closer contact with other treaty bodies and the special procedures 
mechanism, which was in line with the Secretary-General's reform proposals 
for greater coherence of the human rights system.

The Committee Chairperson, Ayse Feride Acar of Turkey, agreed that the 
monitoring body had made headway on several procedural and substantive 
issues during the session.  Meetings with the eight States parties who had 
submitted reports had highlighted many issues that cut across 
countries.  The Committee   had also discussed its methods of work to 
determine how contributions from non-governmental sources could be more 
effectively channelled to the Committee, and it had made direct contact 
with 13 out of 21 States who had not yet adhered to the Convention.

The Committee had also strengthened its ties with other treaty bodies, and 
had agreed to pursue regular contacts in future with special procedural 
mechanisms of the Commission on Human Rights of particular relevance to the 
Committee's monitoring work, she continued.  The Committee would fully 
participate in the consultation process that would be carried out during 
the next few months to discuss and contribute to the reform proposals of 
the Secretary-General with respect to the treaty system, particularly the 
streamlining of its reporting process.  It had also made progress with its 
work under the Optional Protocol,  she added.

The Optional Protocol, which entered into force on 22 December 2000, 
enables the Committee to consider petitions from individual women or groups 
of women who have exhausted national remedies.  It also entitles the 
Committee to conduct inquiries into grave or systematic violations of the 
Convention.

Background on Committee

The Committee is part of the United Nations human rights machinery 
monitoring implementation of major international conventions, which 
establishes the legitimacy and global outreach of human rights in the 
economic, social and political spheres.  Comprised of 23 experts acting in 
their personal capacities, the Committee meets twice a year to review 
national reports submitted by States parties to the Convention on measures 
they have adopted and progress achieved.  In 2002, the Committee also met 
in a third, exceptional session, to reduce a backlog of reports awaiting 
review.

The most comprehensive international human rights treaty for the 
advancement of women, the Convention contains 16 substantive articles, 
which provide a definition of discrimination against women and sets up an 
agenda for national action to end it.  By ratifying the Convention, States 
parties are legally bound to put its provisions into practice.  They are 
also committed to submit their initial reports on measures they have taken 
to comply with their treaty obligations one year after becoming a State 
party, and subsequent reports at least once every four years 
thereafter.  The Convention entered into force in 1981; the
Optional Protocol in 2000.  To date, 170 countries have become party to the 
Convention and 49 to the Optional Protocol.

In addition to reviewing the reports and evaluating progress made in its 
concluding comments, the Committee formulates general recommendations on 
eliminating discrimination against women.  It also receives information 
from United Nations specialized agencies and non-governmental organizations.

Committee Membership

Following the election in August 2002 of nine new members, the Committee's 
current members are:  Ayse Feride Acar (Chairperson), Turkey; Sjamsiah 
Achmad, Indonesia; Meriem Belmihoub-Zerdani, Algeria; Huguette Bokpe 
Gnacadja, Benin; Maria Yolanda Ferrer Gomez (Vice-Chairperson), Cuba; 
Cornelis Flinterman, Netherlands; Naela Gabr, Egypt; Françoise Gaspard, 
France; Aida Gonzalez Martinez, Mexico; Christine Kapalata (Rapporteur), 
United Republic of Tanzania; Salma Khan, Bangladesh; Akua Kuenyehia, Ghana; 
Fatima Kwaku, Nigeria; Rosario Manalo, Philippines; Goran Melander, Sweden; 
Krisztina Morvai, Hungary; Pramila Patten, Mauritius; Victoria Popescu 
Sandru (Vice-Chairperson), Romania; Fumiko Saiga, Japan; Hanna Beate 
Schopp-Schilling, Germany; Heisoo Shin (Vice-Chairperson), Republic of 
Korea; Dubravka Simonovic, Croatia; and Maria Regina Tavares da Silva, 
Portugal.

For more information on the Convention, including the list of States 
parties, go to the United Nations Web site:  www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw.

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