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Mercy Global Concern - 2003
Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against
Women 628th Meeting (PM)
ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE CONCLUDES SESSION, HAVING EXAMINED WOMEN'S
SITUATION IN BRAZIL, COSTA RICA, ECUADOR, FRANCE, JAPAN, MOROCCO, SLOVENIA
AND NEW ZEALAND
Having considered reports of eight States parties to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the monitoring body
of that human rights instrument today made recommendations for the advancement
of women in Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Japan, Morocco, Slovenia and
New Zealand.
Concluding its three-week session this afternoon, the Committee on the Elimination
of Discrimination against Women -- the only international treaty body
that deals exclusively with women's rights -- adopted its final report
for the twenty-ninth session. The document describes the Committee's
meetings from 30 June through 18 July, and contains concluding comments on
the eight States parties that had reported at this session on their compliance
with the Convention. The main issues addressed by the Committee during its
deliberations included women's access to decision-making; means of overcoming
negative stereotypes; women's education and health; the situation of
rural women; discrimination within the family and in the labour market; and
special measures to advance gender equality.
Often described as an international bill of rights for women, the Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was adopted
by the General Assembly in 1979 and entered into force on 3 September 1981.
The Convention, which, as of 3 June 2003 had been ratified or acceded to by
174 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.
Closing the session, Committee Chairperson Ayse Feride Acar, an expert from
Turkey, said that the Committee, in an intense session, had not only reviewed
the reports of eight States parties, but also had taken action on a number
of matters towards the overall goals of the Convention. The Committee had consistently
requested reporting States to give wide publicity to its concluding comments,
which it hoped would be the basis for specific follow-up in the legislative,
policy and administrative areas. The Committee had also taken steps to contribute
to the efforts of the human rights treaty bodies towards the overall objectives
of the treaty system.
Most importantly, the Committee had decided on modalities for implementing
its incremental approach to encourage reporting by those States parties whose
reports were more than five years overdue. For the first time, the Committee
had met in a closed session with States parties to identify challenges in report
preparation. The session had been particularly well attended by representatives
of non-governmental organizations.
The Committee had also continued its work under the Optional Protocol to the
Convention, she said, both in regard to the communications procedure and under
its article concerning the inquiry procedure. [The Optional Protocol, which
entered into force on 22 December 2000, entitles the Committee to conduct inquiries
into grave or systematic violations of the Convention and enables it to consider
petitions from individual women or groups of women who have exhausted national
remedies.]
In her concluding remarks, Carolyn Hannan, Director of the Division for the
Advancement of Women, summarized the work of the session and expressed confidence
that the Committee's concluding comments would make a significant contribution
to the ongoing process of achieving equality for all women. The outcome of
the session included a decision to consider, during the next session, the option
of holding meetings in parallel working groups to enhance the Committee's
working methods and achieve timely consideration of periodic reports of States
parties.
The Committee had also focused on ways and means of encouraging reporting
by States parties, she continued. In particular, it had convened a meeting
with States whose reports under the Convention have been due for over five
years and decided that the Chairperson would send reminders to over 25 States
whose initial reports were more than five years overdue. Considerable attention
had been devoted to the issue of assistance to States parties to increase their
reporting capacity. Those elements were closely linked, and she believed that
greater focus on the Convention at national level would lead to better implementation
and adherence to the reporting obligations.
Domestically, she added, preparation of the report should be an ongoing process
of reviewing and monitoring implementation. It should also be an opportunity
to formulate and revise national legislation, policy, administrative practices
and procedures for the advancement of women.
The Division for the Advancement of Women, on its part, would provide all
necessary support to the Committee, she said. It would also do its best to
complete, as soon as possible, the training materials and packages that would
facilitate the task of those who are responsible for the implementation of
the Convention at the national level. The Handbook for Parliamentarians, which
had been jointly prepared by the Division and the Inter-Parliamentary Union
and presented during this session, should become a most useful tool in that
regard.
Also this afternoon, the Committee approved its provisional agenda for the
next session, which is scheduled to take place in early 2004.
Background on Committee
The Committee is part of the United Nations human rights machinery monitoring
implementation of major international conventions, which establish the legitimacy
and global outreach of human rights in the economic, social and political spheres.
The 23 experts of the Committee, who serve in their personal capacities, monitor
the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women, which came into force in 1981. In its 16 substantive articles,
it provides a definition of discrimination against women and sets up an agenda
for national action to end it. As of 3 June 2003, the Convention had been ratified
or acceded to by 174 countries. It is now an international human rights treaty
with the second largest number of ratifications and accessions.
States parties to the Convention 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.
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.
Prior to the beginning of its latest session, the Committee had considered
122 initial, 92 second, 72 third, 45 fourth, 18 fifth and one sixth periodic
reports. It has also reviewed five reports on an exceptional basis -- Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), and Rwanda.
The Committee has adopted 24 general recommendations covering such issues
as violence against women; reservations to the Convention; equality in marriage
and family relations; women in political and public life; and women and health.
The Committee is currently working on its twenty-fifth general recommendation,
which was begun during its twenty-fourth session. When completed, this new
recommendation will address article 4.1 of the Convention on temporary special
measures aimed at accelerating de facto equality between men and women.
Committee Membership
The current 23 members of the Committee, serving in their personal capacity,
are: Ayse Feride Acar, Turkey; Sjamsiah Achmad, Indonesia; Meriem Belmihoub-Zerdani,
Algeria; Huguette Bokpe Gnacadja, Benin; María Yolanda Ferret Gómez,
Cuba; Cornelis Flinterman, Netherlands; Naela Gabr, Egypt; Françoise
Gaspard, France; Aída González Martínez, Mexico; Christine
Kapalata, United Republic of Tanzania; Salma Khan, Bangladesh; Fatima Kwaku,
Nigeria; Rosario Manalo, Philippines; Göran Melander, Sweden; Krisztina
Morvai, Hungary; Pramila Patten, Mauritius; Victoria Popescu Sandru, Romania;
Fumiko Saiga, Japan; Hanna Beaten Schöpp-Schilling, Germany; Heisoo
Shin, Republic of Korea; Dubravka Šimonovic, Croatia; and Maria Regina
Tavares da Silva, Portugal.
For a list of States parties to the Convention and to the Optional Protocol,
see Press Release WOM/1402.
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