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Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women Concludes 52nd Session

Tuesday, August 14, 2012 10:35 AM

The 52^nd Session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (the Committee) came to an end on 27 July 2012, marking the Committee's 30th anniversary. During the three-week session, state parties submitted reports on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The Committee adopted observations and recommendations to the eight states under review: the Bahamas, Bulgaria, Guyana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Mexico, New Zealand, and Samoa.

CEDAW was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979 and entered into force in 1981. The UN General Assembly created CEDAW to monitor the condition of women and promote their rights. It defines discrimination against women and establishes an agenda of action for eliminating gender-discrimination. State parties must take measures to eliminate prejudices against women and are required to implement gender equality into domestic legislation, repeal all discriminatory provisions in laws, and enact new laws to protect women from discrimination.

The Committee is made up of 23 experts on women’s issues from different United Nations member states. It meets twice a year to review reports submitted by states on the implementation and compliance with CEDAW. Specifically, the states under review explain the judicial, legislative, and administrative measures they have adopted to implement CEDAW. They describe the steps they are taking to advance gender equality and women’s rights.The Committee presented each state under review with concluding observations, which address the efforts of the country, concerns from the Committee, and recommendations on how to improve their implementation of CEDAW. The session was comprised of constructive dialogues, discussions, and meetings with NGO’s, human rights organizations and stakeholders. All of the state parties reaffirmed their commitment to CEDAW.

A complete report on the session is available at http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/cedaws52.htm

Compiled from: 52nd Session of CEDAW Concludes, NGLS (July 31, 2012); 52nd session (9 to 27 July 2012) New York, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights ; Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women New York, 18 December 1979, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

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