A new report published in the spring of 2010 provides an overview and reflections on a two-day seminar that brought together the Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The seminar focused on examining the particular relevance of CEDAW to the protection of women of concern to UNHCR.
The report details the seminar’s work in analyzing the relevant CEDAW articles to women of concern to the UNHCR, including a section focused on trafficking and sexual and gender-based violence. The CEDAW Committee and UNHCR shared a common goal in exploring ways of strengthening their cooperation in order to increase the capacity of women of concern to UNHCR around the world to enjoy and to exercise the rights to which they are entitled under CEDAW.
Incorporated in the report are several recommendations on behalf of the two bodies, which include the integration of the standards of CEDAW in all future guidelines, handbooks, and other policy documents of UNCHR. The report also noted that a follow-up meeting to the seminar would take place to discuss additional recommendations and further collaborative efforts.
Complied from: "Examining the particular relevance of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women to the protection of women of concern to UNHCR: Joint seminar of CEDAW Committee and UNHCR." UN High Commissioner for Refugees (26 March 2010).