UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE MONITORING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN TO HOLD FORTIETH SESSION IN GENEVA FROM 14 JANUARY TO 1 FEBRUARY 2008

BACKGROUND RELEASE
Committee on Elimination of Discrimination
against Women

11 January 2008


Reports by Bolivia, Burundi, Saudi Arabia, France, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Morocco and Sweden to Be Reviewed


The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women will hold its fortieth session at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 14 January to 1 February 2008 to review the reports of Bolivia, Burundi, Saudi Arabia, France, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Morocco and Sweden on how those countries are implementing their obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

This marks the first session of the Committee since the transfer of its secretariat services from the Division for the Advancement of Women in New York to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.

The 185 States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women legally commit themselves to ending all forms of discrimination against women, be they political, economic, social, cultural, civil or of any other type. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, a 23-person expert body established to monitor compliance with the treaty, will be considering State party reports required under the Convention assessing to what extent each State is meeting its obligations, and making recommendations aimed at the implementation of the provisions of the Convention.

At the opening meeting, the Committee will adopt its agenda and organization of work and be addressed by the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights and hear a report by the Chairperson on activities undertaken during the intersessional period.

During the first two weeks of the session, the Committee and each State party presenting a report will have the opportunity to interact in a constructive dialogue on women’s enjoyment of their human rights in that country. The outcome of that dialogue is contained in the Committee’s concluding comments, which recognize progress a State has made in implementing the Convention, detail the Committee’s concerns about gaps in implementation or insufficient compliance with the provisions of the Convention, and contain recommendations on measures that can be taken by the State to achieve more complete and consistent application of the Convention. The Committee encourages wide dissemination of their concluding comments, which are made available on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights ( http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CEDAW/Pages/CEDAWIndex.aspx) at the close of each session The comments will also be incorporated into the Committee’s annual report to the General Assembly (see document A/62/38 for the 2007 report)

Also during its fortieth session, the Committee will consider, in private, communications from individuals or groups of individuals claiming to be victims of a violation of their rights under the Convention by States that are parties to the Optional Protocol to the Convention.

Representatives of non-governmental organizations can submit reports and present information to the Committee and will have the opportunity to address the Committee on Monday, 14 January and Monday, 21 January. NGO reports will be made available on the Committee's Web page for its fortieth session at http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=353&Lang=en

Following are the details pertaining to concluding comments by the Committee on the previous reports of countries under consideration at this session. The Committee considered the initial report of Bolivia on 17 and 20 January 1995, and the concluding comments on it can be found in document A/50/38, paragraphs 42 through 104; the initial report of Burundi was reviewed on 17 and 23 January 2001, and the comments issued in document A/56/38 (Part I), paragraphs 32 to 67; the Committee considered the combined third and fourth report and the fifth periodic report of France on 3 July 2003, and published its final comments in document A/58/38, paragraphs 229 to 281; the initial and second periodic reports of Lebanon were examined on 12 July 2005, and concluding comments by the Committee can be found in document A/60/38, paragraphs 77 to 126; the Committee reviewed the fourth periodic report of Luxembourg on 22 January 2003, and issued its concluding comments in document A/58/38 (Part I), paragraphs 290 to 324; the second periodic report of Morocco was taken up on 15 July 2003, and comments on it published in document A/58/38 (SUPP), Chapter IV, paragraphs 137 to 183; and the Committee considered the fourth and the fifth periodic reports of Sweden on 5 July 2001, and issued concluding comments on it in document A/56/38 (SUPP), paragraphs 319 to 360.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December 1979, and entered into force on 3 September 1981. Often described as an international bill of rights for women, the Convention contains a preamble and 30 articles in which it defines discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. Since its entry into force, the Convention has achieved near-universal acceptance, with 185 States parties.

The Convention defines discrimination against women as "... any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field." By accepting the Convention, States commit themselves to undertake a series of measures to end discrimination against women in all forms, including by incorporating the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system; abolishing all discriminatory laws and adopting appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against women; establishing tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of women against discrimination; and ensuring elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations or enterprises.

On 22 December 2000, the Optional Protocol to the Convention entered into force, by which States parties recognize the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications submitted by individuals or groups of individuals claiming to be victims of a violation of their rights under the Convention.

Optional Protocol to the Convention

Eighty-nine of the Convention’s 185 States parties are also party to this Optional Protocol, which provides a complaint mechanism whereby a woman (or a group of women) living within a State party may petition the Committee when she believes her rights under the Convention have been violated. Before the Committee will consider a complaint, it first must establish its admissibility under the terms of the Optional Protocol. The Optional Protocol also enables the Committee, upon the fulfilment of certain criteria, to undertake inquiries into possible grave or systematic violations of women’s rights.



Membership

The Committee is composed of 23 experts of high moral standing and recognized competence in the field of women's rights. The following members, nominated by the States parties to serve in their personal capacity, are as at 11 January 2008 members of the Committee: Ferdous Ara Begum (Bangladesh); Magalys Arocha Dominguez (Cuba); Meriem Belmihoub-Zerdani (Algeria); Saisuree Chutikul (Thailand); Dorcas Coker-Appiah (Ghana); Mary Shanthi Dairiam (Malaysia); Cornelis Flinterman (Netherlands); Naela Mohamed Gabr (Egypt); Françoise Gaspard (France); Ruth Halperin-Kaddari (Israel); Tiziana Maiolo (Italy); Violeta Neubauer (Slovenia); Pramila Patten (Mauritius); Silvia Pimentel (Brazil); Hanna Beate Schöpp-Schilling (Germany); Heisoo Shin (Republic of Korea); Glenda P. Simms (Jamaica); Dubravka Šimonoviæ (Croatia); Anamah Tan (Singapore); Maria Regina Tavares da Silva (Portugal); Zou Xiaoqiao (China). Two members are to be appointed to fill the positions of the experts from Japan and South African who resigned during 2007.

Ms. Šimonoviæ is the Committee’s Chairperson; Ms. Mohamed Gabr, Ms. Gaspard and Ms. Simms are the Vice-Chairpersons; and Ms. Shanthi Dairiam is the Committee Rapporteur.


Tentative Timetable for Consideration of Reports

Following is a tentative timetable for the consideration of reports from States parties to the Convention during this session:

Tuesday, 15 January

10 a.m. Bolivia: combined second, third and fourth periodic report (CEDAW/C/BOL/2-4)

3 p.m. Bolivia (continued)

Wednesday, 16 January

10 a.m. Burundi: combined second, third and fourth periodic report (CEDAW/C/BDI/4)

3 p.m. Burundi (continued)

Thursday, 17 January

10 a.m. Saudi Arabia: combined initial and second periodic report (CEDAW/C/SAU/2)

3 p.m. Saudi Arabia (continued)

Friday, 18 January

10 a.m. France: sixth periodic report (CEDAW/C/FRA/6)

3 p.m. France (continued)

Tuesday, 22 January

10 a.m. Lebanon: third periodic report (CEDAW/C/LBN/3)

3 p.m. Lebanon (continued)

Wednesday, 23 January

10 a.m. Luxembourg: fifth periodic report (CEDAW/C/LUX/5)

3 p.m. Luxembourg (continued)

Thursday, 24 January

10 a.m. Morocco: combined third and fourth periodic report (CEDAW/C/MAR/4)

3 p.m. Morocco (continued)

Friday, 25 January

10 a.m. Sweden: combined sixth and seventh periodic report (CEDAW/C/SWE/7)

3 p.m. Sweden (continued)

Friday, 1 February 2008

4 p.m. Adoption of the report of the Committee on its fortieth session; public closing

__________


For use of the information media; not an official record