Skip to main content

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

Portrait of young Indian women, Jodhpur, India. © Getty Images

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The CEDAW Committee consists of 23 experts on women’s rights from around the world.

The CEDAW treaty is a tool that helps women around the world to bring about change in their daily life. In countries that have ratified the treaty, CEDAW has proved invaluable in opposing the effects of discrimination, which include violence, poverty, and lack of legal protections, along with the denial of inheritance, property rights, and access to credit.

Learn more

States parties reporting

Blue World Map

All States parties must report on the measures they have adopted relating to the rights described in the Convention, and on the progress the State has made in upholding the rights of women.

Reporting guidelines
Calendar of country reviews & documentation deadlines
Country-specific information overview

View the database of progress reports by one or more of these criteria.

Contact information

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Palais Wilson - 52, rue des Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva (Switzerland)

Mailing address:
UNOG-OHCHR
8-14 Avenue de la Paix, 1211 Geneve 10, Switzerland
Email: ohchr-cedaw@un.org
Twitter: @UNTreatyBodies

For individual complaints:
Petitions and Inquiries Section
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations Office at Geneva
8-14 Avenue de la Paix, 1211 Geneve 10, Switzerland
Email: ohchr-petitions@un.org

Photo credit: Getty Images

Status of ratifications

To date, 189 of the 193 UN Member States have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and 114 have ratified the Optional Protocol. The proposed amendment will enter into force once a two thirds majority of States parties has accepted it.

CEDAW ratification, including all declarations and reservations

Optional Protocol ratification

Acceptance of proposed amendment to article 20, paragraph 1 of the Convention