Indigenous women and girls: UN women’s rights committee to meet with States parties on new guidance

GENEVA (24 June 2022) – The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) will hold an informal meeting with States parties on 28 June to present and discuss a draft new guidance to protect the rights of indigenous women and girls.

There are an estimated 238.4 million indigenous women and girls globally in about 90 countries, spanning 5,000 different cultures and constituting approximately 5 per cent of the world’s population. Whether they live in rural or urban areas, indigenous women and girls face sex-based and racial discrimination, gender stereotypes, marginalization, and gender-based violence every day because of their sex, origin and identity.

To address all forms of discrimination and abuses against indigenous women and girls, the Committee has drafted the new guidance, formally named General Recommendation, to guide States parties on legislative, policy, and other relevant measures to comply with their obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women concerning the rights of indigenous women and girls.

The informal briefing session, open to the press, will take place from 10 am to 12 pm on 28 June (Tuesday) in Room XXIII at Palais des Nations in Geneva. Gladys Acosta Vargas, Chairperson of the Committee, will introduce the draft General Recommendation, its background and consultation process to the States parties. Representatives from indigenous women groups will also participate in the presentation.

Details about the General Recommendation on the rights of indigenous women and girls are now available online.