Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women concludes forty-eighth session

Committee on Elimination of Discrimination
Against Women

4 February 2011
PROVISIONAL ROUND-UP

Committee Adopts Conclusions on the Reports of Bangladesh, Belarus, Israel, Kenya,
Lichtenstein, South Africa and Sri Lanka

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women this morning concluded its forty-eighth session, adopting concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of Bangladesh, Belarus, Israel, Kenya, Lichtenstein, South Africa and Sri Lanka, the seven countries it examined at this session. During this session the Committee also welcomed five new members who were formally inducted during this session, as well as elected a new bureau.

The seven countries whose reports were examined at the present session are among the 186 States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. In ratifying the Convention, these States commit to submitting regular reports to the Committee on how they are implementing the Convention’s provisions. Following an examination of those reports, in the presence of delegations from the States parties, the Committee adopted, in private session, concluding observations and recommendations for each report, contained in the following documents: for Bangladesh, CEDAW/C/BGD/CO/7; for Belarus CEDAW/C/BLR/CO/7; for Israel CEDAW/C/ISR/CO/5; for Kenya CEDAW/C/KEN/CO/7; for Lichtenstein CEDAW/C/LIE/CO/4; for South Africa CEDAW/C/ZAF/CO/4 and for Sri Lanka CEDAW/C/LKA/CO/7. These documents can be found next week on the Committee’s Web page in their entirety at the following link: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/cedaws48.htm.

A final roundup including a summary of the Committee’s concluding observations and recommendations will be issued next week.

In her closing statement, Silvia Pimentel, Chairperson of the Committee, summed up the work accomplished by the Committee during the session. The Committee had considered the reports of seven States parties and held informal meetings with entities of the UN System, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations. Committee members also attended several lunchtime briefings organized by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and they were very pleased by the high level of attendance of NGOs, both international and national, which once again made a significant contribution to the work of the Committee. The Committee was thankful to those United Nations entities which had provided it with detailed information and she encouraged these entities and NGOs to deepen their advocacy for the promotion and protection of women’s human rights and the implementation of the Convention.

Ms. Pimentel said the Committee had held fruitful dialogues with a number of people, including the Special Rapporteur for the human rights of internally displaced persons, the Director of the Special Procedures branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and representatives from UN Women, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children.

The Committee also further elaborated the draft general recommendation on the dissolution of marriage and its economic consequences and members of a working group on women in situations of armed conflict were confirmed and preliminary work began on the draft general recommendation relating to that issue. The Committee also continued work on the joint general recommendation on harmful practices with the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and met with that Committee and its working group during the session. The Committee agreed with the draft outline proposed by the joint working group and authorized the CEDAW working group to commence drafting the general recommendation on harmful practices with the CRC working group.

Ms. Pimentel said the Committee also adopted the report of the Rapporteur on follow-up. In this regard, the Committee considered follow-up information provided by States with respect to the implementation of the Convention. She also extended her congratulations and appreciation to the States parties that engaged in excellent, constructive dialogues with the Committee. Many of the States sent high level delegations and this allowed them to examine in great detail the current status of the implementation of the Convention in the respective countries. They identified gaps and challenges and the Committee Experts together with representatives sought to identify strategies for further action and to find solutions to the challenges of persistent discrimination. These dialogues confirmed the importance of regular and timely reporting and consideration so as to ensure a consistent monitoring of progress. In all cases, the Committee recommended that the Convention form the basis for States parties’ efforts aimed at achieving gender equality.

The next session of the Committee will be held in New York from 11 to 29 July 2011, during which it will consider the reports of Costa Rica, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Italy, Nepal, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Zambia.

The Committee members are: Ayse Feride Acar (Turkey); Nicole Ameline (France); Magalys Arocha Dominguez (Cuba); Violet Tsisiga Awori (Kenya); Barbara Evelyn Bailey (Jamaica); Olinda Bareiro-Bobadilla (Paraguay); Meriem Belmihoub-Zerdani (Algeria); Niklas Bruun (Finland); Naela Mohamed Gabr (Egypt); Ruth Halperin-Kaddari (Israel); Yoko Hayashi (Japan); Ismat Jahan (Bangladesh); Indira Jaising (India); Maria Helena Lopes de Jesus Pires (Timor Leste); Soledad Murillo de la Vega (Spain); Violeta Neubauer (Slovenia); Pramila Patten (Mauritius); Silvia Pimentel (Brazil); Victoria Popescu (Romania); Zohra Rasekh (Afghanistan); Patricia Schulz (Switzerland); Dubravka Šimonoviæ (Croatia); and Zou Xiaoqiao (China). Ms. Silvia Pimentel is the Chairperson; Ms. Ameline, Ms. Popescu and Ms. Rasekh are Vice Chairpersons; and Ms. Awori is Rapporteur.

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For use of the information media; not an official record