Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

Description

CEDAW is a United Nations body of independent experts on women’s rights, monitoring a global anti-discrimination treaty.

The Committee consists of twenty-three experts on women’s rights from around the world. States that have ratified the Convention must report on the measures they have taken to uphold women’s rights, and the Committee reviews these reports and adopts concluding observations. It also considers individual complaints under the Optional Protocol and can carry out inquiries into grave or systematic violations.

The Convention treats discrimination against women as encompassing violence, poverty, lack of legal protection, and denial of inheritance, property rights and access to credit. The Committee also issues general recommendations that interpret the Convention’s articles on issues such as gender stereotypes and women’s representation in decision-making.

To date 189 states have ratified the Convention, and 114 have ratified its Optional Protocol. Non-governmental organizations and civil society groups can contribute information and attend sessions as observers.