2013 CEDAW
In 2013 the Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women met for the following sessions:
- Session 56: During October of 2013, the CEDAW Committee considered state reports for Andorra, Benin, Cambodia, Colombia, Republic of Moldova, Seychelles, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Tajikistan.
- Session 55: During July of 2013 in CEDAW Session 55, the CEDAW Committee considered state reports for Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Lithuania and United Kingdom.
- Session 54: During February of 2013, the CEDAW Committee considered state reports for Angola, Austria, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Pakistan, Solomon Islands and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
In 2013, WILPF engaged with review processes in Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as CEDAW General Recommendation 30 on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations.
CEDAW SUPPORTS WILPF’S RECOMMENDATIONS ON GENERAL RECOMMENDATION 30
In October 2013, the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) launched CEDAW General Recommendation 30, a general recommendation on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations.
The Committee built on WILPF’s recommendations on General Recommendation 30 , especially to strengthen language on disarmament, the Women, Peace and Security agenda and, especially, on the arms trade.
Read full article under 2013 CEDAW Analysis.
CEDAW SUPPORTS WILPF’s RECOMMENDATIONS on COLOMBIA
The October 2013 session of the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) featured the review of Colombia. The Committee endorsed WILPF’s advocacy on the participation of women in the Colombian peace process and asked for a fast implementation of recommendations on the inclusion of women in the peace process and on the protection of women’s rights defenders.
Read the Statement by WILPF Colombia here >>
Read full article on the WILPF website here>>
CEDAW ENDORSES WILPF’S RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE DRC
The July 2013 session of the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) featured the review of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Committee endorsed WILPF’s recommendations on the DRC, especially our concerns about the limited regulation of the arms trade, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and their impact on the security of women.
Read full article on the WILPF website here>>
Search WILPF advocacy statements for the CEDAW committee here >>
CEDAW GENERAL RECOMMENDATION 30
In 2013, the CEDAW Committee adopted General Recommendation 30, a general recommendation on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations. This adoption represented an important step forward in promoting an integrated approach to women’s rights that includes many elements from the women, peace and security agenda and from the disarmament agenda.
In this General Recommendation 30, the Committee outlined the concrete measures States parties can take to ensure that women’s human rights are protected before, during and after a conflict. The general recommendation ensures that the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (the Convention) applies in all forms of conflict and post-conflicts settings.
WILPF was involved in the entire drafting process, from the document’s inception to its adoption. The Committee used our expertise to strengthen language on disarmament, the Women, Peace and Security agenda and, especially, on the arms trade.
The Committee adopted many of WILPF’s suggestions, however, our most important contribution has been the Committee’s inclusion of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in this General Recommendation. At WILPF’s behest, the Committee specifically recommended all member States to sign, ratify and implement the ATT, underlining its importance for women’s rights.
The Arms Trade Treaty attempts to regulate the international transfer of arms. Thanks to WILPF’s advocacy, the treaty includes legally binding obligation for States parties not to authorize any export of arms if there is a risk the arms in question could be used to commit or facilitate serious acts of gender-based violence.
In paragraph 26 of the general recommendation, the Committee stresses “the need for a concerted and integrated approach that places the implementation of the Security Council agenda on women, peace and security into the broader framework of the implementation of the Convention and its Optional Protocol.”
WILPF’s integrated approach aims at bringing together issues of peace and security with women’s human rights. This approach is instrumental in addressing the root causes of conflict and violence and acknowledging that there are many factors related to security, arms flow, militarization and economic inequality that can impact women’s rights as enshrined within the Convention.
It is worth noting that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted resolution 2122 on the same day that the Committee adopted its general recommendation. The resolution aims at removing barriers to women’s full participation in all efforts to prevent, resolve and rebuilt from conflict. The UNSC resolution makes strong references to human rights and features an integrated approach to peace, security and human rights. Another concrete illustration of the integrated approach is the participation of Navi Pillay, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to the Women, Peace and Security debate of the Security Council.
The general recommendation provides authoritative guidance to States, and to some extent non-State actors, on how to implement obligations under the Convention. In other words, the Committee enlightens States and other stakeholders on how to use the CEDAW Convention to ensure and promote women’s rights in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations.
The Committee recommended many measures related to the Security Council agenda on women, peace and security, on women and conflict prevention, on disarmament (including references to the Arms Trade Treaty), on gender-based violence, on trafficking, on participation of women in the decision making process, on the security sector reform, demobilization and reintegration and on access to justice. One example is the inclusion of at a recommendation to address the gendered impact of international transfers of arms, especially small and illicit arms including through the ratification and implementation of the ATT. You can find many other recommendations in the document.
Now, we can more firmly demand that States guarantee the rights of all women by all necessary means, including reducing militarization and pursuing disarmament.
Want to learn more?
Search WILPF advocacy statements for the CEDAW committee here >>
Get further information on 2013 CEDAW sessions here: