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Arab Manual for Human Rights

UN Conferences on Human Rights

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    - Human Rights Committee (HRC)
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    - Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
    - Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
    - Committee against Torture (CAT)
    - Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
    - Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW)

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Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

The Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women monitors the adherence of countries that are party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and to its Optional Protocol and responds to complaints raised by individuals and groups.

According to CEDAW, signatory states should submit reports to the Committee stating the different measures taken by them to ensure the enforcement of this convention and describing the progress attained in this regard within one year of the date that the convention came into effect in the respective country. States must also submit a report to the Committee at least every four years, and further whenever the Committee so requests. The state concerned has to explain the factors and difficulties that conditioned its ability to live up to the commitments included in CEDAW. The Committee examines these reports and expresses its observations about them in writing.

The Committee is entitled to receive and examine letters submitted by or on behalf of individuals or groups of individuals who fall under the jurisdiction of a state that is a party to the Optional Protocol of CEDAW, who claim to be victims of violations by their states of any rights specified by CEDAW. Moreover, if the committee receives reliable information that indicates the occurrence of gross or systematic violations by a state that is a party to CEDAW's Optional Protocol, the Committee may ask that state to cooperate in dealing with these violations. The Committee may also appoint one or more of its members to investigate such violations and to submit to her an urgent report on the matter. The investigation may include a visit to the state in question whenever necessary, with the approval of that state.

The Committee is made up of 23 experts "of high moral standing and competence in the field covered by the Convention." They are citizens selected by their respective member states, although they serve in their personal capacity. Consideration is given to the principle of fair geographic distribution and to representing "the different forms of civilization as well as the principal legal systems." (CEDAW, Article 17)

The Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women differs from other bodies that monitor international human rights conventions in two respects: First, its membership has been restricted since its inception in 1982 to females, with the exception of one member. Second, its members come from all walks of life. They include economists, diplomats and sociologists. Other monitoring bodies are made up mainly of lawyers and judges.

The Committee's annual report is presented to the UN General Assembly. It covers all its activities. The Committee tends to adopt general recommendations that shed more light on the provisions and rules of CEDAW and on related subjects. The Committee's work in this area witnessed remarkable development as its latest general recommendations were characterized by depth and detail. The committee pays special attention to the work of various organizations concerned with human rights, especially to organizations associated with the United Nations. The Committee's activities receive special attention from groups concerned with human rights in general, and women's rights in particular, by virtue of CEDAW's special position among the provisions relating to women's rights in international human rights law. The Convention is rightfully referred to as the principal source of international legitimacy for women's rights.

Unlike other international human rights conventions, CEDAW is unique in including a stipulation that specifies the duration of the monitoring committee's meetings. Article 20 of CEDAW states that the Committee "shall normally meet for a period of not more than two weeks annually in order to consider the reports submitted in accordance with article 18 of the present Convention." Due to the large number of reports submitted for consideration by the Committee, a meeting of countries that are party to CEDAW adopted a modification to article 18, but it has not yet come into effect. The Committee did, however, obtain the permission of the UN General Assembly to extend the duration of its annual meetings to include two sessions of three weeks each. These sessions are mostly held in February and July at the UN headquarters in New York.