CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS
OF DISCRIMINATION
AGAINST WOMEN
"...the full and complete
development of a country, the welfare of the world and the cause of peace
require the maximum participation of women on equal terms with men in all fields
.
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Content and Significance of the
Convention
PREAMBLE
PART I Discrimination
(Article 1)
Policy Measures (Article 2)
Guarantee of Basic Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (Article
3)
Measures (Article 4)
Sex Role Stereotyping and Prejudice (Article 5)
Prostitution (Article 6)
PART II Political
and Public Life (Article 7)
Representation (Article 8)
Nationality (Article 9)
PART III Education
(Article 10)
Employment (Article 11 )
Health (Article 12)
Economic and Social Benefits (Article 13)
Rural Women (Article 14)
PART IV Law
(Article 15)
Marriage and Family Life (Article 16)
PART V Committee
on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (Article 17 Reports (Article
18)
Rules of Procedure (Article 19)
Committee Meetings (Article 20)
Committee Reports (Article 21)
Role of Specialized Agencies (Article 22)
PART Vl Effect
on Other Treaties (Article 23)
Commitment of States Parties (Article 24)
Administration of the Convention (Articles 25-30)
INTRODUCTION
On 18 December
1979, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. It entered into force
as an international treaty on 3 September 1981 after the twentieth country had
ratified it. By the tenth anniversary of the Convention in 1989, almost one
hundred nations have agreed to be bound by its provisions.
The Convention
was the culmination of more than thirty years of work by the United Nations
Commission on the Status of Women, a body established in 1946 to monitor the
situation of women and to promote women's rights. The Commission's work has been
instrumental in bringing to light all the areas in which women are denied
equality with men. These efforts for the advancement of women have resulted in
several declarations and conventions, of which the Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination against Women is the central and most
comprehensive document.
Among the
international human rights treaties, the Convention takes an important place in
bringing the female half of humanity into the focus of human rights concerns.
The spirit of the Convention is rooted in the goals of the United Nations: to
reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity,v and worth of the
human person, in the equal rights of men and women. The present document spells
out the meaning of equality and how it can be achieved. In so doing, the
Convention establishes not only an international bill of rights for women, but
also an agenda for action by countries to guarantee the enjoyment of those
rights.
In its preamble,
the Convention explicitly acknowledges that "extensive discrimination
against women continues to exist", and emphasizes that such discrimination
"violates the principles of equality of rights and respect for human
dignity". As defined in article 1, discrimination is understood as
"any distinction, exclusion or restriction made o.1 the basis of sex...in
the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field". The
Convention gives positive affirmation to the principle of equality by requiring
States parties to take "all appropriate measures, including legislation, to
ensure the full development and advancement of women, for the purpose of
guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental
freedoms on a basis of equality with men"(article 3).
The agenda for
equality is specified in fourteen subsequent articles. In its approach, the
Convention covers three dimensions of the situation of women. Civil rights and
the legal status of women are dealt with in great detail. In addition, and
unlike other human rights treaties, the Convention is also concerned with the
dimension of human reproduction as well as with the impact of cultural factors
on gender relations.
The legal status
of women receives the broadest attention. Concern over the basic rights of
political participation has not diminished since the adoption of the Convention
on the Political Rights of Women in 1952. Its provisions, therefore, are
restated in article 7 of the present document, whereby women are guaranteed the
rights to vote, to hold public office and to exercise public functions. This
includes equal rights for women to represent their countries at the
international level (article 8). The Convention on the Nationality of Married
Women - adopted in 1957 - is integrated under article 9 providing for the
statehood of women, irrespective of their marital status. The Convention,
thereby, draws attention to the fact that often women's legal status has been
linked to marriage, making them dependent on their husband's nationality rather
than individuals in their own right. Articles 10, 11 and 13, respectively,
affirm women's rights to non-discrimination in education, employment and
economic and social activities. These demands are given special emphasis with
regard to the situation of rural women, whose particular struggles and vital
economic contributions, as noted in article 14, warrant more attention in policy
planning. Article 15 asserts the full equality of women in civil and business
matters, demanding that all instruments directed at restricting women's legal
capacity ''shall be deemed null and void". Finally, in article 16, the
Convention returns to the issue of marriage and family relations, asserting the
equal rights and obligations of women and men with regard to choice of spouse,
parenthood, personal rights and command over property.
Aside from civil
rights issues, the Convention also devotes major attention to a most vital
concern of women, namely their reproductive rights. The preamble sets the tone
by stating that "the role of women in procreation should not be a basis for
discrimination". The link between discrimination and women's reproductive
role is a matter of recurrent concern in the Convention. For example, it
advocates, in article 5, ''a proper understanding of maternity as a social
function", demanding fully shared responsibility for child-rearing by both
sexes. Accordingly, provisions for maternity protection and child-care are
proclaimed as essential rights and are incorporated into all areas of the
Convention, whether dealing with employment, family law, health core or
education. Society's obligation extends to offering social services, especially
child-care facilities, that allow individuals to combine family responsibilities
with work and participation in public life. Special measures for maternity
protection are recommended and "shall not be considered
discriminatory". (article 4). "The Convention also affirms women's
right to reproductive choice. Notably, it is the only human rights treaty to
mention family planning. States parties are obliged to include advice on family
planning in the education process (article l O.h) and to develop family codes
that guarantee women's rights "to decide freely and responsibly on the
number and spacing of their children and to hove access to the information,
education and means to enable them to exercise these rights" (article
16.e).
The third general
thrust of the Convention aims at enlarging our understanding of the concept of
human rights, as it gives formal recognition to the influence of culture and
tradition on restricting women's enjoyment of their fundamental rights. These
forces take shape in stereotypes, customs and norms which give rise to the
multitude of legal, political and economic constraints on the advancement of
women. Noting this interrelationship, the preamble of the Convention stresses
"that a change in the traditional role of men as well as the role of women
in society and in the family is needed to achieve full equality of men and
women". States parties are therefore obliged to work towards the
modification of social and cultural patterns of individual conduct in order to
eliminate "prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based
on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on
stereotyped roles for men and women" (article 5). And Article 1O.c.
mandates the revision of textbooks, school programmes and teaching methods with
a view to eliminating stereotyped concepts in the field of education. Finally,
cultural patterns which define the public realm as a man's world and the
domestic sphere as women's domain are strongly targeted in all of the
Convention's provisions that affirm the equal responsibilities of both sexes in
family life and their equal rights with regard to education and employment.
Altogether, the Convention provides a comprehensive framework for challenging
the various forces that have created and sustained discrimination based upon
sex.
The
implementation of the Convention is monitored by the Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The Committee's mandate and
the administration of the treaty are defined in the Articles 17 to 30 of the
Convention. The Committee is composed of 23 experts nominated by their
Governments and elected by the States parties as individuals "of high moral
standing and competence in the field covered by the Convention".
At least every
four years, the States parties are expected to submit a national report to the
Committee, indicating the measures they have adopted to give effect to the
provisions of the Convention. During its annual session, the Committee members
discuss these reports with the Government representatives and explore with them
areas for further action by the specific country. The Committee also makes
general recommendations to the States parties on matters concerning the
elimination of discrimination against women.
The full text of
the Convention is set out in the pages that follow.
*************************************************************
CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN
**************************************************************
The States Parties to the present Convention,
Noting that the Charter of the United Nations reaffirms faith in
fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in
the equal rights of man and women,
Noting that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms the principle of
the inadmissibility of discrimination and proclaims that all human beings are
born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all
the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind,
including distinction based on sex,
Noting that the States Parties to the International Covenants on Human Rights
have the obligation to ensure the equal right of men and women to enjoy all
economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights,
Considering the international conventions concluded under the auspices of the
United Nations and the specialized agencies promoting equality of rights of men
and women,
Noting also the resolutions, declarations and recommendations adopted by the
United Nations and the specialized agencies promoting equality of rights of men
and women,
Concerned, however, that despite these various instruments extensive
discrimination against women continues to exist,
Recalling that discrimination against women violates the principles of equality
of rights and respect for human dignity, is an obstacle to the participation of
women, on equal terms with men, in the political, social, economic and cultural
life of their countries, hampers the growth of the prosperity of society and the
family and makes more difficult the full development of the potentialities of
women in the service of their countries and of humanity,
Concerned that in situations of poverty women have the least access to food,
health, education, training and opportunities for employment and other needs,
Convinced that the establishment of the new international economic order based
on equity and justice will contribute significantly towards the promotion of
equality between men and women,
Emphasizing that the eradication of apartheid, of all forms of racism, racial
discrimination, colonialism, neo-colonialism, aggression, foreign occupation and
domination and interference in the internal affairs of States is essential to
the full enjoyment of the rights of men and women,
Affirming that the strengthening of international peace and security, relaxation
of international tension, mutual co-operation among all States irrespective of
their social and economic systems, general and complete disarmament, and in
particular nuclear disarmament under strict and effective international control,
the affirmation of the principles of justice, equality and mutual benefit in
relations among countries and the realization of the right of peoples under
alien and colonial domination and foreign occupation to self-determination and
independence, as well as respect for national sovereignty and territorial
integrity, will promote social progress and development and as a consequence
will contribute to the attainment of full equality between men and women,
Convinced that the full and complete development of a country, the welfare of
the world and the cause of peace require the maximum participation of women on
equal terms with men in all fields,
Bearing in mind the great contribution of women to the welfare of the family and
to the development of society, so far not fully recognized, the social
significance of maternity and the role of both parents in the family and in the
upbringing of children, and aware that the role of women in procreation should
not be a basis for discrimination but that the upbringing of children requires a
sharing of responsibility between men and women and society as a whole,
Aware that a change in the traditional role of men as well as the role of women
in society and in the family is needed to achieve full equality between men and
women,
Determined to implement the principles set forth in the Declaration on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women and, for that purpose, to adopt the
measures required for the elimination of such discrimination in all its forms
and manifestations,
Have agreed on the following:
PART
I
Article 1. For the purposes of the present Convention, the term
"discrimination against women" shall mean any distinction, exclusion
or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of
impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women
irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women,
of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social,
cultural, civil or any other field.
Article 2. States Parties condemn discrimination against women in all its
forms, agree to pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of
eliminating discrimination against women and, to this end, undertake:
(a) To embody the principle of the
equality of men and women in their national
constitutions or other appropriate legislation if not yet incorporated
therein and to ensure, through law and other appropriate means,
the practical realization of this principle;
(b) To adopt appropriate
legislative and other measures, including sanctions
where appropriate, prohibiting all discrimination against women;
(c) To establish legal protection
of the rights of women on an equal basis
with men and to ensure through competent national tribunals and other
public institutions the effective protection of women against any
act of discrimination;
(d) To refrain from engaging in any
act or practice of discrimination against
women and to ensure that public authorities and institutions shall
act in conformity with this obligation;
(e) To take all appropriate
measures to eliminate discrimination against women
by any person, organization or enterprise;
(f) To take all appropriate
measures, including legislation, to modify or abolish
existing laws, regulations, customs and practices which constitute
discrimination against women;
(g) To repeal all national penal
provisions which constitute discrimination
against women.
Article 3. States Parties shall take in all fields, in particular in the
political, social, economic and cultural fields, all appropriate measures,
including legislation, to ensure the full development and advancement of women,
for the purpose of guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of human rights
and fundamental freedoms on a basis of equality with men.
Article 4. 1. Adoption by States Parties of temporary special measures
aimed at accelerating de facto equality between men and women shall not be
considered discrimination as defined in the present Convention, but shall in no
way entail as a consequence the maintenance of unequal or separate standards;
these measures shall be discontinued when the objectives of equality of
opportunity and treatment have been achieved.
2. Adoption by States Parties of special measures, including those measures
contained in the present Convention, aimed at protecting maternity shall not be
considered discriminatory.
Article 5. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures:
(a) To modify the social and
cultural patterns of conduct of men and women,
with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary
and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority
or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped
roles for men and women;
(b) To ensure that family education
includes a proper understanding of maternity
as a social function and the recognition of the common responsibility
of men and women in the upbringing and development of their
children, it being understood that the interest of the children is
the primordial consideration in all cases.
Article 6. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures, including
legislation, to suppress all forms of traffic in women and exploitation of
prostitution of women.
PART
II
Article 7. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to
eliminate discrimination against women in the political and public life of the
country and, in particular, shall ensure to women, on equal terms with men, the
right:
(a) To vote in all elections and
public referenda and to be eligible for election
to all publicly elected bodies;
(b) To participate in the
formulation of government policy and the implementation
thereof and to hold public office and perform all public
functions at all levels of government;
(c) To participate in
non-governmental organizations and associations concerned
with the public and political life of the country.
Article 8. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure
to women, on equal terms with men and without any discrimination, the
opportunity to represent their Governments at the international level and to
participate in the work of international organizations.
Article 9. 1. States Parties shall grant women equal rights with men to
acquire, change or retain their nationality. They shall ensure in particular
that neither marriage to an alien nor change of nationality by the husband
during marriage shall automatically change the nationality of the wife, render
her stateless or force upon her the nationality of the husband.
2. States Parties shall grant women equal rights with men with respect to the
nationality of their children.
PART
III
Article 10. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to
eliminate discrimination against women in order to ensure to them equal rights
with men in the field of education and in particular to ensure, on a basis of
equality of men and women:
(a) The same conditions for career
and vocational guidance, for access to studies
and for the achievement of diplomas in educational establishments
of all categories in rural as well as in urban areas; this
equality shall be ensured in preschool, general, technical, professional
and higher technical education, as well as in all types of
vocational training;
(b) Access to the same curricula,
the same examinations, teaching staff with
qualifications of the same standard and school premises and equipment
of the same quality;
(c) The elimination of any
stereotyped concept of the roles of men and women
at all levels and in all forms of education by encouraging coeducation
and other types of education which will help to achieve this
aim and, in particular, by the revision of textbooks and school programmes
and the adaptation of teaching methods;
(d) The same opportunities to
benefit from scholarships and other study grants;
(e) The same opportunities for
access to programmes of continuing education
including adult and functional literacy programmes, particularly
those aimed at reducing, at the earliest possible time, any
gap in education existing between men and women;
(f) The reduction of female student
drop-out rates and the organization of
programmes for girls and women who have left school prematurely;
(g) The same opportunities to
participate actively in sports and physical education;
(h) Access to specific educational
information to help to ensure the health
and well-being of families, including information and advice on
family planning.
Article 11. 1. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to
eliminate discrimination against women in the field of employment in order to
ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, the same rights, in particular:
(a) The right to work as an
inalienable right of all human beings;
(b) The right to the same
employment opportunities, including the application
of the same criteria for selection in matters of employment;
(c) The right to free choice of
profession and employment, the right to promotion, job
security and all benefits and conditions of service and the right to
receive vocational training and retraining, including
apprenticeships, advanced vocational training and recurrent training;
(d) The right to equal
remuneration, including benefits, and to equal treatment
in respect of work of equal value, as well as equality of treatment
in the evaluation of the quality of work;
(e) The right to social security,
particularly in cases of retirement, unemployment,
sickness, invalidity and old age and other incapacity to
work, as well as the right to paid leave;
(f) The right to protection of
health and to safety in working conditions,
including the safeguarding of the function of reproduction.
2. In order to prevent discrimination against women on the grounds of marriage
or maternity and to ensure their effective right to work, States Parties shall
take appropriate measures:
(a) To prohibit, subject to the
imposition of sanctions, dismissal on the grounds of
pregnancy or of maternity leave and discrimination in dismissals
on the basis of marital status;
(b) To introduce maternity leave
with pay or with comparable social benefits
without loss of former employment, seniority or social allowances;
(c) To encourage the provision of
the necessary supporting social services
to enable parents to combine family obligations with work responsibilities
and participation in public life, in particular through
promoting the establishment and development of a network of child-care
facilities;
(d) To provide special protection
to women during pregnancy in types of work
proved to be harmful to them.
3. Protective legislation relating to matters covered in this article shall be
reviewed periodically in the light of scientific and technological knowledge and
shall be revised, repealed or extended as necessary.
Article 12. 1. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to
eliminate discrimination against women in the field of health care in order to
ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, access to health care services,
including those related to family planning.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1 of this article, States Parties
shall ensure to women appropriate services in connexion with pregnancy,
confinement and the post-natal period, granting free services where necessary,
as well as adequate nutrition during pregnancy and lactation.
Article 13. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to
eliminate discrimination against women in other areas of economic and social
life in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, the same
rights, in particular:
(a) The right to family benefits;
(b) The right to bank loans,
mortgages and other forms of financial credit;
(c) The right to participate in
recreational activities, sports and all aspects of
cultural life.
Article 14. 1. States Parties shall take into account the particular
problems faced by rural women and the significant roles which rural women play
in the economic survival of their families, including their work in the
non-monetized sectors of the economy, and shall take all appropriate measures to
ensure the application of the provisions of this Convention to women in rural
areas.
2. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate
discrimination against women in rural areas in order to ensure, on a basis of
equality of men and women, that they participate in and benefit from rural
development and, in particular, shall ensure to such women the right:
(a) To participate in the
elaboration and implementation of development planning
at all levels;
(b) To have access to adequate
health care facilities, including information,
counselling and services in family planning;
(c) To benefit directly from social
security programmes;
(d) To obtain all types of training
and education, formal and non-formal, including
that relating to functional literacy, as well as, inter alia,
the benefit of all community and extension services, in order to
increase their technical proficiency;
(e) To organize self-help groups
and co-operatives in order to obtain equal
access to economic opportunities through employment or self-employment;
(f) To participate in all community
activities;
(g) To have access to agricultural
credit and loans, marketing facilities,
appropriate technology and equal treatment in land and agrarian
reform as well as in land resettlement schemes;
(h) To enjoy adequate living
conditions, particularly in relation to housing,
sanitation, electricity and water supply, transport and communications.
PART IV
Article 15. 1. States Parties shall accord to women equality with
men before the law.
2. States Parties shall accord to women, in civil matters, a legal capacity
identical to that of men and the same opportunities to exercise that capacity.
In particular, they shall give women equal rights to conclude contracts and to
administer property and shall treat them equally in all stages of procedure in
courts and tribunals.
3. States Parties agree that all contracts and all other private instruments of
any kind with a legal effect which is directed at restricting the legal capacity
of women shall be deemed null and void.
4. States Parties shall accord to men and women the same rights with regard to
the law relating to the movement of persons and the freedom to choose their
residence and domicile.
Article 16. 1. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate
discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage and family
relations and in particular shall ensure, on a basis of equality of men and
women:
(a) The same right to enter into
marriage;
(b) The same right freely to choose
a spouse and to enter into marriage only
with their free and full consent;
(c) The same rights and
responsibilities during marriage and at its dissolution;
(d) The same rights and
responsibilities as parents, irrespective of their marital
status, in matters relating to their children; in all cases the
interests of the children shall be paramount;
(e) The same rights to decide
freely and responsibly on the number and spacing
of their children and to have access to the information, education
and means to enable them to exercise these rights;
(f) The same rights and
responsibilities with regard to guardianship, wardship,
trusteeship and adoption of children, or similar institutions
where these concepts exist in national legislation; in all
cases the interests of the children shall be paramount;
(g) The same personal rights as
husband and wife, including the right to choose
a family name, a profession and an occupation;
(h) The same rights for both
spouses in respect of the ownership, acquisition,
management, administration, enjoyment and disposition of property,
whether free of charge or for a valuable consideration.
2. The betrothal and the marriage of a child shall have no legal effect, and all
necessary action, including legislation, shall be taken to specify a minimum age
for marriage and to make the registration of marriages in an official registry
compulsory.
PART
V
Article 17. 1. For the purpose of considering the progress made in
the implementation of the present Convention, there shall be established a
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (hereinafter
referred to as the Committee) consisting, at the time of entry into force of the
Convention, of eighteen and, after ratification of or accession to the
Convention by the thirty-fifth State Party, of twenty-three experts of high
moral standing and competence in the field covered by the Convention. The
experts shall be elected by States Parties from among their nationals and shall
serve in their personal capacity, consideration being given to equitable
geographical distribution and to the representation of the different forms of
civilization as well as the principal legal systems.
2. The members of the Committee shall be elected by secret ballot from a list of
persons nominated by States Parties. Each State Party may nominate one person
from among its own nationals.
3. The initial election shall be held six months after the date of the entry
into force of the present Convention. At least three months before the date of
each election the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall address a letter
to the States Parties inviting them to submit their nominations within two
months. The Secretary-General shall prepare a list in alphabetical order of all
persons thus nominated, indicating the States Parties which have nominated them,
and shall submit it to the States Parties.
4. Elections of the members of the Committee shall be held at a meeting of
States Parties convened by the Secretary-General at United Nations Headquarters.
At that meeting, for which two thirds of the States Parties shall constitute a
quorum, the persons elected to the Committee shall be those nominees who obtain
the largest number of votes and an absolute majority of the votes of the
representatives of States Parties present and voting.
5. The members of the Committee shall be elected for a term of four years.
However, the terms of nine of the members elected at the first election shall
expire at the end of two years; immediately after the first election the names
of these nine members shall be chosen by lot by the Chairman of the Committee.
6. The election of the five additional members of the Committee shall be held in
accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of this article,
following the thirty-fifth ratification or accession. The terms of two of the
additional members elected on this occasion shall expire at the end of two
years, the names of these two members having been chosen by lot by the Chairman
of the Committee.
7. For the filling of casual vacancies, the State Party whose expert has ceased
to function as a member of the Committee shall appoint another expert from among
its nationals, subject to the approval of the Committee.
8. The members of the Committee shall, with the approval of the General
Assembly, receive emoluments from United Nations resources on such terms and
conditions as the Assembly may decide, having regard to the importance of the
Committee's responsibilities.
9. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall provide the necessary staff
and facilities for the effective performance of the functions of the Committee
under the present Convention.
Article 18. 1. States Parties undertake to submit to the
Secretary-General of the United Nations, for consideration by the Committee, a
report on the legislative, judicial, administrative or other measures which they
have adopted to give effect to he provisions of the present Convention and on
the progress made in this respect:
(a) Within one year after the entry
into force for the State concerned; and
(b) Thereafter at least every four
years and further whenever the Committee
so requests.
2. Reports may indicate factors and difficulties affecting the degree of
fulfilment of obligations under the present Convention.
Article 19. 1. The Committee shall adopt its own rules of procedure.
2. The Committee shall elect its officers for a term of two years.
Article 20. 1. 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.
2. The meetings of the Committee shall normally be held at United Nations
Headquarters or at any other convenient place as determined by the Committee.
Article 21. 1. The Committee shall, through the Economic and Social
Council, report annually to the General Assembly of the United Nations on its
activities and may make suggestions and general recommendations based on the
examination of reports and information received from the States Parties. Such
suggestions and general recommendations shall be included in the report of the
Committee together with comments, if any, from States Parties.
2. The Secretary-General shall transmit the reports of the Committee to the
Commission on the Status of Women for its information.
Article 22. The specialized agencies shall be entitled to be represented
at the consideration of the implementation of such provisions of the present
Convention as fall within the scope of their activities. The Committee may
invite the specialized agencies to submit reports on the implementation of the
Convention in areas falling within the scope of their activities.
PART
VI
Article 23. Nothing in this Convention shall affect any provisions
that are more conducive to the achievement of equality between men and women
which may be contained:
(a) In the legislation of a State
Party; or
(b) In any other international
convention, treaty or agreement in force for that State.
Article 24. States Parties undertake to adopt all necessary measures at
the national level aimed at achieving the full realization of the rights
recognized in the present Convention.
Article 25. 1. The present Convention shall be open for signature by all
States.
2. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is designated as the depositary
of the present Convention.
3. The present Convention is subject to ratification. Instruments of
ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United
Nations.
4. The present Convention shall be open to accession by all States. Accession
shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of accession with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article 26. 1. A request for the revision of the present Convention may
be made at any time by any State Party by means of a notification in writing
addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
2. The General Assembly of the United Nations shall decide upon the steps, if
any, to be taken in respect of such a request.
Article 27. 1. The present Convention shall enter into force on the
thirtieth day after the date of deposit with the Secretary-General of the United
Nations of the twentieth instrument of ratification or accession.
2. For each State ratifying the present Convention or acceding to it after the
deposit of the twentieth instrument of ratification or accession, the Convention
shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the date of the deposit of its
own instrument of ratification or accession.
Article 28. 1. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall receive
and circulate to all States the text of reservations made by States at the time
of ratification or accession.
2. A reservation incompatible with the object and purpose of the present
Convention shall not be permitted.
3. Reservations may be withdrawn at any time by notification to this effect
addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall then inform
all States thereof. Such notification shall take effect on the date on which it
is received.
Article 29. 1. Any dispute between two or more States Parties concerning
the interpretation or application of the present Convention which is not settled
by negotiation shall, at the request of one of them, be submitted to
arbitration. If within six months from the date of the request for arbitration
the parties are unable to agree on the organization of the arbitration, any one
of those parties may refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice by
request in conformity with the Statute of the Court.
2. Each State Party may at the time of signature or ratification of this
Convention or accession thereto declare that it does not consider itself bound
by paragraph 1 of this article. The other States Parties shall not be bound by
that paragraph with respect to any State Party which has made such a
reservation.
3. Any State Party which has made a reservation in accordance with paragraph 2
of this article may at any time withdraw that reservation by notification to the
Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article 30. The present Convention, the Arabic, Chinese, English, French,
Russian and Spanish texts of which are equally authentic, shall be deposited
with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
IN WITNESS WHERE OF the undersigned, duly authorized, have signed the present
Convention.
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As of March, 2001, 167 countries - more than two- thirds
of the members of the United Nations - are party to the Convention and an
additional 4 have signed the treaty, binding themselves to do nothing in
contravention of its terms.
98 Signatures/167 ratifications and accessions
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United Nations
Division for the Advancement of Women
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