¹ú²úAV

cedaw20.gif (5496 bytes)

Judicial Colloquium

Commemoration in June '99

A short history of the Convention

Ending Discrimination: a Fundamental Right

Countries that have ratified

Countries that have not ratified

The Committee

Chairpersons of the Committee

Past and present members of the Committee

CEDAW General recommendations



 

Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination
against Women

Twentieth Anniversary

In 1979, after four years of preparatory work by the Commission on the Status of Women, the General Assembly adopted the historic Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.  An international bill of rights for women, this landmark treaty went into force in 1981 and has now been ratified by 165 countries.

Implementation of the Convention is monitored by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Composed of 23 experts, the Committee reviews reports by States parties and makes recommendations to promote compliance with the treaty's provisions.

On 6 October 1999, the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly adopted an to the Convention, which provides, among other things, for the right of individual petition.

On Monday, 7 June, in commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention , the Committee held a special commemorative ceremony at the UN Headquarters.