What is CEDAW?

What is CEDAW?

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is the international agreement adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly. It consists of a preamble and 30 articles, defining what constitutes discrimination against women and setting up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. As such, CEDAW is often described as an international bill of rights for women.

By accepting the Convention, countries commit themselves to undertake a series of measures to end discrimination against women in all forms, including:

to incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system, abolish all discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against women;
to establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of women against discrimination; and
to ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations or enterprises.

Countries that have ratified or acceded to the Convention are legally bound to put its provisions into practice. They are also committed to submit national reports on measures they have taken to comply with their treaty obligations.

What is discrimination against women? What is gender equality?

The Convention defines discrimination against women as "...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."

The Convention provides the basis for realizing equality between women and men. Deepening the meaning of “equality”, the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Gender Equality suggests three fundamental domains of gender equality: equality in human capabilities; equality in opportunities; and, equality in agency . The domain of equality in human capabilities refers to acquiring basic human abilities as measured through education, health, and nutrition. The domain of equality in opportunities refers to what is additionally needed to exercise the equal human capabilities (eg., access to job opportunities, land, capital and so on). The domain of equality in agency refers to a person’s ability to formulate strategic choices and make decisions that affect important life outcomes.

(Source: CEDAW, Caren Grown, Geeta Rao Gupta, and Zahia Khan, Background Paper of the Millennium Project Task Force on Gender Equality, April 2003. See also United Nations Human Development Report, 1995.)

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