CEDAW is an acronym for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. It is the first international treaty that addresses discrimination against women comprehensively in all areas. Consequently, it is also referred to as the international bill of rights for women. It was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979 and came into force on 3 September 1981. It calls on states to respect, protect, and fulfil women’s human rights, and requires states to expressly consent to taking on obligations to implement the treaty through the act of ratification. The ratifying state is referred to as a state party to the Convention.
The Convention has been ratified by all South Asian countries. The act of ratification is an acknowledgement of the commitment of the South Asian countries to eliminate discrimination against women from private and public spheres of life through the implementation of the provisions of the treaty. Ratification signals an agreement to submit periodic reports to the UN on the progress made in respect of compliance with the treaty obligations and a willingness to receive recommendations for enhancing and improving the implementation of the treaty.
This website seeks to facilitate the advancement of the implementation of CEDAW in South Asia by making resources dedicated to the region available more widely. It facilitates the regional sharing of information, knowledge resources, country updates, announcements of capacity building and learning opportunities, and updates on developments relating to CEDAW within the UN aimed at strengthening the implementation of CEDAW. It provides a brief but comprehensive overview of all dimensions of CEDAW, along with links to additional information and details on CEDAW.
