CEDAW

Women’s Human Rights and the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

UN Women provides technical assistance and advisory services to the Government of Pakistan, line ministries and other key departments on the implementation and monitoring of CEDAW that was ratified by Pakistan in 1996. UN Women also supports the Government in the reporting mechanisms.

Technical assistance extends to facilitating dialogue and implementation with civil society organisations (CSOs). More specifically, UN Women provides a) technical expertise to the Ministry of Human Rights (formerly Ministry of Women Development) in assisting Pakistan on CEDAW reporting; b) include key officials of the Government of Pakistan to Peer Learning exercises within the region; c) training key people on CEDAW implementation and tracking mechanism and d) supporting participation of the Government of Pakistan and non governmental organization representatives to present their respective official and shadow reports before the UN CEDAW Expert Committee at the UN Headquarters in New York in 2010.

The on going strategy of UN Women in Pakistan is supporting CEDAW reporting and implementation includes providing technical assistance for the implementation of the Concluding Observations of the UN CEDAW Expert Committee.

Based on progression this strategy focuses on:

1. Establishing joint inter ministerial and inter departmental mechanisms with civil society linkage
2. Provision of technical assistance to the Ministry of Human Rights in developing institutionalized reporting mechanisms
3. Provision of technical assistance to specific line ministries in addressing specific legislative revisions as well as ensuring implementation of specific observations in the context of full integration within governmental processes and policies
4. Supporting civil society organisations and women organisations to play a key role in advocating and implementing CEDAW

UN Women Pakistan has provided the following support to CEDAW implementation by:

1. Enhancing understanding of CEDAW in the public and non governmental sectors, orientations on CEDAW e.g. CEDAW inductions with the Federal Judicial Academy and the Council of Islamic Ideology, supporting CEDAW anniversary celebrations
2. Strengthening CEDAW implementation process through Memorandum of Understandings
3. Strengthening coordination between stakeholders working on CEDAW such as working groups
4. Support provincial women development departments (WDDs) for CEDAW implementation and reporting through the placement of Gender Advisers in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan, signing of Memorandum of Understanding with WDDs, organizing inter departmental consultations provincially in collaboration with WDDs
5. Strengthening capacity of non government organisations to support CEDAW implementation and monitoring

See also:

• Women and Peace Programme
• Violence Against Women
• Women Economic Empowerment and Home Based Workers