International Women's Rights Action Watch

This guide, prepared by International Women's Rights Action Watch, provides NGOs who wish to submit shadow reports to CEDAW with information on new opportunities presented by the UNs Harmonized Guidelines for reporting. Under the new structure, reporting State Parties and NGOs can submit a common core document that includes a full account of laws, policies and infrastructure relating to human rights policy and implementation rather than separate, targeted documents prepared for each separate treaty monitoring body. The guide provides practical suggestions on how

Focussing on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), this paper highlights the general undertakings of states under CEDAW, such as positive and negative obligations and state responsibility. Concluding comments and general recommendations made by the CEDAW Committee are outlined as well, regarding, for example, minimum age requirements and registration of marriages. The author also provides information about other human rights instruments that are applicable to the right to decide if, when and whom to marry.

This resource guide seeks to inform readers on the context, intended role and actual text of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), with a specific focus on the Optional Protocol to the Convention (OP-CEDAW). The purpose of the guide is to provide information to enable a more holistic and effective approach to research, training and advocacy around the CEDAW Convention and OP-CEDAW. It includes an overview of CEDAW and OP-CEDAW and then offers practical advice on how the international review mechanism presented by OP-CEDAW functions.

These procedural and format guidelines are designed to assist nongovermental organization in producing shadow reports during the state reporting process under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The CEDAW Committee reviews shadow reports along with the official government reports when evaluating government efforts to meet the obligations of the CEDAW Convention.

This paper outlines the development of the women's rights approach through the United Nations system and the Beijing Platform for Action. It includes a useful table entitled 'Complementarity of the Platform and the CEDAW Convention' and concludes with recommendations for reinforcing the women's rights framework.