Q&A

Does cedaw allow reservations?

Does cedaw allow reservations?

Reservations to CEDAW. The Convention permits ratification subject to reservations, provided that the reservations are not incompatible with the object and purpose of the Convention. Some States enter a reservation to article 2, although their national constitutions or laws prohibit discrimination.

How many countries have made reservations to Cedaw?

Partly due to the success of CEDAW, there have been significant advances in women’s rights in the 25 years since CEDAW was adopted, although much remains to be done. The treaty has been ratified or acceded to by 178 countries and 14 countries in the Middle East and North Africa have signed up to it.

What are reservations in a treaty?

A reservation is a declaration made by a state by which it purports to exclude or alter the legal effect of certain provisions of the treaty in their application to that state.

Are treaty bodies legally binding?

Entry into force of a treaty with regard to a State is the moment the treaty becomes legally binding for the State that is party to the treaty. Each treaty contains provisions dealing with both aspects.

What is the significance of Article 7 of CEDAW?

7. Political and public life Women have equal rights to vote, hold public office and participate in civil society.

Why is CEDAW important?

CEDAW legally binds all States Parties to fulfill, protect and respect women’s human rights – this means that States are responsible not just for their own actions, but also for eliminating discrimination that is being perpetrated by private individuals and organizations.

How effective is CEDAW?

In light of its ambitious goals and weak enforcement mechanism, it is surprising that CEDAW has been shown to positively and significantly improve human rights conditions for women within states that have ratified it (Englehart 2009; Hill 2010).

Is CEDAW legally binding?

The most important and legally binding international human rights instrument in this respect is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). 1 Since 1982, its implementation has been monitored by the CEDAW Committee, comprising 23 independent experts.

What are the limits of treaty reservation?

A reservation is permissible unless the treaty itself prohibits it, or the treaty permits only certain reservations not including the one in question, or the reservation is incompatible with the object and purpose of the treaty.

When can a treaty be terminated?

Obligations in international law arise from the consent of the state. This is why treaties are mostly non-binding in nature, and they expressly allow a party to withdraw. For example, the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs says that the treaty shall be terminated if the total number of signatories falls below 40.

How many human rights treaty bodies are there under UN?

10 human rights treaty bodies
There are 10 human rights treaty bodies, which are committees of independent experts, that monitor the implementation of the core international human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

How many treaty bodies are there?

There are seven human rights treaty bodies that monitor implementation of the core international human rights treaties : Human Rights Committee (HRC) Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR)

Are there any reservations to the CEDAW Convention?

Reservations to CEDAW The Convention permits ratification subject to reservations, provided that the reservations are not incompatible with the object and purpose of the Convention. Some States parties that enter reservations to the Convention do not enter reservations to analogous provisions in other human rights treaties.

How is CEDAW a human rights treaty body?

Like other human rights treaty bodies, CEDAW considers reports through a constructive dialogue with the high level delegation of the given State party, deliberating and adopting after consideration in a closed session concluding observations in which it highlights progress and areas requiring more attention, recommending measures to be undertaken.

Why did the United Nations ratify the CEDAW Convention?

States parties which ratify the Convention do so because they agree that discrimination against women in all its forms should be condemned and that the strategies set out in article 2, subparagraphs (a) to (g), should be implemented by States parties to eliminate it.

Who are the members of the treaty bodies?

The treaty bodies are composed of independent experts of recognized competence in human rights, who are nominated and elected for fixed renewable terms of four years by State parties. Watch the videos below to learn about what the treaty bodies do and which human rights they monitor and protect.