/** headlines: 128.0 **/
** Topic: CEDAW To Review Countries' Treatment of Women **
** Written 10:19 PM Feb 28, 1997 by mmason in cdp:headlines **

CEDAW To Review Countries' Treatment of Women

28 February, 1997

At the conclusion of its last session in New York on 1 February, 1997, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) approved its schedule of countries to be reviewed at its next two sessions. For the first time, CEDAW will have two sessions per year. The countries that have been invited to the July 1997 session are as follows:

first reports:

Antigua and Barbuda
Armenia
Israel
Namibia
Luxembourg

Second reports:

Dominican Republic
Argentina
Italy

Third and Fourth reports:

Bangladesh
Australia

These countries have until the middle of April to confirm whether or not they will send a delegation to attend the session. If a country or countries decline, substitutes will be selected from a reserve list, which in this case nearly coincides with the list of countries invited to be reviewed at the January 1998 session. The reserve list for July 1997 is as follows:

First Reports:

Azerbaijan
Belize
Croatia
Zimbabwe

Second Reports:

Equatorial Guinea
Bulgaria
Republic of Korea

The list of countries that have been invited to be reviewed by CEDAW in January 1998 are as follows:

First reports:

Azerbaijan
Belize
Croatia
Zaire
Zimbabwe

Second reports:

Bulgaria
Equatorial Guinea
Indonesia

Third reports

Mexico
Republic of Korea

CEDAW welcomes NGO information that will shed light on the implementation of the Convention in countries being reviewed. These reports are treated as public information, although contributing organizations need not be identified. CEDAW urges that information be presented in a timely fashion so that there is time to review the material before questions are formulated for the government delegations. This means at least a month in advance. NGO reports need to be available to the Committee in at least one UN language.

IWRAW is an international NGO that facilitates NGO access to the CEDAW Committee and provides the Committee with NGO information for use in its monitoring activities. Please contact us if you wish further information about CEDAW's reporting and review process. IWRAW urges NGOs either to prepare a shadow report of their own, or to submit information through IWRAW that they wish the Committee to take into consideration in its review of State parties.

Sharon Ladin Associate Director, IWRAW Fellow, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs University of Minnesota 301 - 19th Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA

phone (612) 625-5340 fax (612) 624-0068 sladin@hhh.umn.edu