NIWEP Northern Ireland Women's European Platform

NIWEP CEDAW SHADOW REPORT 2012

The UK Government submitted its report to the CEDAW Committee in June 2011. Read the report here. It is likely that the UK Government will be examined by the CEDAW Committee in the first quarter of 2013.

The Government at Westminster has overall responsibility for the implementation of the CEDAW standards throughout the UK.  However, the Northern Ireland Executive has responsibility locally for most of the social policy and economic issues that the CEDAW Convention is concerned with.

The UK Government was last examined by the CEDAW Committee in July 2008.  NIWEP played a key role in coordinating consultations with women’s groups and other relevant bodies, collecting evidence and compiling a Shadow Report.  NIWEP’s 2008 Shadow Report and other information on our participation in the examination of the UK Government is available here.

The CEDAW Committee’s 2008 Concluding Observations showed that the Committee had taken account of submissions by NIWEP and other Northern Ireland organizations and a number of strong recommendations were made with regard to Northern Ireland. You can read the Concluding Observations here.

Since 2008 we have continued to increase awareness of the CEDAW Convention and lobby for the applications of the standards set out in the Convention. We have also been monitoring the progress of Government, especially with regard to the Concluding Observations.

We are now in the process of consulting about the content of the next Shadow Report. In addition to the face to face consultations we are holding we have devised a template for feedback to us. The template covers each article of the CEDAW Convention. You can submit evidence on all or some of the articles. Where possible please provide evidence to support your comments (including reference to evaluations, statistics, research, consultations). In addition to your views on what progress has been made by the Northern Ireland Executive and the UK Government in relation to the Committee’s concluding observations, we would also welcome your views on other issues which you feel the Committee should be made aware of.

Download the template for gathering information and return to us at niwep@btconnect.com

Timeline for gathering information

• Deadline for information and evidence to NIWEP May 2012
• Deadline for submission of Shadow report to CEDAW Committee October 2012

Further Information

• Oral statement to CEDAW (2008)

The fifty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from Tuesday, 22 February to Friday, 4 March 2011.  NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC (NIWEP) have an opportunity to submit a written report to the Secretary General and NIWEP have submitted a Statement to CSW

Gender Action for Peace and Security GAPS UK is an expert working group of peace and development NGOs, academics and grassroots peace builders. Building on UNSCR 1325, GAPS promotes, facilitates and monitors the meaningful inclusion of gender perspectives in all aspects of UK policy and practice on peace and security. www.gaps-uk.org

Associate Parliamentary Groupon Women, Peace and Security is a forum in the UK for the discussion and critical analysis of issues relating to Security Council Resolution 1325 and 1820 on women, peace and security. http://www.gaps-uk.org/APG.php

1325 10th year anniversary – 1325 highlights

http://www.unifem.org/campaigns/1325plus10/1325-highlights

CSO Position Paper on Europe-wide Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325

This document outlines civil society’s views on implementation of SCR 1325 and related women,
peace and security commitments in Europe and includes 10 suggestions for further progress.

10 points on 10 years SCR 1325

UN Security Council Resolution 1325 – Women, Peace and Security (full text)

http://www.un.org/events/res_1325e.pdf

UN Security Council Resolution 1888 (2009) – Protecting women and children against violence (full text)

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr/special/docs/17thsession/SC_res1888_2009.pdf

UN Security Council Resolution 1889 (2009) – Women in Peace building (Press release)

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sc9759.doc.htm

A global set of indicators on the implementation of resolution 1325 in four key areas: women’s participation in all aspects of conflict prevention and peace-making; prevention of violence against women; protection of women’s rights during and after conflict; and women’s needs in relief and recovery.

http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2010/173

UK National Action Plan (Under Review)

http://www.gaps-uk.org/img_uploaded/1325%20NAP%20UK.pdf

Recommendations from the Civil Society Advisory Group on Women, Peace and Security on Events and Action to Commemorate the 10^th Anniversary of SCR 1325 (2010)

http://www.femlinkpacific.org.fj/_resources/main/files/CSAG%20recommendations%20on%2010th%20Annversary%20of%20SCR%201325%2016%20April%202010%20final.doc

CEDAW – The 30 year Struggle for Equality – a report on a conference held by Womankind Worldwide and One World Action and brought together experts from all over the world to discuss the successes and challenges of using CEDAW including participants from Ghana, Tanzania and South Africa. The conference was addressed by Mrs Dorcas Coker –Appiah a CEDAW Committee member

View document at Womenkind

The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including care-giving in the context of HIV/AIDS

Agreed Conclusions (Advanced Unedited Version)

The theme of 54th Session will be Implementation of The Beijing Platform for Action on the Occassion of its 15th Anniversary.

There will be opportunity for NGos irrespective of weather they are attending CSW 54 or not to take part in Global E discussion which will be organised by Division of Advancement of Women – during the course of year 2009.

The Commission of 54th session is elected -the delegates are from Italy, Japan, Armenia,Latin America, Senegal.

2. CSW 53 -  The equal sharing of responsibilites between women and men including care gicing in the context of HIV AIDS AGREED CONCLUSIONS were approved by consencus at around 7.30 pm in conference room 2

Some member states had reservations which had created tensed moments till about 1/2 hour before agreement by consenscus . In the end all meembers removed reservations and did not object to the draft which was approved.

The DOCUMENT will be posted on DAW website shortly as soon as the final wording is approved.

Please note that a fifteen-year review of Violence Against Women is available at the following link:

15 year review of vaw mandate