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)

We are writing to you in partnership with National Alliance of Women Organisation, Engender and Wales women to ask you for your involvement in the consultation or discussion which we believe is very important for the women’s sector in Northern Ireland and across the UK at this time.

You will know that the Women’s National Commission (NWC) was abolished at the end of last year.  You may also know that the Government Equalities Office (GEO) is consulting on how, post-WNC, Government can best engage with women.  Here is a link to the consultation Strengthening Women’s Voices

Listening to women was one of the key roles of WNC and they did important work in relation to public appointments, women and the economy, black and minority ethnic women, violence against women.  They also fulfilled central functions in preparing the UK shadow report to CEDAW (the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women).  You can see more of this in their legacy document which shows the steps they had taken to make their work really relevant to all of the UK, including the devolved nations, by working on a four nations basis.

NIWEP believes that the current GEO consultation should hear women’s voices clearly on two matters:

• how women across the UK see themselves organising
• what we want to see GEO doing to listen to women

We are planning a number of events to help and to make sure these matters are reflected in the response to the consultation.  We therefore are asking you for your thoughts on the plan of action and for your involvement in it.

• some meetings and discussions have already taken place amongst women’s groups, inclosing the former WNC partners.  NIWEP will bring together a synopsis of the views from these discussions
• there are various relationships which exist between women’s groups and Government (that is, with GEO and with OFMDFM) and within Government so NIWEP will map these, as far as we can go, so we can begin to see what there is to build on
• we will develop a means, with your advice, to have ongoing discussions, maybe through a blog or an email link
• we will hold discussions with groups and networks
• we will hold a world café discussion in Cookstown
• we will bring all the Northern Ireland views to a roundtable hosted by the UKJCW (UK Joint Committee on Women) to be held in Cardiff on the 7 May – parallel work is taking place in England, Scotland and Wales through their networks of women
• the UKJCW will then publish the principles, ideas and requests so we can use the consultation in responding to the GEO

In the meantime, the UKJCW as well as NIWEP has been invited to a GEO meeting in London on 12 April which is a follow-up to CSW held in February of this year, but it is also going to discuss what is happening post-WNC.  NIWEP, as part of the ULJCW, is preparing a series of questions – probably questions rather than a position at this stage – to set out concerns and interests from across the UK.

We hope you will be involved and look forward to working with you on these issues.

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

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

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

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