Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

Eighty-fifth session

Summary record of the 1998th meeting*

Held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on Friday, 26 May 2023, at 5 p.m.

Chair:Ms. Peláez Narváez

Contents

Adoption of the report of the Committee on its eighty-fifth session

Provisional agenda for the eighty-sixth session of the Committee

Statement by the Chair

Closure of the session

The meeting was called to order at 5 p.m.

Adoption of the report of the Committee on its eighty-fifth session

Provisional agenda for the eighty-sixth session of the Committee

Ms. Bethel (Rapporteur) said that she had the honour of introducing the Committee’s draft report on its eighty-fifth session, which was contained in document CEDAW/C/2023/II/L.1. She wished to draw attention to chapters II and III.

The Chair said she took it that the Committee wished to adopt those chapters.

It was so decided.

Ms. Bethel (Rapporteur) said that she also wished to draw attention to chapters I and IV to VII of the Committee’s draft report and to chapter VIII, which contained the provisional agenda for the eighty-sixth session. Chapters VI and VII contained the draft report of the Working Group of the Whole, which described the action taken by the Committee for the implementation of article 21 of the Convention and ways and means of expediting the work of the Committee.

The Chair said she took it that the Committee wished to adopt the report of the eighty-fifth session in its entirety, including the provisional agenda for the eighty-sixth session.

It was so decided.

The draft report of the Committee on its eighty-fifth session, as a whole, was adopted.

Statement by the Chair

The Chair said that, during the session, the Committee had considered eight State party reports, adopted concluding observations on those reports, held informal meetings with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and national human rights institutions (NHRIs), and attended lunchtime briefings organized by NGOs. The Committee had been pleased by the high level of engagement of local NGOs and NHRIs.

Thanks were due to the United Nations entities and other intergovernmental bodies that had provided the Committee with detailed information, including the inter-agency group on reporting to the Committee. A number of United Nations country teams had submitted their reports through the inter-agency group.

One of the highlights of the session had been the pilot back-to-back review of Sao Tome and Principe with the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The Committee had collaborated closely with the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the two Committees had issued a number of joint recommendations. She was grateful to Ms. Gbedemah and the other Committee members who had worked on that pioneering initiative.

She welcomed the progress made in rationalizing and harmonizing the Committee’s working methods and wished to thank the Chair of the Working Group on Working Methods, Ms. Ameline, and the Vice-Chair of the Group, Ms. Akizuki, for their efforts in developing processes for reviewing States parties in the absence of a delegation and identifying follow-up paragraphs in concluding observations. The Committee’s Working Group on Gender-based Violence against Women, which was chaired by Ms. Tisheva, had made good progress in developing a guidance note on the implementation of the Committee’s general recommendation No. 35 (2017) on gender-based violence against women, updating general recommendation No. 19.

The working group on the equal and inclusive participation of women in decision-making systems, led by Ms. Ameline and Ms. Stott Despoja, had made headway in developing the draft general recommendation on that subject. The working group on a future general recommendation on gender stereotyping, led by Ms. Bethel and Ms. Rana, had undertaken important preparatory work on a draft concept note related to the future general recommendation. A new task force on gender/sex self-identification had begun its work during the session.

The Committee’s task force on Afghanistan, which was chaired by Ms. Rana, had analysed information received from the de facto authorities in Kabul in response to the Committee’s request for information on the situation of women and girls in the country. Gratitude was due to the task force on Ukraine for having made preparations for a visit to the country to assist the Government in its efforts to follow up on the Committee’s concluding observations (CEDAW/C/UKR/CO/9).

She wished to thank Ms. Stott Despoja and Ms. Akia for their work on follow-up, which had enabled the Committee to adopt three follow-up assessments during the session. Thanks were also due to the Working Group on Communications, whose efforts had enabled the Committee to adopt three final decisions on individual communications. The Working Group on Inquiries had made good progress on several confidential inquiry proceedings, in connection with which requests for country visits had been sent to the States parties concerned.

During the session, the Committee had had positive exchanges with the Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences.

Closure of the session

Following the customary exchange of courtesies, the Chair declared the eighty-fifth session closed.

The meeting rose at 5.20 p.m.