Ninetieth session

Geneva, 3–21 February 2025

Item 2 of the provisional agenda

Adoption of the agenda and organization of work

Annotated provisional agenda

Provisional agenda

1.Opening of the session.

2.Adoption of the agenda and organization of work.

3.Report of the Chair on activities undertaken between the eighty-ninth and ninetieth sessions of the Committee.

4.Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

5.Follow-up to the consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention.

6.Implementation of articles 21 and 22 of the Convention.

7.Ways and means of expediting the work of the Committee.

8.Activities of the Committee under the Optional Protocol to the Convention.

9.Provisional agenda for the ninety-first session of the Committee.

10.Adoption of the report of the Committee on its ninetieth session.

Annotations

1.Opening of the session

The ninetieth session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women will be opened by the Chair of the Committee on 3 February 2025.

2.Adoption of the agenda and organization of work

Rule 9 of the rules of procedure provides that the first substantive item on the provisional agenda for any session shall be the adoption of the agenda. Rule 7 provides that the provisional agenda for each session shall be prepared by the Secretary-General in consultation with the Chair, in conformity with the relevant provisions of articles 17 to 22 of the Convention.

At its eighty-ninth session, the Committee approved the provisional agenda for its ninetieth session.

3.Report of the Chair on activities undertaken between the eighty-ninth and ninetieth sessions of the Committee

The Chair will provide a briefing to the Committee on her participation in activities and events having occurred since the previous session that had a bearing on the work of the Committee.

Documentation

Annotated provisional agenda (CEDAW/C/90/1)

4.Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

Article 18 of the Convention provides that States parties to the Convention shall submit to the Secretary-General, for consideration by the Committee, a report on the legislative, judicial, administrative or other measures that they have adopted to give effect to the provisions of the Convention and on the progress made in that respect. Reports are to be submitted within one year after the entry into force of the Convention for the State concerned and thereafter at least every four years and, further, whenever the Committee so requests.

The reports of the following States parties are scheduled to be considered at the ninetieth session of the Committee: Belarus, Belize, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Rule 51 of the rules of procedure provides that representatives of a State party shall be present at meetings of the Committee when the report of that State party is being examined and shall participate in discussions and answer questions concerning the report.

Rule 49 of the rules of procedure provides that, at each session, the Secretary-General shall notify the Committee of the non-receipt of any report required from a State party under article 18 of the Convention. The Secretary-General also regularly provides the Committee with a list of reports submitted by States parties to the Convention, as well as a list of reports submitted by States parties to the Convention that have not yet been considered by the Committee.

A pre-sessional working group of the Committee is convened before each session to prepare lists of issues and questions relating to reports for transmission to States parties before the meetings at which their reports are to be considered. The meeting of the pre-sessional working group for the ninetieth session, initially scheduled to be held from 3 to 7 June 2024, was cancelled owing to the ongoing liquidity crisis affecting the United Nations regular budget.

Documentation

Reports

Ninth periodic report of Belarus, submitted under the simplified reporting procedure (CEDAW/C/BLR/9)

Combined fifth to ninth periodic reports of Belize (CEDAW/C/BLZ/5-9)

Eighth periodic report of the Congo (CEDAW/C/COG/8)

Exceptional report of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (CEDAW/C/COD/EP/1)

Sixth periodic report of Liechtenstein, submitted under the simplified reporting procedure (CEDAW/C/LIE/6)

Eighth periodic report of Luxembourg, submitted under the simplified reporting procedure (CEDAW/C/LUX/8)

Seventh periodic report of Nepal (CEDAW/C/NPL/7)

Ninth periodic report of Sri Lanka (CEDAW/C/LKA/9)

Lists of issues and questions

Belarus (CEDAW/C/BLR/QPR/9)

Belize (CEDAW/C/BLZ/Q/5-9)

Congo (CEDAW/C/COG/Q/8)

Democratic Republic of the Congo (CEDAW/C/COD/QPR/EP/1)

Liechtenstein (CEDAW/C/LIE/QPR/6)

Luxembourg (CEDAW/C/LUX/QPR/8)

Nepal (CEDAW/C/NPL/Q/7)

Sri Lanka (CEDAW/C/LKA/Q/9)

Replies to the lists of issues and questions

Belize (CEDAW/C/BLZ/RQ/5-9)

Congo (CEDAW/C/COG/RQ/8)

Nepal (CEDAW/C/NPL/RQ/7)

Sri Lanka (CEDAW/C/LKA/RQ/9)

5.Follow-up to the consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention

The Committee will discuss matters relating to follow-up to concluding observations.

6.Implementation of articles 21 and 22 of the Convention

Article 21 of the Convention provides that the Committee may make suggestions and general recommendations based on the examination of the reports and information received from States parties. It also provides that such suggestions and general recommendations shall be included in the report of the Committee to the General Assembly, together with comments, if any, from States parties.

Article 22 of the Convention provides that the specialized agencies shall be entitled to be represented during the consideration of the implementation of such provisions of the Convention that fall within the scope of their activities and that the Committee may invite the specialized agencies to submit reports on the implementation of the Convention in those areas.

Documentation

Reports provided by the specialized agencies of the United Nations system on the implementation of the Convention in areas falling within the scope of their activities

7.Ways and means of expediting the work of the Committee

The Committee will discuss matters relating to its methods of work.

8.Activities of the Committee under the Optional Protocol to the Convention

The sixty-first session of the Working Group on Communications under the Optional Protocol will be held from 29 to 31 January 2025 in Geneva.

The thirtieth session of the Working Group on Inquiries under the Optional Protocol will be held on 30 and 31 January 2025 in Geneva.

At its ninetieth session, the Committee will continue to implement its mandate under articles 2 and 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention.

9.Provisional agenda for the ninety-first session of the Committee

Documentation

Annotated provisional agenda for the ninety-first session (CEDAW/C/91/1)

10.Adoption of the report of the Committee on its ninetieth session