Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Eighty-sixth session
Summary record of the 2028th meeting*
Held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on Friday, 27 October 2023, at 5 p.m.
Chair:Ms. Peláez Narváez
Contents
Adoption of the report of the Committee on its eighty-sixth session
Provisional agenda for the eighty-seventh 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-sixth session
Provisional agenda for the eighty-seventh session of the Committee
Ms. Bethel (Rapporteur) said that she had the honour of introducing the Committee’s draft report on its eighty-sixth session, which was contained in document CEDAW/C/2023/III/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-seventh 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‑sixth session in its entirety, including the provisional agenda for the eighty-seventh session.
It was so decided.
7.The draft report of the Committee on its eighty-sixth session, as a whole, was adopted.
Statement by the Chair
8.The Chair said that, during the session, the Committee had considered nine State party reports and adopted concluding observations on those reports, including provisional concluding observations on the review of Nicaragua in the absence of a delegation. The Committee had decided to request an exceptional report from the Democratic Republic of the Congo on conflict-related sexual violence in the State party’s eastern provinces.
9.The Committee had 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 NHRIs and local NGOs, particularly the women’s organizations from the States parties being reviewed. International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific had coordinated the country-specific briefings by NGOs, which had once again made significant contributions to the Committee’s work.
10.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 country team had sent representatives to Geneva to brief the Committee and two country teams had briefed the Committee remotely.
11.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 excellent work in enhancing the methods used to conduct constructive dialogues, assessing the pilot structure for constructive dialogues and amending the rules of procedure regarding provisional concluding observations.
12.The Committee’s working group on gender-based violence against women, which was chaired by Ms. Tisheva, had discussed the Committee’s candidacy for the chair of the Platform of Independent Expert Mechanisms on the Elimination of Discrimination and Violence against Women and the proposal to develop a second optional protocol to the Convention on the subject of violence against women.
13.The working group on the equal and inclusive participation of women in decision‑making systems, which was chaired by Ms. Ameline, had planned the next steps to be taken in the development of the Committee’s draft general recommendation on the subject, which was scheduled to be adopted at its eighty-ninth session in October 2024. Those steps included publishing the draft general recommendation online, inviting stakeholders to comment on the draft and organizing five regional consultancy meetings.
14.The task force on a future general recommendation on gender stereotyping, led by Ms. Bethel and Ms. Rana, had made significant progress in securing funding for the development of the general recommendation. The task force on gender/sex self-identification had prepared a road map of actions to be taken in 2024, which included briefings by experts and researchers on the issue of sex/gender self-identification.
15.The task force on Afghanistan, under the leadership of Ms. Rana, had analysed the concepts of gender persecution and gender apartheid in the context of Afghanistan, while the task force on Ukraine, chaired by Mr. Safarov, would ask United Nations agencies to brief the Committee on the situation of women and girls in Ukraine at the Committee’s eighty‑seventh session.
16.The sense of collegiality and solidarity within the Committee had enabled it to adopt a statement on the sensitive topic of Israel and Palestine, entitled “The Cause of Peace Is the Cause of Women”. The Committee had also adopted a statement on safeguarding girls’ lives, health and future through minimizing unintended pregnancies and guaranteeing access to safe abortion. That statement had been published on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child.
17.She wished to thank Ms. Stott Despoja and Ms. Akia for their work on follow-up, which had enabled the Committee to adopt two follow-up assessments. 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 and had discussed the country visits that the Working Group was planning to conduct. The Committee had conducted its first reading of the draft report on inquiry 2019/1, which it planned to adopt at the eighty-seventh session.
18.During the session, the Committee had organized a number of fruitful events and exchanges, including its annual meeting with the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, an informal meeting with the outgoing Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Mr. Victor Madrigal-Borloz, and a remote informal meeting with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Pramila Patten.
19.The Committee had been briefed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on the follow-up given to cases of femicide by national committees. It had also held a convivial meeting with members of the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Closure of the session
20.Following the customary exchange of courtesies, the Chair declared the eighty-sixth session closed.
The meeting rose at 5.20 p.m.