CEDAW in 2007 - 2008: Preparing for the Upcoming Review of Canada at the United Nations

Webcast

To listen to the webcast of two kay panels from this meeting, click here : http://www.webcastcanada.ca/fafia-afai-oxfam [1]

About the Strategy Session

FAFIA and Oxfam Canada partnered to host a strategic discussion (Friday, March 9th and Saturday, March 10th ) regarding the upcoming United Nations review of Canada under the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) expected in late 2007 or early 2008. During this meeting, we began a discussion about the framework for FAFIA’s shadow report to the UN Committee, with a particular emphasis on women’s poverty. This discussion will be continued at FAFIA’s Annual General Meeting (scheduled to take place this fall) so that all of FAFIA’s members, partners and friends have the opportunity to contribute to the development of this report.

Panels

As a result of the limited resources and spaces available for this strategy session, two key panels were webcast. The first panel features three representatives from Oxfam Canada’s partners around the globe who plan to discuss their respective strategies for advancing women’s human rights in their countries. They are: Zubeda Dangor from South Africa, Clothilde Proveyer from the University of Havana, Cuba, and Lilian Giovana Lemus Perez of the the Network of Non-Violence Against Women, Guatemala.

The second panel brought together representatives from several organizations who have been calling for significant improvements to Canada’s poverty alleviation approaches. They include Sheila Regehr from the National Council of Welfare, Trish Hennessey from the Growing Gap Project (the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives), Lucie LaMarche, the Gordon Henderson Chair in Human Rights at the University of Ottawa, and Anu Bose with the National Organization of Visible Minority Women of Canada.

Why is FAFIA Partnering with Oxfam Canada?

In addition to the long-standing work of women’s organizations throughout the country, Oxfam Canada has recently made a strategic decision to shift its programming, including its campaign and advocacy work in Canada, to focus on women’s human rights. FAFIA’s partnership with Oxfam will assist us to situate our work in the global context, and enable women’s organizations from here and around the world to share strategies and challenges regarding the implementation of women’s human rights in their regions .

FAFIA’s Preparations for the Federal Budget

During the two days of meeting, FAFIA also examined the potential implications for women of the proposed resolution(s) to the « fiscal imbalance ». As is widely expected, the federal budget will contain additional monies for transfers to provinces and territories. Without a coordinated federal/provincial/territorial strategy on resource sharing, we are concerned that access to services and supports, particularly outside of Québec, such as housing, legal aid, women’s shelters, childcare, stable employment, and language training (all identified by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women) will continue to deteriorate in many places across the country.

Read FAFIA’s outcome document, Women’s Equality and the Fiscal Imbalance, by clicking here : http://www.fafia-afai.org/en/node/417 [2]

Read FAFIA’s federal budget analysis, Not A Budget for Women, by clicking here :
http://www.fafia-afai.org/en/node/425 [3]

Canada’s Next CEDAW Report

The United Nations is expected to review Canada’s performance under the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in late 2007 or early 2008. Canada’s official report to the UN Committee on Discrimination against Women was due to be submitted in January 2007. While Canada is often regarded as a global leader on women’s human rights, we know that there is still much more to be done, particularly given Canada’s wealth and resources.

This is reflected in the repeated recommendations from several UN committees regarding the lack of meaningful access to services and programs on which women rely.

To view the recommendations from the most recent review by the UN of Canada under CEDAW, see: http://www.fafia-afai.org/en/node/189 [4]