CEDAW, International Conventions and UN Bodies /

Other Conventions and UN Bodies

Sun, 01 Mar 2009

Universal Period Review (UPR)

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a process within the United Nations wherein all 192 member states are reviewed every four years for their implementation and adherence to human rights treaties. The UPR is driven by member states under the guidance of the Human Rights Council. During the review, countries have the opportunity to declare what actions they have implemented to meet their human rights obligations.

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Mon, 24 Nov 2008

National Anti-Poverty Organization reports "Canada failing to uphold human rights of women, UN committee observes"

“This new report is a wake-up call for our governments, but in particular the federal
government which is primarily responsible for ensuring Canada abides by this Convention,” says
Elaine Garland, President of the National Anti-Poverty Organization (NAPO). “The UN is urging
Canada to ensure that, as a matter of human rights, anyone on social assistance receives sufficient
income to attain an adequate standard of living. To do otherwise is to ensure grinding, debilitating

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Mon, 28 Jan 2008

Canada Announces Policy to Table International Treaties in House of Commons

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
January 25, 2008
No. 20

The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that the Government of Canada has changed the way it signs on to international treaties.

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UNITED NATIONS REFORM: HOW TO STRENGTHEN GENDER ARCHITECTURE?

The United Nations Non-governmental Liaison Service (NGLS), in collaboration with the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), organized a parallel event entitled “United Nations Reform: How to Strengthen Gender Architecture?” during the fifty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

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ACTION NEEDED TO GAIN STRONGER GENDER EQUALITY ARCHITECTURE

To date, there has been widespread support for strengthening the United Nations Gender Equality Architecture (GEA), as recommended in the report of the Coherence Panel, including from the new Secretary General and the president of the General Assembly. This is not the case for the entire report, called “Delivering as One.” Yet, many member states are urging that the Panel report be considered as a whole, meaning that all of its recommendations be taken together.

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Gender Justice: A Citizen’s Guide to International Financial Accountability at International Financial Institutions

In July 2007, with support from the Heinrich Boll Foundation, Gender Action, along with the Center for International Environmental Law released Gender Justice: A Citizen’s Guide to International Financial Accountability at International Financial Institutions. This first Guide comparing IFI gender policies and accountability mechanisms provides tools for women and men harmed by gender discrimination in IFI investments to use these mechanisms to seek redress.

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8th Meeting of Women’s Affairs Ministers from Commonwealth Countries Brings People from around the World to Address Equality

Representatives from Commonwealth organizations, professional associations, and civil society organizations recently met for one of the year’s largest summits on women’s rights and gender equality.

At the meeting, delegates discussed ways to track funds and enhance resources for promoting gender equality and member countries reflected on progress made on the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005-2015.

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Thu, 14 Jun 2007

Commonwealth women in dire straits

Rashmee Roshan Lall
The Times of India
June 14 2007

KAMPALA: In a moment of truth for the 53-country Commonwealth, which counts every third human being on the planet as a Commonwealth citizen, it has just acknowledged that the majority of its women are in dire straits.

Women's affairs ministers from 32 Commonwealth countries, including India's Renuka Chowdhry, ended a two-day meeting here on Thursday with a dispiriting laundry list of the problems faced by women and girls across the Commonwealth, from Belize to Bangladesh.

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Mon, 04 Jun 2007

New United Nations Agency for Women?

On November 9 2006, the Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on System-Wide Coherence released its report, Delivering as One. This report recommends the establishment of one dynamic UN entity focused on gender equality and women’s empowerment, headed by an Executive Director with the rank of Under Secretary-General. This gender entity would consolidate the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues (OSAGI) and UNIFEM, the three existing UN entities which currently deal with women’s equality and empowerment.

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Thu, 24 May 2007

Gender Equality as Smart Economics: A World Bank Group Gender Action Plan

In September 2006, the World Bank released its Gender Action Plan (GAP) entitled Gender Equality as Smart Economics, which covers the 2007-2010 time frame.

The Action Plan seeks to advance women’s economic empowerment in order to promote shared growth, gender equality and women’s empowerment. The World Bank claims this will not only benefit women, but society as a whole. According to the GAP report, “the business case for expanding women’s economic opportunities is becoming increasingly evident; this is nothing more than smart economics.”

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