Building towards Eastern European and Central Asia NGOs Coalition
on Optional Protocol to CEDAW

The project aims at building capacity of women’s NGOs in CEE/CIS to use OP CEDAW to forward women’s rights. It is planned for two years 2008-2009 and is being implemented in two steps. During the first step women’s NGOs in four countries: Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, were involved. The NGOs from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan has joined the project in 2009.

The project is now being implemented in partnership with partner organizations in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and with IWRAW Asia Pacific.

Although the significant number of women’s NGOs in CEE/CIS countries have used CEDAW reporting mechanism to influence the state policy in the area of gender equality, most women’s NGOs in the region lack the practical knowledge of OP CEDAW and of how it can be used to counteract the discrimination of women and violation of women’s rights. There is also no specific regional forum to share experience and information related to the issue. The project aims at filling this gaps and at developing the strategic approach to using OP CEDAW.

The project aims at building capacity of women’s NGOs in CEE/CIS to use OP CEDAW to counteract discrimination against women.

• Creating platform for sharing experience and information.

• Trainings for representatives of women’s NGOs aimed at increasing the understanding of CEDAW convention, general recommendations and Optional Protocol as tools for strengthening women’s rights and at developing skills to file a complaint to the CEDAW Committee under the Optional Protocol;
• Media campaigns.

The implementation of the project is possible thanks to the financial support of OXFAM Novib