Implementing CEDAW

Activities in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (2008 -2012)

Karat in cooperation with IWRAW Asia Pacific promoted the little known in the Region CEDAW’s instrument – the Optional Protocol to CEDAW Convention. We spread the knowledge about this document among the organizations from the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan). The protocol allows to submit the individual complain to the CEDAW Committee (it monitors the convention’s implementation) against the State by a person who considers that the State has violated their rights guaranteed by the CEDAW Convention (read more about the Optional Protocol).

One of the tangible results was the ratification by Tajikistan influenced by the partner organization’s  advocacy activities of the Optional Protocol to CEDAW Convention.

Activities in Poland (2010-2017)

Advocacy for implementation of CEDAW Convention, as well as spreading the knowledge about the convention itself were carried on in cooperation with organizations working for women’s rights in Poland, which are part of the Coalition for CEDAW coordinated by Karat.

Within the advocacy activities we prepared the  alternative report on how Poland implement the Convention in practice. The report was sent twice to the CEDAW Committee. For the first time for the Committee’s Working Session and the Committee formulated the additional questions to the Polish government (March 2014). The second time for the 59th Session of the Committee where the Polish government presented its own official report on the issue (October 2014). The Coalition for CEDAW also sent a list of proposed questions to the Committee’s Working Session that the Committee used to formulate queries to Poland.

The representatives of the Coalition for CEDAW took part in both sessions of the Committee making sure that the Committee in its questions and recommendations for Poland takes  into account the conclusions and recommendations formulated in the alternative report. During the 59th Session the  Coalition for CEDAW presented its official statement.  The advocacy brought good effects as both the Committee’s questions as well as its recommendations formulated in the Concluding Observations to Poland took into account the postulates of the Coalition for CEDAW.

The next stage of the Coalition for CEDAW’s activities was to monitor the implementation of the Committee’s recommendations, promote them among the civil servants and exert pressure on state institutions which are responsible for their implementation. We sent  the letters and questionnaires to the relevant ministries and offices, and organized the round table meetings in cooperation with the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights and with the support of the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment. The round table meetings brought together the representatives of relevant ministries and institutions, representatives of non-governmental organizations, academics, researchers and other social actors.