Publications
- Without Prejudice: CEDAW and the Determination of Women’s
Rights in a Legal and Cultural Context (Commonwealth Secretariat, forthcoming
2010). This book looks at the range of cultural challenges to the implementation
of CEDAW, and the different approaches adopted in various jurisdictions
and contexts across the Commonwealth. Commonwealth declarations in
support of CEDAW, and initiatives from numerous Commonwealth countries,
are brought together here to support continuing efforts to address
these issues. This practical guide will help judges, adjudicators,
and practicing lawyers in all common law jurisdictions to advance the
implementation of the principles of CEDAW. It will be launched at the
9th Commonwealth Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Women’s Affairs
in Barbados, June 2010. For detailed information and to be
notified when the book is available, visit
the website.
- Raising
up the Roof: Activists Construct Women's Human Rights Using CEDAW (IWRAW
Asia Pacific, forthcoming in mid-2010). This publication examines
how nationally based women's rights advocates have used CEDAW and
its UN monitoring process in creative ways to build pressure for
political change at home. The book extends previous discussions of
the role of non-governmental organizations in the process of human
rights norm internalization by focusing on the ways that nationally
and locally based women's rights advocates have used the treaty body
monitoring process to fundamentally change the context in which they
work, by what we might call “globalizing justice.” The book aims
to capture the experiences of women at the national level in using
CEDAW for women's human rights advocacy and to facilitate sharing
of best practices and lessons learned so that innovative uses of
CEDAW by advocates can be replicated. For updates on the publication
schedule please visit www.iwraw-ap.org/publications.htm.
Time
for Action: CEDAW Implementation in Southeast Asia (UNIFEM
2009). This publication presents the various ways in which both
governments and civil society actors have used the UN Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW) to bring the promise of non-discrimination and equality
one step closer to reality for women. It shows how CEDAW has
been used in seven countries in Southeast Asia — Cambodia, Indonesia,
Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam
— to advocate for stronger legal frameworks that prohibit discrimination
against women and advance women’s human rights, to sensitize
the justice system to protect the rights of women, and to guide
local development and budget allocation processes. It demonstrates
the innovative ways in which civil society organizations are
popularizing CEDAW, reaching out to excluded groups of women,
and using it as a means to hold their governments accountable.
Going
CEDAW in the Philippines (UNIFEM 2009). This publication
is a collection of stories of how the UNIFEM CEDAW Southeast Asia
Programme partners in the Philippines have brought life to CEDAW
to advance gender equality in the Philippines. The programme, with
support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA),
worked with a wide range of actors in government — executive, legislature
and judiciary, organized women’s groups, schools and media — to change
legislation, fight discriminatory practices, open doors for women
to access justice and more. The stories demonstrate what it means
to “implement CEDAW” and highlight lessons learned and good practices,
which may be replicated not just in the Philippines but in other
similarly situated countries as well.
Recomendaciones
Legislativas del Comité CEDAW a los Países Latinoamericanos
(UNDP, AECID, UNIFEM 2009). Este documento recoge sistemáticamente
las recomendaciones específicas en materia legislativa hechas por
el Comité CEDAW a los países latinoamericanos, que puede ser de interés
para el Encuentro de parlamentarias de la región. Los poderes legislativos
son destinatarios de recomendaciones del Comité CEDAW y en reiteradas
ocasiones los ha instado a que, de conformidad con su reglamento
y cuando proceda, adopten las medidas necesarias en lo que respecta
a la aplicación de las observaciones finales para sus respectivos
países.
Domestic
Violence Legislation and its Implementation: An Analysis for ASEAN
Countries Based on International Standards and Good Practices (UNIFEM
2009). This publication is a collation of two research papers that
UNIFEM commissioned for the ASEAN regional workshop on domestic violence
legislation held in Hanoi on 20-21 October 2008. The inadequate recognition
of domestic violence as a human rights violation has slowed down
state action on de jure obligations under CEDAW and other international
instruments. The papers aim to analyse relevant legislation on domestic
violence in ASEAN countries and global good practices. They were
prepared mainly through a desk review of domestic laws in ASEAN countries
as well as existing research and knowledge of international standards
and good practices at the national, regional and international levels.
Gender
Equality Laws – Global Good Practice and a Review of Five Southeast
Asian Countries (UNIFEM 2009).
This publication comprehensively examines and analyses gender equality
laws from around the world, providing a range of CEDAW-informed good
practice examples. It addresses the need for clear recommendations
on gender equality laws, particularly the benefits of such laws,
the essential provisions, and the substance of good practice gender
equality laws. This is an invaluable resource to both government
and non-governmental actors alike in the development of new gender
equality laws and the implementation of such existing laws.
Evaluation
Report of the UNIFEM Programme Facilitating CEDAW Implementation
in Southeast Asia (CEDAW SEAP) (UNIFEM 2009). The evaluation
of the programme “Facilitating the Implementation of the Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in
Southeast Asia” represents the first corporate evaluation completed
by UNIFEM within the framework of the organization’s Strategic Plan
2008–2011. It assesses the effectiveness, relevance and sustainability
of the programme, and provides recommendations on how it can be further
implemented to effectively build on partnerships, experiences and
achievements, provide support for ongoing learning, and enhance the
use of results-based management.
Programming
to Address Violence Against Women. 8 Case Studies Volume 2 (UNFPA
2009). This is the second volume in a series that
documents best practices in preventing and responding to violence
against women. These eight case studies feature initiatives from
Algeria, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka
and Zimbabwe, implemented by governments and other partners with
support from UNFPA. They can inform efforts on ending violence against
women, which is both a human rights violation and a public health
concern.
Translating
CEDAW into Law: CEDAW Legislative Compliance in Nine Pacific Island
Countries (UNDP, UNIFEM 2007). This publication presents
the results of a desk review conducted to assess if, how, and the
degree to which, the national laws of nine Pacific countries — the
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands,
Papua New Guinea (PNG), Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu
— comply with CEDAW. This review assesses legislative (de jure)
compliance with CEDAW rather than real or actual equality (de facto).
Programming
to Address Violence Against Women: Ten Case Studies (UNFPA
2007). This publication documents UNFPA's experience addressing many
forms of violence against women. Intended primarily for development
practitioners and others seeking to change attitudes and practices,
it offers lessons that can help scale up responses. Projects in Bangladesh,
Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Romania, Sierra
Leone and Turkey are discussed. Some of the principles derived from
the case studies are summarized in a complementary handbook, Ending
Violence Against Women, and a number of the cases were later
documented on film in the series Women
on the Front Line. 
Budgeting
for Women’s Rights: Monitoring Government Budgets for Compliance
with CEDAW (UNIFEM 2006).
This publication elaborates on how budgets and budget policy making
processes can be monitored for compliance with human rights standards,
in particular CEDAW. Combining substantive analysis with country
examples, the publication explores how a rights-based budget analysis
can be applied to public expenditure, public revenue, macroeconomics
of the budget, and budget decision-making.
Women’s and Children’s Rights in a Human Rights-Based Approach
to Development (UNICEF 2005).
This paper examines the linkages between children’s and women’s rights
in the context of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW). The paper demonstrates how reading these conventions
together can enrich the promotion and protection of children’s and
women’s rights, linking to effective programming by States and international
agencies in these areas.
1995-2003:
Have Women Progressed? Latin American Index of Fulfilled Commitment (FLACSO
Chile, UNIFEM 2005). This publication summarizes measurement of
the Latin American Index of Fulfilled Commitment (IFC) from 1995
to 2003 in 18 countries of the region. The index measures the degree
of fulfillment of commitments on gender equality made by governments
and reveals progress and setbacks at the national level. Results
of this exercise indicate that governments must redouble their efforts
to achieve gender equality within reasonable time frames.
Pathway
to Gender Equality: CEDAW, Beijing and the MDGs (GTZ,
UNIFEM 2004).
“Pathway to Gender Equality” details how the synergy between CEDAW,
the Beijing Platform for Action and the Millennium Development Goals
can be used to generate a wealth of understanding and knowledge that
portrays the nature of gender-based discrimination and defines the
steps needed to achieve gender equality. It outlines how CEDAW and
the Beijing Platform for Action can be used as a lens to understand
and address the gender equality dimensions of the MDGs, which in
turn can help to ensure that the pursuit of the MDGs is based on
principled conviction and results in effective development.
Turning
the Tide: CEDAW and the Gender Dimensions of the HIV/AIDS Pandemic (UNIFEM
2001). This publication contributes to understanding how the world’s
foremost blueprint for women’s human rights can be put to work to
address the HIV and AIDS pandemic from a gender perspective. Various
aspects of the pandemic are discussed, such as gender-based violence,
sexual exploitation, access to health services, gender inequality
and safer sex, and issues of care and care-giving. The publication
is an invaluable resource for groups and organizations working in
the area of HIV and AIDS. It explores the standards established by
CEDAW and clarifies how they apply in the prevention
of HIV and AIDS in women.
Bringing
Equality Home: Implementing the Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (UNIFEM
1998). This publication documents legal reforms
in countries that have made constitutional changes, dealt with landmark
cases, and passed national laws to ensure equality for women. It
tells of the success stories, as well as the exceptions, to provide
encouragement and insight into how CEDAW has influenced these processes,
what gains have been achieved and what needs to continue to build
on these advancements. It is an inspirational resource for women’s
human rights advocates, government representatives, policy makers
and anyone else interested in gender equality as an integral part
of human rights.
