IPS Partners with UNIFEM to Mark the 30th Anniversary of CEDAW

Posted by sabina on September 21, 2009

Credit: Many Eyes

On 18 December 2009 the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) will mark its 30th anniversary.

 Often described as an international bill of rights for women, CEDAW provides the basis for realizing equality between women and men. In a very real sense CEDAW is the legal bedrock upon which a goal like MDG3 ”Promote gender equality and empower women” rests. Since its adoption by the UN General Assembly 186 countries have ratified the Convention.

UNIFEM and many other women’s organisations are looking to the opportunity that the 30th anniversary offers both to assess progress, and to underscore the continuing need to press for full implementation of CEDAW.  A celebration event will be held on December 3.

IPS wants to add a communication component to these efforts by commissioning a series of articles, columns from international leading thinkers and interviews to be published until December.

All the articles are being featured on the new Women in the News / Las Mujeres son Noticia websites and in The Gender Wire newsletter, which has already attracted more than 3,000 subscribers.

IPS is already co-operating with the ”Pathways to Empowerment” initiative to gather the stories of CEDAW’s first 30 years.

This work is undertaken within the framework of our overall programme “Communicating for Change: Getting Voice, Visibility and Impact for Gender Equality”.