History of the OP-CEDAW

In 1993, the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna recommended the examination of the possibility of introducing the right to petition under the CEDAW Convention. This possibility was examined by an independent expert meeting in Maastricht in 1994 and, in 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing made the elaboration and ratification of the OP-CEDAW a key element of the follow-up to the commitments made by governments to women's human rights. In 1996, the open-ended working group of the Commission on the Status of Women, set up to draft the OP-CEDAW, met for the first time to consider views submitted by governments, inter-governmental and non governmental organisations. The drafting process took three years to complete and in December 1999, Human Rights Day, the OP-CEDAW was opened for signature, ratification and accession.

The OP-CEDAW was adopted in an effort to ensure and further the implementation of the CEDAW Convention in the 185 countries that ratified and hence are bound by it. Click here for list of CEDAW Convention States parties.

Optional Protocol to the CEDAW Convention Date of adoption in U.N. General Assembly - October 6th, 1999 Date of coming into force - December 22nd, 2000

 

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