WUNRN
The
primary focus of the conference was on mechanisms for implementation of
national laws for gender equality, as part of an on-going discussion at the UN
Human Rights Council and with the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Committee on whether the UN should
establish a special rapporteur or another mechanism to support governments in implementing
their existing commitments.
ADVANCING
WOMEN'S RIGHTS THROUGH NATIONAL LAWS
SLOVENIA
CONFERENCE - YWCA
World
YWCA - 17/05/2010
Nyaradzayi
Gumbonzvanda, General Secretary World YWCA
"In Mexico, if you kill a neighbor’s cow, the sentence is higher than if you kill your wife as a result of jealousy, because jealousy is a mitigating circumstance," Maria de los Angeles Corte Rios, General Director of the Center for the advancement of women and gender equality.
On May 13 2010, the message at the centre of the one day conference on Advancing Women’s Rights through National Laws, held in Lubljana, Slovenia, hosted by the Government of Slovenia and the Norwegian Embassy, was that “Thirty years after the adoption of CEDAW and fifteen years after the world committed to the Beijing Platform for action, women and girls are still not yet fully protected by national laws”.
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, General Secretary of the World YWCA, was a co-moderator at this conference, which was officially opened by the President of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Turk, with a Keynote presentation from the Slovenia Speaker of Parliament, Dr France Cukjati. Other participants included representatives from European countries, Mexico, Bangladesh, Jordan, Irak and Zimbabwe attended the Conference, as well as representatives from the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and two members of the CEDAW Committee.
The primary focus of the conference was on mechanisms for implementation of national laws for gender equality, as part of an on-going discussion at the UN Human Rights Council and with the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Committee on whether the UN should establish a special rapporteur or another mechanism to support governments in implementing their existing commitments.
Sheila Matindike, General Secretary of the YWCA of Zimbabwe, was a panelist sharing on how difficult it is to implement any laws when the justice system of a country has collapsed and the country has fragile governance. She stressed the importance of international solidarity, support and assistance to countries in post crisis situations, enabling them to restore the rule of law and promote gender justice.
“This consultation has gone a long way in providing clarity and guidance to us as countries, as we prepare for the September 2010 session of the Human Rights Council. Our commitment to women’s rights remains, as we seek a stronger United Nations that delivers on gender equality” stressed Katrina Guro Vikor, Norway’s Ambassador to Slovenia.
As an outcome of the conference, there was a general agreement that a special mechanism was desirable. There is also concern of duplication with existing structures, as well as the costs, which would be incurred.
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