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http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=10897&LangID=E -
Full OHCHR Press Release
25 March 2011
......In the resolution on discrimination against women, the Council called upon States to fulfil their obligations and commitments to revoke any remaining laws that discriminate on the basis of sex and remove gender bias in the administration of justice, taking into account that those laws violate their human right to be protected against discrimination. It decided to establish, for a period of three years, a Working Group of five independent experts on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice......
The
UN Human Rights Council named Emma Aouij, Mercedes Barquet, Kamala
Chandrakirana, Frances Raday and Eleonora Zielinska for the Working Group on
the Issue of Discrimination Against Women in Law and Practice........
____________________________________________________________________
Human
Rights Council Establishes Working Group on
Discrimination
against Women in Law and Practice
Human Rights Council - 1 October 2010
The Human Rights Council this morning adopted a resolution in which it established for a period of three years a Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practise, and a decision in which it decided to hold a panel discussion on human rights in the context of action taken to address terrorist hostage-taking with a special focus on the primary responsibility of States.
A proposed amendment on the draft resolution on discrimination against women by Saudi Arabia, to include a reference to international legislation, was thoroughly discussed by speakers, and finally rejected. The sponsors of the resolution hastened to point out that there had been full consultations on the text, and felt that the proposed amendment introduced limitations, and said that the Council could not accept a caveat or a reservation along the proposed lines when what it was talking about was discrimination against women. Speakers in favour of the amendment said that the protection and promotion of human rights was ultimately the task of national Governments, in accordance with their commitments under international law to protect and promote women's rights and eliminate discrimination, and therefore the amendment should be included. The Council then adopted the original text without a vote.
In the resolution on discrimination against women, the Council called upon States to fulfil their obligations and commitments to revoke any remaining laws that discriminate on the basis of sex and remove gender bias in the administration of justice, taking into account that those laws violate their human right to be protected against discrimination. It decided to establish, for a period of three years, a Working Group of five independent experts on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practise.
In the decision on human rights and issues related to terrorist hostage-taking, the Council decided to convene a panel discussion at its sixteenth session on the issue of human rights in the context of action taken to address terrorist hostage-taking with a special focus on the primary responsibility of State to protect and promote human rights for all in their jurisdiction, on the strengthening of international cooperation to prevent and combat terrorism and on the protection of the rights of all victims of terrorism involved.
Introducing texts were Colombia, Mexico and Nigeria.
Speaking in general comments were Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Norway, Mauritania, United Kingdom, Libya, Qatar, China, United States, Nigeria, Djibouti, Pakistan, Bahrain, Mexico, and Jordan.
Speaking in explanations of the vote before the vote were Belgium on behalf of the European Union, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
The next meeting of the Council will be at noon when the Council will adopt the outcomes of the Universal Periodic Reviews of Guinea-Bissau and Kiribati.
Action on Resolution and Decision Under the Agenda Item on the Promotion and Protection of All Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Action on Resolution on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
In a resolution (A/HRC/15/L.15) regarding the elimination of discrimination
against women, adopted without a vote, the Council calls upon States to fulfil
their obligations and commitments to revoke any remaining laws that
discriminate on the basis of sex and remove gender bias in the administration
of justice, taking into account the fact that those laws violate the human
right of women to be protected against discrimination; recognizes that women’s
inequality before the law has resulted in the lack of equal opportunities for
women in education, access to health, economic participation, access to labour
markets and disparities in salaries and compensation, public and political
participation, access to decision-making processes, inheritance, ownership of
land, financial services, including loans, and nationality and legal capacity,
as well as increased vulnerability to discrimination and violence, and that all
countries face challenges in these areas; emphasizes the significant role that
women play in economic development and in the eradication of poverty, and
stresses the need to promote equal pay for equal work or work of equal value
and for promoting the recognition of the value of women’s unremunerated work,
as well as for developing and promoting policies that facilitate the
reconciliation of employment and family responsibilities; calls upon States to
pay particular attention to discrimination against women in situations of
vulnerability, such as women living in poverty, migrant women, women with
disabilities, and women belonging to minorities; decides to establish, for a
period of three years, a working group of five independent experts, of balanced
geographical representation, on the issue of discrimination against women in
law and practice; requests the working group to contribute to the provision of
technical assistance or advisory services by the Office of the High
Commissioner to better promote the elimination of discrimination against women;
requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights to provide all the necessary human and financial assistance to the
Working Group for the effective fulfilment of its mandate; and decides to
continue consideration of this question in conformity with the annual programme
of work of the Council.