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COMMITTEE ON THE
ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST
WOMEN (CEDAW)
Participation by
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
50th session (3 to 21 October 2011) and
Pre-session for the 52nd session (24 to 28 October 2011)
Geneva, Palais des Nations, Room XVI
I.
Consideration of Reports by State Parties
The Committee will
examine the reports of the following eight States parties during its 50th
session: Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Kuwait, Lesotho, Mauritius, Montenegro,
Oman and Paraguay, with respect to the implementation of the Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (the
Convention).
II.
Documentation
The reports of the eight
States parties to be considered at the 50th session, the provisional
agenda (CEDAW/C/2011/50/1) and other documents pertaining to the session
are available online at:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/cedaws50.htm
III.
Venue
The 50th session of the
Committee will take place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva in room
XVI. The pre-session working group for the 52nd session will also take
place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva in room XVI.
IV.
NGO Reports
In order to ensure that
it is as best informed as possible, the Committee and the pre-session
working group welcome representatives of national and international NGOs
to provide country-specific information on issues relevant to the implementation
of the Convention by the State parties under consideration. This can be
done orally and/or in writing. The Committee encourages international
NGOs and United Nations agencies, funds, programmes, and specialized
agencies to facilitate attendance at Committee and pre-session working
group sessions by representatives of national NGOs.
V.
Reports for the Session (3 to 21 October 2011)
NGOs wishing to submit
reports to the Committee are required to:
- Identify the full name of
the NGO;
- Indicate the country to
which the information relates;
- Indicate whether or not
the submission can be posted on the CEDAW website for public
information purposes; and
- Submit the report in Word
and pdf format by e-mail and thereafter submit 30 copies in hard
copy format.
In order to assist the
Committee in its work and due to the volume of submissions, NGOs are
requested to submit reports of no more than 10 pages and to provide
executive summaries highlighting the main priorities for the State
concerned and providing specific recommendations. All submissions should
arrive two weeks prior to the beginning of the session to the Secretariat
of the Committee, i.e., no later than 19 September 2011. The Word and pdf
versions of the report should be sent to the following e-mail address: cedaw@ohchr.org.
Hard copy submissions should be mailed to:
CEDAW Secretariat
OHCHR - Palais Wilson
52, rue des Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva
Switzerland
NGOs not attending a
session are urged to ensure that the requisite number of hard copies of
their reports/information reach OHCHR in time for the respective session.
Due to the large volume of information received from NGOs and other
stakeholders, OHCHR does not photocopy reports received from NGOs.
NGOs can also avail
themselves of the support of IWRAW Asia Pacific to submit their
alternative reports or information, electronically and/or in hard copy,
to the Secretariat. For details and deadlines, please contact IWRAW Asia
Pacific:
80-B, Jalan Bangsar
59200 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
Tel: +60 322 822 255
Fax: +60 322 832 552
Email: iwraw-ap@iwraw-ap.org
or
iwraw_ap @yahoo.com
In regard to the above,
it is noted that the Committee has the prerogative to take into account
all information submitted to it until the consideration of a report by a
State party has been concluded.
VI.
Reports for the Pre-Session Working Group (24 to 28 October 2011)
NGOs wishing to submit
reports to the pre-session working group should follow the same
requirements for submission of reports for the session as indicated
above. NGOs should send 10 copies of their reports two weeks prior to the
beginning of the pre-session working group, i.e., no later than 10
October 2011. (The pre-session working group prepares lists of issues and
questions for the States scheduled to be reviewed two sessions subsequent
to the current session.The State parties scheduled to be considered at
the 52nd session are: Bahamas, Bulgaria, Guyana, Indonesia, Jamaica,
Mexico, New Zealand and Samoa). The Word and pdf versions of the report
should be sent to the following e-mail address: cedaw@ohchr.org. Hard
copy submissions should be mailed to:
CEDAW Secretariat
OHCHR - Palais Wilson
52, rue des Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva
Switzerland.
VII.
Meetings with NGOs
The Committee has set
aside time at its 50th session for NGOs to provide oral information in
respect of countries being considered during the session. These formal
meetings are scheduled on 3 October 2011 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm for
countries that will be considered the first week (Oman, Paraguay,
Montenegro and Mauritius), and on 10 October 2011 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm
for countries that will be considered the second week (Lesotho, Chad,
Kuwait and Cote d'Ivoire). The meetings will take place in room XVI. For
the schedule of considerations of State parties' reports, please contact
the Secretariat.
Oral interventions by
NGOs must be concise. On average, not more than 10 minutes are allocated
for all NGOs wishing to intervene on one particular country. The
available time is divided amongst the NGOs wishing to speak on a country,
with time reserved for questions from Committee members. In view of the
normally tight time constraints, the consolidation of presentations by
subject is encouraged and appreciated. NGOs making oral interventions
should ensure that they bring 35 copies of their oral statements on the
morning of the presentation for circulation to the Committee and for
interpretation purposes in addition to any reports. Prior to the
presentation, NGOs are requested to send an electronic version of their
statements in Word and pdf format to: cedaw@ohchr.org.
The pre-session working
group also provides an opportunity for NGOs to address the Committee
concerning all countries that will be taken up at the 52nd session,
namely Bahamas, Bulgaria, Guyana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Mexico, New Zealand
and Samoa. This meeting will take place on 24 October 2011 from
approximately 11:30 am to 12:30 pm in room XVI. The paragraph above
relating to the oral interventions by NGOs is applicable to the
pre-session working group as well, except that NGOs need only bring 15
copies of their oral statement on the morning of the presentation for
circulation to the Committee and for interpretation purposes in addition
to any reports. Prior to the presentation, NGOs are requested to send an
electronic version of their statements in Word and pdf format to: cedaw@ohchr.org.
VIII.
Registration
NGO representatives who
wish to attend any sessions of the Committee or pre-session working group
are required to be duly registered. All NGOs representatives must
complete the online registration form for the 50th session, by 19
September 2011, at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social
Affairs' (DESA) CSO Net website.
How to
Pre-Register your NGO's Participation
Step
1. Prepare - Organizational Profile
- Before you start, make
sure your organization has an organizational profile in the United
Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs' (DESA) CSO Net
database, with a corresponding login and password.
- Generally, NGOs that have
participated in UN meetings in New York in the past already have
such a profile.
- If your organization does
not, please visit the following link to create a profile: http://goo.gl/8k9bL
- In this process, select
"Special Event"/Apply for ECOSOC Status" when asked
for your organization's objective. This will speed up your
application.
- Approval of this profile
can take up to 48 hours. You will receive an email with your login
and password details.
- You can only complete the
steps below with your organization's own login and password.
Step
2. The Session
- In left-hand column,
click "Conference Registration"
Step
3. Login
- Type in your login
information. See step 1 above.
Step
4. Designate Representatives
- Please provide details of
your proposed representative(s) to the event.
- You will receive a
confirmation email with instructions for obtaining a ground pass.
IX.
Ground Pass
Upon arrival at Palais
des Nations, representatives of NGOs are advised to enter through Pregny
Gate, United Nations Office at Geneva, Avenue de la Paix 8-14, Geneva,
Switzerland, and proceed to the registration desk. Hours of operation are
from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm.
In order to be properly
registered and to receive a grounds pass to enter the UN complex, you
must present:
- Confirmation of
registration e-mail; and
- A valid passport.
All participants are
responsible for making their own arrangements relating to travel and
accommodations as well as visas to enter Switzerland.
The Secretariat of CEDAW
does not provide assistance in this regard and is not in a position to
provide letters to the authorities of Switzerland for purposes of
obtaining a visa.
Representatives requiring
a visa to enter Switzerland are advised to apply as early as possible in
case any time is needed for special clearance by the Swiss authorities,
and ensure that the visa is received in time for travel. Past practice
shows that when applying for a Swiss visa, it is recommended that you
bring copies of this confirmation e-mail, as well as a letter prepared by
your NGO at the time of your appointment with the relevant Swiss
Consulate or Embassy.
X. Informal briefings
NGOs have access to a
separate room for approximately one hour briefing sessions for the
Committee during lunch. NGOs wishing to participate in such lunch
briefings should contact IWRAW Asia Pacific or may also contact the
Secretariat in this regard at cedaw@ohchr.org. NGOs wishing to organize
informal briefings must contact the Secretariat at least four weeks in
advance of the session indicating the focus of the briefing. The
secretariat will inform you if it is possible to accommodate your request
in light of all requests received as well as the availability of
Committee members.
X.
Additional Information
For further information
about the treaty bodies in general, specific information on CEDAW and on
the participation and role of civil society with respect to human rights
instruments, please consult the following links:
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