WUNRN

http://www.wunrn.com

Alert! CEDAW Pre-Session for  Czech Republic, Haiti, Iceland, Japan, Mongolia, Sweden, United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu.

Deadline for Submitting NGO Information is likely to be 5 June 2015.

Greetings from IWRAW AP. We support NGOs to engage with the CEDAW Committee. We are writing to alert you of opportunities for NGOs and women's groups from the above 8 countries to provide information for the CEDAW Committee.

The Pre-Session - What is it?

Because Czech Republic, Haiti, Iceland, Japan, Mongolia, Sweden, United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu have been scheduled for review by the CEDAW Committee at the 63rd session in Feb 2016, the Committee will first  hold a Pre-Session for the above countries from 27-31 July 2015. A smaller group from the Committee called the Pre-Session Working Group will make an initial assessment of the state report information during this time.  

The Pre-Session is very important, as it determines the direction, tone and issues for dialogue between the CEDAW Committee and your government during the CEDAW Session.

It is your last chance to get the government to submit written information on certain issues that the government may have overlooked or may be trying to avoid in its report. It is very important for NGOs to send information on issues related to women in their country for the CEDAW Pre-Session, as this can assist the CEDAW Committee's Pre-Session working group in framing the questions it will ask your government during the CEDAW review.

Your suggestions for the  list of issues and questions need not be long or complicated, as long as it allows the working group to better understand what is happening in your country. It should be structured article by article, from Articles 1-16 (which are the substantive articles of the CEDAW Convention). Please refer to shadow report guidelines for guidance on structuring of information.
http://www.iwraw-ap.org/cedaw/cedaw-sessions/cedaw-reporting-and-review-process (Best to Paste Link in Browser).

If you already have a draft shadow/alternative report, you can submit the draft with a list of issues and questions. Feedback from some Committee members is that they find lists of issues or executive summaries highlighting key issues, to be more helpful than exhaustive reports at this point. Therefore, if you intend to submit a draft or final version of your shadow/alternative report, we encourage you to highlight the key concerns, issues, and questions they would like the Committee to focus on in a list of issues and questions or in an executive summary.

Send your information to the CEDAW Committee's Secretariat by 5 June 2015 to cedaw@ohchr.org.

Please cc iwraw-ap@iwraw-ap.org as this helps us to keep track of reports submitted by NGOs.

In your email to the OHCHR do state if you information can be made public on their website or keep confidential.

Audrey Lee
IWRAW Asia Pacific