93rd Session of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
5 – 30 October 2026
IWRAW Asia Pacific is an NGO that supports the CEDAW Committee and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in facilitating the participation of women’s rights organisations in the CEDAW review process.
Angola, Cabo Verde, Cook Islands, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Paraguay, Republic of Moldova, and Togo are scheduled for review at the 93rd CEDAW session, taking place from 5-30 October 2026.
- Please note that there may be changes to the schedule and/or modalities, owing also to the current liquidity situation of the United Nations. Please check the official session page and the NGO Information Note for up-to-date information.
The 93rd session will also be merged with the Pre-Session Working Group for Bangladesh, Barbados, Burundi, Guinea, Haiti, Jordan, Mali, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nigeria, and the Russian Federation.
The CEDAW review process provides women’s rights organisations, feminist groups, and NGOs with a vital opportunity to highlight key issues affecting women and girls, and to advocate for stronger implementation of the Convention at the national-level.
NGO Participation in the 93rd Session
It is essential for NGOs to engage directly with the CEDAW Committee to share their reflections on progress towards gender equality in the countries under review, highlight issues of concern, and influence recommendations made by the CEDAW Committee.
There are several ways NGOs can participate in the 93rd session:
Submit a Shadow Report to the CEDAW Committee
NGOs are encouraged to submit shadow reports providing independent information on their State’s progress and remaining challenges in implementing CEDAW.
Submission Guidelines:
- Reports must be submitted as a Word document through the CEDAW online submission system: https://events.ohchr.org/
- Reports should be written in one of the working languages of the Committee (English, French, or Spanish).
- The word limitis 3,300 words, or 6,600 words for coalition reports (including footnotes).
- If you have submitted a pre-session report, you have an opportunity to present updated shadow report information. It is important that your updated report addresses the issues raised in the CEDAW Committee’s List of Issues and Questions, which is how the Committee prioritises issues for the review, and seeks to address gaps in the state report. Please see the 93rd CEDAW session page for your country’s List of Issues and Questions.
- Please refer to IWRAW Asia Pacific’s website for guidance on preparing shadow reports, including thematic and issue-specific submissions, here.
Deadline: The deadline for NGO submissions via the Online Submission System is 4 September 2026.
Engaging with the CEDAW Committee at the 93rd Session
NGOs which have submitted a shadow report will have opportunities to engage directly with the CEDAW Committee during the review. IWRAW Asia Pacific will facilitate NGO participation and engagement during the session, including
- Informal public meetings with NGOs:
- Oral interventions by NGOs are permitted during this public meeting with the Committee and State Delegates. A maximum of 10 minutes is available per country, to be shared by all NGOs. Please indicate your interest in delivering an oral statement at the public informal meeting on the online submission system at the time of submission of written information, with your contact details.
- Private ‘lunchtime’ briefing with the CEDAW Committee:
- NGOs will have an opportunity to privately brief the CEDAW Committee in a country-specific meeting before the Constructive Dialogue is held with the respective State delegates. It is an opportunity to answer any questions raised by Committee members during the informal public meeting and/or new questions that arise during the private briefing.
- NGO Coordination Meeting
- Organised by IWRAW Asia Pacific, the NGO Coordination Meeting is a modality recognised by the OHCHR/CEDAW Secretariat and the CEDAW Committee to organise and coordinate NGOs participating in the public informal meeting.
- From Global to Local Programme
- IWRAW Asia Pacific’s independent programme, which facilitates the participation of feminist organisations in the CEDAW review process through providing training, mentoring, capacity building, orientation, and advocacy support in Geneva.
Further details on NGO participation, registration, and logistics will be closer to the session.
Dates for your calendar
Friday, 4 September 2026
Deadline for submission of shadow reports for Angola, Cabo Verde, Cook Islands, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Moldova, Paraguay and Togo | Submission deadline for list of issues of Bangladesh and the tenth periodic report of the Russian Federation as well as the lists of issues prior to reporting for Barbados, Burundi, Guinea, Haiti, Jordan, Mali, Micronesia and Nigeria.
Sunday, 4 October
NGO Coordination Meeting (Kazakhstan, Cook Islands, Kenya, and the Republic of Moldova)
Monday, 5 October
Public NGO meeting (Kazakhstan, Cook Islands, Kenya, and the Republic of Moldova)
Private lunch briefing (Kazakhstan)
Tuesday, 6 October
Constructive Dialogue (Kazakhstan)
Private lunch briefing (Cook Islands)
Wednesday, 7 October
Constructive Dialogue (Cook Islands)
Private lunch briefing (Kenya)
Thursday, 8 October
Constructive Dialogue (Kenya)
Private lunch briefing (Republic of Moldova)
Friday, 9 October
Constructive Dialogue (Republic of Moldova)
Sunday, 11 October
NGO Coordination Meeting (Paraguay, Togo, Angola and Cabo Verde)
Monday, 12 October
Public NGO meeting (Paraguay, Togo, Angola and Cabo Verde)
Private lunch briefing (Paraguay)
Tuesday, 13 October
Constructive Dialogue (Paraguay)
Private lunch briefing (Togo)
Wednesday, 14 October
Constructive Dialogue (Togo)
Private lunch briefing (Angola)
Thursday, 15 October
Constructive Dialogue (Angola)
Private lunch briefing (Cabo Verde)
Friday, 16 October
Constructive Dialogue (Cabo Verde)
Monday, 26 October
Public NGO Meeting
Lists of issues (Bangladesh, Russian Federation) and lists of issues prior to reporting (Barbados, Burundi, Guinea, Haiti, Jordan, Mali, Micronesia and Nigeria)
Spread the Word
We invite you to share this information widely among women’s rights organisations, feminist networks, and civil society groups engaged in advancing gender equality and women’s human rights.
If your organisation, collective, or coalition is preparing a shadow report for the 93rd session, please contact the IWRAW Asia Pacific team for guidance and coordination support at iwraw-ap@iwraw-ap.org, with a copy to vashti@iwraw-ap.org. We will host online information sessions in the coming weeks to review the above information and answer any questions. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out if further clarification is needed.