Information on the 81st CEDAW Session
IWRAW Asia Pacific is an NGO which supports the CEDAW Committee and OHCHR in facilitating participation of women’s groups/NGOs in the CEDAW review process.
Dominican Republic, Gabon, Lebanon, Panama, Peru, Senegal, Uganda and Uzbekistan are scheduled for review at the 81st CEDAW session which will take place from 7 February to 4 March 2022.
Please note that the reviews of Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bolivia, Mongolia, Portugal and Spain have been postponed.
There are a number of ways that NGOs can engage 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. OHCHR has published a note on NGO participation, available in English and Spanish.
Notice on changes due to COVID-19 pandemic
Although the CEDAW Committee will meet in person at the United Nations in Geneva for the 81st CEDAW Session, NGO engagement will be entirely virtual. NGOs will be able to participate remotely via Zoom in relevant meetings, and the public portions will be live webcast on UN Web TV.
IWRAW Asia Pacific remains committed to assisting NGOs to take part, and will continue to share updates through our website, listserv and social media channels as we receive more information on the schedule and modes of engagement.
Submit a shadow report/alternative information to the CEDAW Committee
- The deadline to submit a shadow report is four weeks prior to the commencement of the session, i.e. Monday 10 January 2022.
- Reports are to be submitted as a Word document to OHCHR at ohchr-cedaw@un.org, with a copy to IWRAW Asia Pacific. Please note the change in OHCHR’s email address. The word limit is 3300 (inclusive of footnotes), or 6600 for shadow reports submitted as part of a coalition. Bearing in mind the UN’s green policy, hard copies of reports should be avoided. Our website provides guidelines for writing shadow reports, including reports focusing on specific thematic areas.
- If you have submitted a pre-session report, you have an opportunity to present updated shadow report information, and provide your alternative information to respond to the CEDAW Committee’s List of Issues and Questions which your state will have to answer. It is important that your updated report to CEDAW addresses the issues raised in the 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 CEDAW 81st Session page for your country’s List of Issues and Questions.
- In addition to standard and thematic shadow reports, the Committee welcomes information on the impact on women’s rights and gender equality of measures taken by the States under review to address the COVID-19 crisis, and the integration of a gender perspective into COVID-19 recovery plans.
Please inform us if your group is preparing a shadow report to CEDAW.
Engaging directly with the CEDAW Committee at the review
NGOs which have submitted a shadow report have opportunities to engage directly with the CEDAW Committee during the review:
- Informal remote public meetings with NGOs:
- Oral interventions by NGOs are permitted during this public meeting with the Committee and State Delegates. However, a maximum of 10 minutes is available per country, to be shared by all NGOs. Therefore, it is not always possible to accommodate all requests to make an oral intervention. Kindly confirm if you are interested in making an intervention, as we will assist in coordinating with other NGOs on dividing time and identifying priority areas.
- The deadline for adding your name to the speakers’ list is anticipated to be Monday 24 January. As part of our coordination assistance, we will send the list to OHCHR on behalf of your country group, with names in the order of presentation and with allotted times for speaking (as agreed by your group in advance).
- Remote private ‘lunchtime’ briefing with the CEDAW Committee:
- NGOs will have an opportunity to privately brief the CEDAW Committee in a country-specific briefing 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.
Dates for your calendar
Monday 10 January:
Deadline for submission of shadow reports
Monday 24 January:
Deadline for registering interest in making an oral statement
Monday 7 February:
Informal meeting with NGOs (Gabon, Panama, Senegal, Uganda) & lunch briefing for NGOs (Gabon)
Tuesday 8 February:
Constructive dialogue (Gabon, Panama) & lunch briefing for NGOs (Panama)
Wednesday 9 February:
Constructive dialogue (Gabon, Panama) & lunch briefing for NGOs (Senegal)
Thursday 10 February:
Constructive dialogue (Senegal) & lunch briefing for NGOs (Uganda)
Friday 11 February:
Constructive dialogue (Uganda)
Monday 14 February:
Informal meeting with NGOs (Uzbekistan, Peru, Lebanon, Dominican Republic) & lunch briefing for NGOs (Uzbekistan)
Tuesday 15 February:
Constructive dialogue (Uzbekistan, Peru) & lunch briefing for NGOs (Peru)
Wednesday 16 February:
Constructive dialogue (Uzbekistan, Peru) & lunch briefing for NGOs (Lebanon)
Thursday 17 February:
Constructive dialogue (Lebanon, Dominican Republic) & lunch briefing for NGOs (Dominican Republic)
Friday 18 February:
Constructive dialogue (Lebanon, Dominican Republic)
We will update this page as more information is shared by OHCHR.
Please let us know if you are thinking of participating at the CEDAW session in February/March 2022 and if you wish to participate in the virtual Informal Meeting with NGOs and/or the virtual NGO ‘lunch’ briefing. We will be arranging an information session 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.
Spread the word!
Please circulate this information to women’s rights groups you know. If you are with an NGO or a coalition working on an NGO report to CEDAW, please contact us at iwraw-ap@iwraw-ap.org, with a copy to audrey@iwraw-ap.org.