DUSHANBE, November 13, 2009, Asia-Plus — A roundtable meeting entitled “The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) – Additional Mechanism to Ensure Observance of Women’s Rights” has opened in Dushanbe today.
Initiated by the public foundation, Panorama, and the collation of public associations, From Legal Equality to Actual Equality, the event has brought together representatives of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament), Committee for Family and Women’s Affairs, Commissioner for Human Rights as well as representatives of international organizations and Tajik public associations to discuss the main provisions of the Optional Protocol and prospects of ratification of it by Tajikistan.
The meeting is part of the project, Building towards Eastern European and Central Asia NGOs Coalition on Optional Protocol to CEDAW, which is implemented jointly with KARAT Coalition (Poland).
The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is an international convention adopted in by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979. Described as an international bill of rights for women, it came into force on September 3, 1981.
The Optional Protocol was adopted by the UN General Assembly on October 1999 and entered into force on December 22, 2000. Currently it has 79 signatories and 98 parties.
