Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what plans the Government has to put forward a candidate for the elections to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women in 2020.

This Government is fully committed to fulfilling its obligations under this important Convention and recognises the important role the CEDAW Committee plays in holding States Parties to account in implementing the treaty.

A range of factors are considered before making a decision on whether to nominate a candidate for a UN body such as CEDAW. It is also important to highlight that CEDAW Committee members serve in their personal capacity and do not represent the Member State that nominated them. This Government has full faith in the independence of the Committee and applaud the high quality of its work.

After careful consideration, the Government will not be nominating a candidate for the 2020 CEDAW Committee election. However, as with all UN bodies, the Government will carefully consider whether to nominate a UK representative for future vacancies which will arise to the Committee.