Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when the UK last nominated a member of the expert committee of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; and for what reason she has not made a nomination in relation to forthcoming vacancies.

The UK government has not put forward a candidate for election to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women since signing the Convention in 1981. Whilst nominating a candidate has been considered, a variety of reasons such as the timing of the election and the resources required from across Government have meant that we have not yet done so.

The UK strongly supports the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination (CEDAW) against Women and it is committed to advancing women’s rights. We are fully committed to the CEDAW process, including submitting reports and participating in the oral examination, and are fully engaged with the UN and the Committee. UK nationals are well represented on other UN treaty monitoring bodies, such as the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.