Question

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will put forward a candidate for the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 2026; and if so, what the process to select that candidate will be, and how they will support that candidate.

Government is fully committed to fulfilling its obligations under the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and recognises the important role the CEDAW Committee plays in holding States Parties to account in implementing the treaty.

The UK takes a strategic approach to multilateral elections, running a small number of high priority campaigns each year. After careful consideration, the Government will not be nominating a candidate for the 2026 CEDAW Committee election due to other priorities. 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. It remains the UK’s ambition to demonstrate leadership on promoting gender equality which aligns with CEDAW’s principles.