January 31, Colombo (LNW): The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is set to convene its next session from February 03 to 21, 2025, where it will assess the progress of women’s rights in Sri Lanka, alongside seven other countries: Nepal, Belarus, Luxembourg, Belize, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, and Liechtenstein.
As part of their obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, these nations are required to undergo periodic reviews by the 23 independent experts that comprise the CEDAW Committee.
This process serves to evaluate their adherence to the provisions of the Convention and ensures that gender equality and women’s rights are being effectively promoted and protected.
The reviews will be based on country reports submitted by the governments, as well as submissions from national human rights institutions, non-governmental organisations, and other relevant stakeholders.
The Committee’s sessions, which will take place in Geneva, will be open to the public and will provide an opportunity to scrutinise the situation of women’s rights in these countries.
The scheduled dates for each country’s review are as follows (all times are Geneva times):
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: February 4, 10:00 – 13:00; 15:00 – 17:00
- Nepal: February 5, 10:00 – 13:00; 15:00 – 17:00
- Belarus: February 6, 10:00 – 13:00; 15:00 – 17:00
- Luxembourg: February 7, 10:00 – 13:00; 15:00 – 17:00
- Belize: February 11, 10:00 – 13:00; 15:00 – 17:00
- Congo: February 12, 10:00 – 13:00; 15:00 – 17:00
- Sri Lanka: February 13, 10:00 – 13:00; 15:00 – 17:00
- Liechtenstein: February 14, 10:00 – 13:00; 15:00 – 17:00
The session will particularly highlight issues related to sexual violence in conflict zones, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo set to present a special report on this critical subject.
