V. WAYS AND MEANS OF EXPEDITING THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE 332. At its 286th and 307th meetings, on 15 January and 1 February 1996, the Committee considered ways and means of expediting the work of the Committee (agenda item 6). 333. The item was introduced by the Deputy Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women. She introduced the report of the Secretariat on ways and means of expediting the work of the Committee (CEDAW/C/1996/6). Action taken by the Committee on the report of Working Group I 334. At its 307th meeting, on 1 February, the Committee considered this item on the basis of the report of Working Group I and took the following decisions: 1. Revision of guidelines regarding the form and content of initial and subsequent reports in the light of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 335. The Committee decides to make an addition to its guidelines regarding the form and content of initial and subsequent reports of States parties to read as follows: "It should be noted that according to paragraph 323 of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in September 1995, 'States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women are invited, when reporting under article 18 of the Convention, to include information on measures taken to implement the Platform for Action in order to facilitate the work of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in monitoring effectively women's ability to enjoy the rights guaranteed by the Convention.' In preparing their initial and subsequent reports under the articles of the Convention or in supplementary oral and/or written materials supplied in connection with reports already submitted, States parties are therefore invited to take into account the 12 critical areas of concern in chapter III of the Platform for Action. It should also be noted that these concerns are compatible with the articles of the Convention and therefore within the mandate of the Committee." 2. Institutional relations 336. The Committee requests that oral and/or written reports of the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women be made available to the Committee, and urges that the Special Rapporteur consult regularly with the Committee in accordance with Commission on Human Rights resolution 1994/45 of 4 March 1994. The Committee also requests that reports of the Committee and information on violence against women received by the Committee from States parties in their oral and written reports, be made available by the Secretariat to the Special Rapporteur to facilitate her work. 337. The Committee decides that it would be useful for designated members of the Committee to act as focal points on each of the other human rights treaty bodies and to keep the Committee informed on relevant activities of those bodies. 338. The Committee invites the Division for the Advancement of Women to provide for future sessions of the Committee: (a) Reports (including concluding comments) of the various human rights treaty bodies to be sent from the Centre for Human Rights directly to those members of the Committee designated to act as liaison persons to the respective human rights treaty bodies; (b) The most recent concluding comments for country reports under consideration by the Committee, of all human rights treaty bodies, to be disseminated in advance to all members of the Committee, or preferably to be attached to the Division's analysis of country reports before the beginning of each session; (c) Preliminary reports submitted by the Special Rapporteur on traditional practices affecting the health of women and children, in accordance with Commission on Human Rights resolution 1994/45. 339. Pursuant to article 22 of the Convention, the Committee requests the specialized agencies to continue presenting to it reports that focus on the implementation of the Convention in areas falling within the scope of their activities. The Committee welcomes, in particular, reports that refer to those of States parties currently under consideration. The Committee also welcomes the assistance and cooperation of the specialized agencies in implementing its mandate under the Convention and the Beijing Platform for Action, as well as giving effect to its general recommendations, and in the translation and wide dissemination of the Convention. 340. In following up the recommendations of the Beijing Platform for Action, and particularly the areas of concern contained therein that are compatible with the articles of the Convention, and in order to coordinate and avoid overlap with the activities of United Nations specialized agencies, organs and programmes and ensure that the implementation of the Convention remains in the mainstream of activities for the advancement of women, the Committee decides on the following areas of priority: (a) Cultural traditions and stereotypes, with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); (b) Poverty and structural adjustment programmes, with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF); (c) Violence, with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNESCO; (d) Health, with WHO and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); (e) Employment and migration, with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM); (f) Power and decision-making, with UNESCO and the Commission on the Status of Women; (g) Elderly women and disabled women, with the programme for the elderly as well as disabled within the United Nations system; (h) Education, training and mass media, with UNESCO, ILO and the Department of Public Information; (i) Rural women, with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and IFAD; (j) Refugee women, with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 341. The Committee will continue to designate one of its members to serve as focal point with particular United Nations entities. Efforts will be made to explore cooperation in relation to field-level activities and to develop further ways of integrating the Convention into the work of the United Nations system. 3. Reports to be considered at the sixteenth session 342. The Committee decided that the reports of eight States parties be considered at the sixteenth session, provided that the duration of the session is three weeks. Bearing in mind the criteria of date of submission and geographical balance, the reports of the following States parties should be considered: (a) Initial reports Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Slovenia Israel Zaire (b) Second periodic reports Argentina Turkey (c) Third periodic reports Canada Philippines 343. In the event that one of the above-mentioned States parties is not able to present its report, the Committee decides to consider the reports of Equatorial Guinea and Morocco. 344. Should approval be given for the Committee to hold a second three-week session in 1997, reports of the following States parties should be considered: (a) Initial reports Morocco Antigua and Barbuda Armenia (An Asian country to be decided) (b) Second periodic reports Dominican Republic Equatorial Guinea (c) Third periodic reports Mexico Bangladesh 345. In the event that one of the above-mentioned States parties is not able to present its report, the Committee proposes to consider the reports of Croatia and Italy. 4. Reservations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 346. The Committee requests the Secretariat to provide the following at its next session to facilitate a discussion on reservations to the Convention: (a) A review of what United Nations conferences have said about reservations to the Convention; (b) A review of comments made by women's human rights non-governmental organizations concerning reservations to the Convention; (c) A qualitative comparison of reservations to the Convention with those to other treaties; (d) An analysis of States parties' reservations that are contrary to the object and purpose of the Convention or which are otherwise incompatible with international treaty law. 5. United Nations meetings to be attended by the Chairperson/members of the Committee in 1996 347. The Committee recommends that the Chairperson or an alternate should attend the following meetings (listed in order of priority): (a) The Commission on the Status of Women; (b) The Commission on Human Rights; (c) The meeting of persons chairing the human rights treaty bodies; (d) The General Assembly (Third Committee); (e) The United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II). 6. Members of the pre-session working group for the sixteenth session 348. The Committee decides that the members of the pre-session working group for the sixteenth session of the Committee and their alternates should be: Member Alternate Ms. Ivanka Corti (W. Europe) Ms. Carlota Bustelo Garci'a del Real (pending re-election) Ms. Miriam Estrada (Latin America) Ms. Desire'e P. Bernard Ms. Tendai Ruth Bare (Africa) Ms. Emna Aouij Ms. Aurora Javate De Dios (Asia) Ms. Sunaryati Hartono 7. Dates of the sixteenth session of the Committee 349. Consistent with the calendar of conferences for 1997, the sixteenth session should be held from 13 to 31 January in New York. The pre-session working group would meet from 6 to 10 January. VI. IMPLEMENTATION OF ARTICLE 21 OF THE CONVENTION 350. At its 286th and 308th meetings, on 15 January and 2 February 1996, the Committee considered the implementation of article 21 of the Convention (agenda item 5). 351. The item was introduced by the Deputy Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women, who presented the following reports of the Secretariat: (a) Note by the Secretary-General on reports provided by specialized agencies of the United Nations on the implementation of the Convention in areas falling within the scope of their activities (CEDAW/C/1996/3 and Add.1- 4); (b) Report of the Secretariat on the analysis of articles 7 and 8 of the Convention (CEDAW/C/1994/4); (c) Report of the Secretariat on the analysis of article 2 of the Convention (CEDAW/C/1995/4). A. Action taken by the Committee on the report of Working Group II 352. At its 308th meeting, on 2 February, the Committee considered the item on the basis of the report of Working Group II and took the following decision. Discussions on general recommendations on articles 7 and 8 of the Convention 353. The Committee agreed to continue at its sixteenth session, the preparation of general recommendations on article 7 of the Convention on the basis of the working paper prepared at its fifteenth session and an additional text to be prepared and supplied to members in the working languages of the Committee well in advance of the sixteenth session. The working paper was prepared after reviewing the draft developed at the Committee's thirteenth session and in the light of developments in the interim. The Committee will also take up a general recommendation on article 8. B. Statements by senior United Nations officials Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund 354. At the 288th meeting, on 16 January 1996, the Executive Director of UNFPA addressed the Committee, stating that the Fund would work with other United Nations agencies to inform women's non-governmental organizations and human rights advocates of the work of the Committee. She said that the Fund hoped that such sensitization would enable organizations to monitor the Convention's implementation at the country level. 355. The Executive Director said that the Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, held at Beijing in 1995, stated explicitly that the human rights of women and of the girl child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. The consensus reached at the International Conference on Population and Development, held at Cairo in 1994, had stressed the need for gender equality and equity to enable women to realize their full potential. The Cairo Conference had also urged men to take responsibility for their sexual and reproductive behaviour and family roles. 356. She also indicated that the Beijing Platform for Action had called for a review of laws containing punitive measures against women who had undergone illegal abortion. She added that taking a human rights approach to women's health had implied that national and international policies would be based on the recognition of women's rights. 357. The Executive Director concluded that UNFPA was committed to human rights, and specifically to women's rights. The right to health and the right of couples and individuals to determine the number and spacing of their children had been instrumental in driving its policies. Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women 358. At the 297th meeting, on 23 January 1996, the Director of UNIFEM addressed the Committee. She noted that the active participation of Committee members at Beijing had ensured that the Convention would become better recognized as the women's human rights Convention. She said that UNIFEM welcomed the opportunity to support the work of the Committee. She pointed out that the principal aim of UNIFEM was to focus on the political and economic empowerment of women. She noted that the human rights framework was a crucial element in the Fund's analysis of and in understanding and addressing the obstacles to women's empowerment, and pledged to work with the Committee to ensure that the commitments made to the world's women in the Beijing Platform for Action were implemented. She cited several concrete examples of UNIFEM support of the Convention, including an expert group on the development of guidelines to incorporate gender perspectives in the human rights work of the United Nations, production with the United Nations Children's Fund of an information kit on the Convention and advocacy for the Convention and women's human rights at Beijing. She also noted collaboration with UNFPA towards a "bill of rights" for women and children. The role of UNIFEM as gender adviser to United Nations resident coordinators would include advocacy in support of the Convention. She concluded that development would be unsuccessful if it did not include the gender perspective and that society could fly to new heights only when both wings moved freely. Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund 359. The Executive Director of UNICEF addressed the Committee at its 303rd meeting, on 29 January 1996. She underlined the commitment of UNICEF to promoting the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, noting that the two Conventions were mutually reinforcing. She said that UNICEF would continue to work on behalf of women and children, re- energized by the Fourth World Conference on Women, in three priority areas. UNICEF would strengthen its work regarding girl's education, the health of girls and women, and women's rights. She offered to strengthen the partnership with CEDAW and to work together in the struggle against the apartheid of gender. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 360. At the 305th meeting, on 30 January 1996, the representative of the Centre for Human Rights presented a statement on behalf of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In the statement, the High Commissioner regretted that he could not be present, but indicated that after the World Conference on Human Rights and the Fourth World Conference on Women, it was a critical time for promoting and protecting the equal status and human rights of women, for integrating a gender perspective into the work and activities of all organs and bodies of the human rights programme, and for strengthening mechanisms and procedures addressing women's status and rights. 361. The High Commissioner provided an update on activities of the Centre for Human Rights in relation to advances in encouraging late or non-reporting States to submit reports to treaty bodies, efforts for human rights education, the participation of treaty bodies in world conferences, the integration of a gender perspective in the work of treaty bodies, the exchange of information with other human rights bodies, the wide dissemination of information about the work of United Nations treaty bodies, developments in the methods of work of treaty bodies and recent activities of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women. 362. The High Commissioner underlined the important role of CEDAW in the overall United Nations strategy to promote and protect all human rights and assured the Committee that he would do his best to promote system-wide cooperation and coordination on women's rights and include the women's perspective in new initiatives on the right to development. 363. At its 309th meeting, on 2 February 1996, the Committee heard a statement by Ms. Angela King, newly appointed Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women, Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development. 364. The Director commented on the role of the Committee played during the Fourth World Conference on Women at Beijing. She continued by stating that the priorities upheld by the Platform for Action were directly linked to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. 365. The Director also said as "guardian" of the Convention, the Committee was in a unique position to have direct dialogue with Governments on their programmes and on the obstacles they faced in advancing the status of women in their countries. 366. The Director underlined the challenge to implement the decision made by Governments at Beijing at a critical time in the life of the Organization. She also stressed that she would strive to use all the resources available to foster the spirit of Beijing, and would make every effort with the staff of the Division for the Advancement of Women to provide the Committee with the support it needed to successfully fulfil its mandate. VII. RESULTS OF THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN 367. At its 286th and 309th meetings, on 15 January and 2 February 1996, the Committee exchanged views on the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women (agenda item 7). The Committee's role in monitoring the implementation of the Platform for Action was discussed, taking into account paragraphs 322 to 325 of the Platform for Action, 3/ in which the Committee was invited to take into account the Platform, within its mandate, when considering the reports submitted by States parties. In the Platform, States parties were invited to include information on measures taken to implement the Platform when reporting on the implementation of the Convention. 368. One expert suggested revising the Committee's guidelines for the preparation of reports of States parties, inviting States parties to indicate measures taken to implement the Platform as well as their additional commitments made at Beijing. 369. To assist the Committee, it was suggested that an analysis of the links between the Platform for Action and the Convention be made by the Secretariat, including an analysis of aspects of the Platform that needed to be looked at from a legal perspective by the Committee within its mandate. 370. It was noted that the Committee should avoid a decision that would invite countries to prepare written supplements to reports that had already been submitted. It was proposed to invite States parties to include in their reports submitted beginning September 1996 information on the implementation of the Platform for Action. Oral statements could, however, be made in other cases to address the measures taken to implement the Platform for Action and any additional commitments made at the Fourth World Conference on Women and to explain the reservations made, if any. 371. It was noted that the Commission on the Status of Women had the primary mandate for monitoring the implementation of the Platform for Action. A distinction therefore needed to be made between the monitoring to be carried out by the Commission and that to be undertaken by the Committee on the basis of their different composition, mandates and methods of work, as well as their different outreach to countries and the international community. 372. It was also suggested that the Chairperson of the Committee contact the official designated by the Secretary-General to serve as an adviser on gender issues to discuss the Committee's role in the follow-up to the Beijing Conference. 373. It was further suggested that the Committee might wish to review its earlier general recommendations in the light of the Platform for Action, which might serve as a yardstick. The recommendation on violence against women was cited as an example. Others questioned the validity of the Committee using the Platform for Action as a yardstick, noting that it was a politically negotiated document that had achieved consensus; the Committee, however, was free to go beyond it in examining reports on the basis of the Convention. Previous documents that had gone further than the Platform for Action and were in some cases even more progressive than the Platform could also be used by the Committee in formulating its recommendations. VIII. PROVISIONAL AGENDA FOR THE SIXTEENTH SESSION 374. At its 307th meeting, on 1 February 1996, the Committee considered the provisional agenda for its sixteenth session (agenda item 8). 375. At its 307th meeting, on the basis of the report of Working Group I, the Committee decided to approve the following provisional agenda: 1. Opening of the session. 2. Solemn declaration. 3. Election of officers. 4. Adoption of the agenda and organization of work. 5. Report of the Chairperson on the activities undertaken during the year. 6. Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention. 7. Implementation of article 21 of the Convention. 8. Ways and means of expediting the work of the Committee. 9. Provisional agenda for the seventeenth session. 10. Adoption of the report of the Committee on its sixteenth session. IX. ADOPTION OF THE REPORT 376. At its 309th meeting, on 2 February 1996, the Committee adopted the report on its fifteenth session (CEDAW/C/1996/L.1 and Add.1-12), as orally amended. Notes 1/ See Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-fifth Session, Supplement No. 38 and corrigendum (A/45/38 and Corr.1), paras. 28-31. 2/ Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 38 (A/47/38), chap. I. 3/ See Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4-15 September 1995 (A/CONF.177/20), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.