Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women - Sixteenth session) Concluding comments of the Committee Introduction 217. Venezuela presented a report covering the period from 1989 to 1995. The Committee expressed appreciation to the representative of Venezuela for the frankness with which she described the social, economic and political situation of women in her country and the way in which her Government had tried to implement the Convention. 218. The Committee noted that the report had not been prepared according to the Committee's guidelines and had not provided statistics on problems related to each article of the Convention. Nor did it contain a detailed, factual description of the policies and programmes being carried out and their success in meeting the de facto needs of Venezuelan women with a view to complying with the Convention. 219. Nevertheless, the report contained a large amount of data on the de jure situation of women in Venezuela; that information had been taken up again and, in some cases, expanded upon in the oral presentation. The Committee thanked the representative for answering most of the 74 questions put to the Government and noted with understanding the representative's statement that lack of time had made it difficult to provide the Committee with more detailed answers or with updated statistics. Factors and difficulties affecting the implementation of the Convention 220. The most serious obstacle to implementing the Convention in Venezuela was clearly the poverty facing a large percentage of the population (77 per cent of the urban population and 75 per cent of the rural population were living in poverty). That problem had been exacerbated by the fact that 83.99 per cent of the population had moved to urban areas, leaving only 16.01 per cent in the countryside. Among the population aged 25 to 44 years, the percentage of women migrants was greater than that of men. 221. Another serious problem was what was referred to as the "exhaustion of the revenue-based development model of the Venezuelan economy", which had forced the Government to take economic measures to control inflation and balance the budget, at the cost of social investment. The severe restrictions placed on social spending had primarily affected the most vulnerable population groups, including women, leading to the so-called feminization of poverty. 222. The country had been unable to revitalize and balance its economy, although it had implemented a plan to combat poverty in an attempt to mitigate the social costs of adjustment. The plan had not been very successful, as the report indicated. 223. The economic situation was exacerbated by the persistence of entrenched patriarchal patterns and of stereotypes and prejudices against women in people's social attitudes. Such patterns and attitudes were reinforced by a set of laws that had thus far resisted amendment (for instance, a proposal for amending the Penal Code had been under consideration since 1985), despite considerable efforts on the part of various governmental bodies and non-governmental organizations. 224. Another obstacle to the implementation of the Convention was the lack of continuity in State policies and programmes for women, which meant that concepts, methods and mechanisms for solving problems and implementing the Convention coherently and systematically kept changing. 225. A further problem was that it was difficult to secure passage, by the legislative branch, of proposals for combating discrimination against women. 226. The national machinery for implementing the Convention, the National Women's Council, did not seem to have the resources, decision-making powers and necessary influence to introduce a gender perspective in the various government bodies. Positive aspects 227. The Committee welcomed the Penal Code Reform Bill and the Sexual and Domestic Violence Bill. 228. The Committee viewed as very positive the Equal Opportunities for Women Act, under which an independent women's institute and a national office for the defence of women's rights were to be established. 229. The incorporation of a gender perspective in the Eighth National Plan and the preparation of a national programme for women with that perspective were important achievements. 230. The promulgation of legislation guaranteeing that pregnant teenagers could complete their education and could not be withdrawn from school because of their pregnancy was a great success. 231. The cooperation initiated by the National Women's Council with non-governmental organizations and the creation of seven national women's networks were extremely positive steps. Principal areas of concern 232. In addition to the poverty in which Venezuela's population was living, the Committee was extremely concerned at the absence of any policies and programmes at the grass-roots level for promoting women's interests and at the fact that it was difficult to secure passage of legislative proposals for meeting women's needs. 233. The Committee was also concerned that the country had not made much real progress in implementing the Convention and that, despite its efforts, it had yet to respond effectively to problems such as domestic violence, prostitution, early pregnancy, female illiteracy, discrimination in the workplace in terms of how much women were paid, the high percentage of women receiving less than the minimum wage and the elimination of stereotypes. 234. The Committee was concerned that Venezuela had not made the necessary changes to its legal system and that that continued to reinforce patriarchal patterns of behaviour. 235. The Government had also failed to set up a national programme for implementing the strategies set forth in the Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, even strategies in such urgent priority areas as poverty eradication. 236. Another area of concern was the reduction in health budgets, the rise in the maternal mortality rate, the lack of and limited access to family- planning programmes (especially for teenagers), the lack of statistics on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and women's limited access to public health services. In addition, legislation that criminalized abortion, even in cases of incest or rape, remained in force. 237. The Committee was concerned that employment opportunities for women had been lost as a result of cutbacks in the State employment sector, especially since that was forcing women into the informal economy and into low-paid service jobs. 238. The Committee was also deeply concerned at the fact that the State had not prioritized the allocation of funds to social programmes. 239. The Committee was concerned that a Venezuelan man had the right to confer his nationality on his wife upon marriage, but a Venezuelan woman did not have the right to confer her citizenship on her husband. That constituted a violation of article 9 of the Convention. Suggestions and recommendations 240. The Committee especially recommended the implementation of effective programmes for combating poverty, which affected women in particular. 241. The Committee said that it would welcome early adoption of the amendments to the Penal Code and of the Sexual and Domestic Violence Bill and the repeal of the article of the Civil Code concerning citizenship rights that conflicted with the Convention. 242. The Committee recommended that Venezuela fulfil the commitments it had made in adopting the Beijing Platform for Action. 243. The Committee suggested that policies and programmes should be undertaken to halt the rise in the maternal mortality rate and that family- planning programmes for teenagers should be developed, in both urban and rural areas. 244. The Committee suggested that the Government should work for early approval of the establishment of the national machinery with sufficient integration into the political system and sufficient human and financial resources. 245. The Committee recommended that the Government undertake broad-based programmes directed at the entire population, through the mass media and other possible channels, to combat gender stereotypes. 246. The Committee also recommended that the Government undertake measures to close the wage gap between women and men under the principle of equal pay for work of equal value. 247. The Committee requested the Government of Venezuela to address the concerns raised in the present comments in its next report, including following the Committee's reporting guidelines. Information on the implementation of the Committee's general recommendations and steps to be taken in regard to the follow-up to the Beijing Platform for Action should also be included. It requested the Government to provide statistical data disaggregated by sex with regard to all areas of the Convention in its next report. Finally, the Committee requested the Government to disseminate these concluding comments widely throughout Venezuela. Denmark 248. The Committee considered the third periodic report of Denmark (CEDAW/C/DEN/3) at its 328th and 329th meetings, on 24 January 1997 (see CEDAW/C/SR.328 and 329). 249. In her introductory statement, the representative noted that the report had been prepared in a participatory way and included the comments of various women's organizations in Denmark. To further strengthen the outreach of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, both the Convention and the report had been translated into Danish and published by women's organizations. 250. The representative pointed out that much had been accomplished in terms of improving the status of women in Denmark, but the success went beyond the provision of legal rights. More importantly, Danish society had also started to change its attitude towards women. An understanding of the concept of gender, including the roles of both men and women, had gained ground. Denmark had focused its efforts on changing attitudes towards women and gender roles in Danish society. In the follow-up to the Beijing Platform for Action, Denmark had focused on mainstreaming gender issues in all levels of society. 251. The representative informed the Committee about recent efforts to strengthen the institutional framework for the advancement of women that had not been reflected in the report. An ad hoc committee had been established to develop new ideas and strategies to improve national machinery and to consult equality institutions in other countries. Furthermore, the Government of Denmark had increased its support to the Equal Status Council in terms of personnel and funding. 252. The representative highlighted some recent changes in legislation designed to advance the status of women further. For example, Danish counties were now obliged to report to the national Government on issues related to equality in employment in their region, and a proposal would be discussed in Parliament concerning women's right to join the army under conditions almost equal to those applicable to men. 253. The representative described the special efforts undertaken by Denmark to encourage fathers to share parental responsibility for the raising of children. The legal framework provided unmarried couples with the possibility of sharing custody and granted both parents the right to parental leave. The representative also pointed out that those measures had to be accompanied by programmes designed to motivate men actually to use the parental leave schemes. Therefore, the Minister of Employment was exploring new models to encourage fathers to make use of their newly acquired rights. Concluding comments of the Committee Introduction 254. The Committee expressed appreciation for the clear and well-organized third periodic report of Denmark, which closely followed the Committee's guidelines. 255. The Committee was pleased to note that the report and Denmark's answers to the questions of the Committee's pre-session working group provided relevant and up-to-date statistics. That allowed the Committee to discern the evolution of conditions in relation to the majority of the articles of the Convention. 256. The Committee also commended the Government of Denmark for including comments of non-governmental organizations in its report and in particular the fact that those comments responded to the report of the State party. The Committee evaluated that practice as a positive innovation. Positive aspects 257. Denmark's commitment to high standards of gender equality and its consistent efforts to create an egalitarian society with respect to gender were regarded by the Committee as exemplary. 258. The Committee was aware of the legal measures taken by Denmark and the fact that the statistics on different aspects of gender equality in Denmark reflected constant improvement over time. The Committee was pleased to observe the institutionalized participation of women's non-governmental organizations in the politics of equality and the mainstreaming of gender equality through the creation of Equality Commissions in a majority of ministries in Denmark. 259. The Committee appreciated the Government's holistic approach to the implementation of the Convention and was pleased to note that conscientious efforts were already under way for the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. 260. The Committee was also pleased to learn that provisions concerning persecution on the basis of gender had been incorporated into the laws on the status of refugees in Denmark. Principal areas of concern 261. The Committee noted with concern the challenges currently facing efforts to implement temporary special measures to hasten gender equality, such as the removal of quotas by political parties. Although the participation of women in politics was at a higher level than in other countries, Denmark had yet to reach gender parity in the political sphere. 262. The disproportionately low levels of women's participation in academe, in research positions and in management positions in the public and private sectors suggested that insufficient systematic and goal-oriented advocacy and action was taking place in the light of Denmark's leading role in those areas. 263. The inadequacy of culturally and gender-sensitive measures and programmes for immigrant and refugee women to enable them to benefit from legal and social services available in Denmark was noted as an area of concern by the Committee. 264. The absence of a specific law on violence against women was noted as a principal deficiency. The Committee expressed a desire to have fuller information about the actual incidence of violence, rape and incest and was concerned about the absence of specific legislation and/or measures to sensitize the police, the judiciary or the public in general regarding those issues. 265. The Committee noted with concern that stereotypical perceptions of gender role continued to exist in society and were related to the perseverance of attitudes and behaviour that kept women away from decision- making positions and kept men from assuming an equal share of family responsibilities. 266. The fact that women, despite their high level of education, were more seriously affected by unemployment than men was noted with concern by the Committee. The Committee was also concerned that women were still paid less than men, despite efforts to initiate assessments of equal pay for work of equal value. Suggestions and recommendations 267. Temporary special measures should be maintained and strengthened, particularly in the areas of reducing unemployment among women; ensuring that women and men receive equal pay for work of equal value; increasing women's participation in private-sector decision-making; increasing the number of female university professors and researchers; and encouraging men to devote more time to child care and housework. Such initiatives should include quantitative targets, time limits for their achievement, specific measures and sufficient budgetary resources. 268. More research should be conducted on the incidence of violence against women, particularly in vulnerable groups such as immigrants, as well as on the advantages of enacting legislation specifically directed at reducing such violence. The research finding should be included in the next report submitted in accordance with article 18 of the Convention. 269. In particular, more efforts should be made to determine whether trafficking in women and exploitation of prostitution are taking place and whether new communications technologies, especially the Internet, are being used for such purposes. 270. The gender and culture course, which is currently optional in pre-university curricula, should be made mandatory in secondary education. 271. In accordance with the Beijing Platform for Action, it is recommended that the value of non-remunerated work done by both women and men should be included in national accounts, through satellite accounts. 272. The Committee recommended that Denmark continue to include among the objectives of its development assistance programmes the promotion of the rights of women and the elimination of discrimination against women and, in particular, the implementation of the Convention in beneficiary countries. 273. In addition to information relating to the recommendations above, the Committee requested that the next report include information on: (a) Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and of the commitments announced by Denmark at the Fourth World Conference on Women; (b) The number of women and men who work: (i) part-time; (ii) on a flexible schedule; and (iii) outside the workplace, using new technologies; (c) The steps taken by trade unions and business organizations to implement the principle of equal pay for work of equal value; (d) The use, in cases of abortion, of the RU-486 pill; (e) The number of women who use medically assisted reproduction techniques and the number of children adopted; (f) Disabled women, especially in terms of their access to education and employment; (g) Concrete results and the de facto impact of policies on and programmes for women; (h) The economic situation of women, including successful measures to combat the unemployment of women. 274. The Committee requested the Government of Denmark to address the concerns included in the present concluding comments in its next report. It also requested wide dissemination of these comments throughout the country to make the people of Denmark aware of the steps that had been taken to ensure de facto equality for women and the further steps required in that regard. 5. Combined third and fourth periodic reports Philippines 275. The Committee considered the third and fourth periodic reports of the Philippines (CEDAW/C/1997/PHI/3 and 4) at its 327th and 328th meetings, on 27 January 1997 (see CEDAW/C/SR.327 and 328). The representatives, including the Chairperson of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, presented a three-part document containing extensive responses to the questions of the Committee's pre-session working group. The document had been prepared collaboratively by ministerial agencies and non-governmental organizations. 276. The Committee was informed of the various measures the Government had taken in the implementation of the Convention. A 30-year perspective plan had been devised containing information on the status of women in every sector and stipulating measures to be taken to achieve full equality between women and men. It was the policy of the Government to pursue a gender-responsive approach to poverty alleviation. Moreover, the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women had been given direct access to the highest policy-making level. The Government's commitment was also reflected in the secured funding within the national budget for the purpose of improving women's lives. The Committee was further informed that considerable improvements had been made in the fields of women's health and education. 277. At the same time, the representative of the Philippines acknowledged that, although much progress had been achieved since the consideration of the State party's second report, there was still more to be done before the Convention was fully implemented in the country. She also noted the lack of an effective mechanism to monitor the implementation of the Convention. She described the major challenge posed by the Government's decentralization policy to the achievement of the effective implementation of the Convention. 278. The representative noted that, in spite of the rapid economic recovery, women in the Philippines suffered disproportionately from poverty, thus contributing to the continued feminization of overseas employment. Rural women were particularly affected, and this had led to the migration of a large number of rural women to urban areas as well as overseas. She reported that that was a major concern of the Government of the Philippines, which had set up, inter alia, monitoring centres, counselling services and specific support programmes, as well as providing welfare assistance. The Committee was informed that most women migrant workers were employed as entertainers and domestic helpers. Those jobs often put them in a very vulnerable position and exposed them to risks of violent abuse. In that respect, the representative recognized that further efforts were required to establish more effective systems to allow the particular needs and problems of women migrant workers to be addressed. 279. The representative alerted the Committee to the increasing incidence of crimes of violence against women. Various measures had been taken by the Government to combat such violence, reflecting the Committee's general recommendation 19 on violence against women. The Committee was informed that various support systems had been set up, including women's shelter homes and a 24-hour helpline. Several bills had been proposed, for example on rape and domestic violence, as a result of the lobbying of non- governmental organizations and government agencies. However, it remained to be seen whether they could be effectively implemented. The Government was aware that the prevailing gender-stereotyped images had to be eliminated and that a public awareness-raising campaign needed to be organized in that regard. 280. The Committee was further informed that prostitution was illegal in the Philippines. However, the representative noted that there had been changes in public opinion on that subject, and much debate had been taking place in the country in relation to the issue. 281. The representative of the Philippines concluded her presentation by assuring the Committee of her Government's commitment to advancing the status of women. Concluding comments of the Committee Introduction 282. The Committee welcomed the presentation by the Government of the Philippines, and commended it in particular on the high quality of its fourth periodic report, which contained detailed information on the implementation of the Convention in accordance with the Committee's guidelines. The report gave a comprehensive overview of legal and administrative measures taken by the Government of the Philippines, and the analysis indicated a good understanding of the obstacles to the advancement of women. At the same time, it lacked factual information, including statistics, on the actual effect of government programmes and policies. The Committee applauded the initiative of the Government to collaborate with non-governmental organizations in preparing the report. It was particularly pleased with the frank and sincere approach of the national machinery in identifying the major obstacles to the elimination of discrimination against women. Factors and difficulties affecting the implementation of the Convention 283. The Committee noted the major economic policies undertaken by the Government, including economic and trade agreements at the regional and global levels, which will have a profound impact on women. In particular, the direction towards economic liberalization and privatization may have serious implications for the economic position of women and, in particular, on the economic position of women in the free-trade zones and in rural areas. The Committee was concerned that the trend towards feminization of migration and its attendant problems, including violence against women migrant workers, might be exacerbated. Positive aspects 284. The Committee welcomed the adoption by the Government of the Philippine Plan for Gender-responsive Development, 1995-2025, and also the priority policy imperatives set by the national machinery for women to implement the Beijing Platform for Action and to mainstream gender and development throughout the Government. 285. The Committee commended the decision to allocate a given percentage of all governmental budgets to women's programmes and projects, and encouraged an increase in the minimum percentage allocated. 286. The Committee noted with satisfaction several measures taken between the third and fourth periodic reports, such as the provision of credit assistance to women, legislation prohibiting sexual harassment, raising the minimum wage for domestic workers and increasing maternity and paternity benefits for employed persons. 287. The Committee applauded the report on an initial consultation to measure women's unremunerated work within a satellite account to the national economic system. 288. The Committee also commended the increase in the number of women's non-governmental organizations working at the grass-roots level and their significant contribution to the advancement of women, which was reflected in the reports of the State party. 289. The Committee was gratified at the exceptionally high level of literacy (93 per cent) among Filipino women. Principal areas of concern 290. The Committee noted with concern the inadequacy of monitoring mechanisms and indicators to measure the impact of government policies and programmes, as well as laws and administrative directives and regulations, especially at the local level. 291. The Committee expressed its grave concern about the economic reforms, which had resulted in growth in the gross national product, on the one hand, but in an increasing gap in the rates of employment of women and men and the economic marginalization of women on the other. Such damage, even if short-term, would be increasingly hard to rectify. It appeared that, owing to the lack of a livelihood, rural women were migrating to urban areas, where unemployment was higher than ever, which could account for the large number of women working as prostitutes and for the high proportion of women migrating as overseas contract workers. 292. The Committee commented on the discriminatory application of laws enforced against women prostitutes and not the men involved as traffickers, pimps and clients, and noted further that forced medical examinations of the women without similar attention to the male clients was not effective as a public health measure. 293. The Committee expressed its deep concern about deficiencies in the legal system with regard to violence against women, in view of the fact that incest and domestic violence were not specifically penalized by law and were still shrouded in silence. 294. The Committee noted that the decentralization of population and development programmes should bring services closer to the people. The Committee was concerned that without the requisite resource capacities and gender sensitivity of officials, such decentralization could deny women access to those services in contravention of the Convention. 295. The Committee noted with concern that despite the increased participation of women in decision-making in the public sphere, especially in non-governmental organizations, there was still very low representation of women in politics, top levels of Government and the judiciary. Suggestions and recommendations 296. The Committee urged the Government of the Philippines to adopt a top-priority policy of creating safe and protected jobs for women as a viable economic alternative to the current unemployment of women and their participation as subcontractors and, in the informal sector, as workers in free-trade zones, as prostitutes or as overseas contract workers. 297. The Committee suggested that the Government ensure that its economic policy did not lead to marginalization and exploitation so that women were encouraged to seek overseas employment to the detriment of society. 298. The Committee strongly recommended that the Government strengthen agencies that provide information and support services to women before they depart for overseas work, as well as in the receiving countries in cases of need. 299. The Committee suggested that measures for dealing with prostitution should focus on penalizing traffickers and creating alternative job opportunities for the women. 300. The Committee strongly urged the Government to enact legislation to combat violence against women and to compile the relevant data. 301. The Committee recommended that reproductive and sexual health services, including family planning and contraception, be made available and accessible to all women in all regions. 302. The Committee recommended that temporary special measures be adopted to increase the participation of women in top-level decision-making positions in the public sector. 303. The Committee suggested that there was a strong need for developing gender-disaggregated data in all areas. 304. In order to facilitate the implementation of the Convention, the Committee recommended that monitoring mechanisms and indicators be developed to measure the effect of government policies and programmes. 305. The Committee requested the Government of the Philippines to address the concerns included in the present concluding comments in its next report and to include information on the implementation of the Committee's general recommendations, as well as information relating to the follow-up to the Beijing Platform for Action in accordance with its revised reporting guidelines. It also requested wide dissemination of the comments throughout the Philippines. Canada 306. The Committee considered the third and fourth periodic reports of Canada (CEDAW/C/CAN/3 and 4) at its 329th and 330th meetings, on 28 January 1997 (see CEDAW/C/SR.329 and 330). 307. In introducing the reports, the representative placed the implementation of the Convention and the Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women within the framework of the Canadian federal system. She noted that in Canada, the federal and provincial/territorial governments shared legislative authority. Responsibility for areas such as education, health and social services was largely devolved to the provincial/territorial level. Canada's national machinery for the advancement of women was well-established at the federal level, and women's bureaux or agencies existed at the level of all provincial/territorial governments. 308. Canada's approach to promoting gender equality was based on the recognition that gender factors influenced political, economic and social systems. As a consequence, all social policy must take into account the differential impact of policies on men and women. The national machinery provided gender analysis and policy advice to government entities to ensure that gender factors were incorporated into legislation, policies and programmes. 309. The representative stressed that her Government attached great importance to close cooperation with non-governmental organizations and civil society as a crucial aspect of the advancement of women. Various efforts were undertaken to reflect the views of civil society in policy- making processes. Extensive networks existed with non-governmental organizations, and the Government provided funding to many women's organizations. 310. Noting that Canada faced new domestic and global socio-economic challenges, the representative emphasized that Canada had taken decisive steps to provide women with an effective legal framework against discrimination. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guaranteed equality before the law and under the law and the equal protection of the law to women and men. Individuals and groups could challenge legislation and practices of the federal or provincial/territorial governments if they perceived them to be discriminatory. The Charter provided protection against intentional discrimination as well as systemic discrimination and protected women against laws and practices that resulted inadvertently in unfair treatment of women. A special programme provided financial support for groups and individuals seeking the equality protection of the Charter. A recent amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act granted protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. 311. The representative highlighted a number of recent efforts by her Government to advance women's equality in the economic and social fields. As women's employment and economic autonomy were considered to be key building blocks for women's equality, improvements were needed with regard to women's earnings and to deal with persistent occupational segregation. A number of recent legislative measures were intended to address those areas. Efforts were also ongoing to measure and value women's and men's unpaid work in the household and to take it into account in policy. 312. The elimination of violence against women and children was another issue of high priority. Canada approached the problem in a comprehensive and holistic way, with particular attention to the underlying causes of such violence. In addition to recent amendments to strengthen the Criminal Code's response to violence, a number of legislative initiatives were pending. 313. The representative pointed out that special assistance was provided to women who were multiply disadvantaged, a third area of recent initiatives by the Government. Canada recognized that women were disadvantaged not only because of gender but also because of ethnicity, disability or income. The situation of aboriginal women required special attention, and recommendations contained in a recently completed study by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People were expected to play an important role in future policy-making in that field. 314. A fourth area was to ensure women's equal access to health care. Given rising health care costs in Canada, major changes in the Canadian health care system were expected to be implemented over the next decade. The preservation of women's equal access to quality health care would be an essential concern in that process. 315. In conclusion, the representative recognized that despite the progress made in many areas, a lot remained to be done. She assured the Committee of her Government's willingness to develop innovative solutions to the remaining problems, working closely with all parts of Canadian society. Concluding comments of the Committee Introduction 316. The Committee commended the Canadian Government for its third and fourth periodic reports and for the excellent and comprehensive replies to the numerous written questions prepared by the experts. 317. The Committee also appreciated the high-level delegation, which included representatives from the provinces. 318. The Committee found the format of the written reports, broken down by provinces, difficult to analyse and evaluate. As a result, experts were unable to appreciate fully the gains and obstacles in implementing the Convention. 319. The Committee noted the leading role of Canada in promoting gender equality at the international level through its development cooperation programmes on gender mainstreaming and violence against women. 320. The Committee also noted that while in the report there was a comprehensive review of new legislation and jurisprudence on human rights affecting women, the information provided did not adequately explain the impact on either women in general or on specific groups of women. Factors and difficulties affecting the implementation of the Convention 321. The restructuring of the economy, a phenomenon occurring in Canada and other highly industrialized countries, appeared to have had a disproportionate impact on women. Although the Government had introduced many measures designed to improve the status of women, the restructuring was seriously threatening to erode the significant gains and advances made by Canadian women. Given the Government's proud record of leadership on women's issues globally, those developments would not only have an impact on Canadian women, but would also be felt by women in other countries. Positive aspects 322. The Committee commended the high degree of importance attached to the promotion and implementation of human rights in Canada emphasized by its Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as its ratification of international human rights instruments, including the Convention. 323. The Committee noted that Canada had, by its landmark decision-making gender-based violence a basis for granting asylum to women, once again led the way. 324. The Committee noted with appreciation the introduction of the Federal Plan for Gender Equality, which was Canada's framework and blueprint for implementing the Beijing Platform for Action. 325. The Committee welcomed Canada's emphasis on the participation of civil society in promoting gender equality and in providing mechanisms for cooperation and dialogue, in particular with non-governmental organizations. The annual consultation on violence against women conducted by the Minister of Justice in cooperation with the Council on the Status of Women was particularly commendable. 326. The Committee also noted with satisfaction that Canada continued to strengthen and refine its gender mainstreaming efforts at all levels. Principal areas of concern 327. While many measures, including laws, were in place to address violence against women, the incidence of such violence was not diminishing, but had in fact increased in some areas. 328. The Committee was concerned about the rising teenage pregnancy rate, with its negative impact on health and education and the resulting increase in the poverty and dependency of young women. 329. The Committee expressed its concern about the trend towards the privatization of health care programmes, which could seriously affect the accessibility and quality of services available to Canadian women, especially the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. 330. The Committee was concerned that within the framework of economic and structural changes, including those arising from regional and international economic arrangements, insufficient attention had been paid to their impact on women in general and on disadvantaged women in particular. 331. The Committee was concerned about the deepening poverty among women, particularly among single mothers, aggravated by the withdrawal, modification or weakening of social assistance programmes. 332. The Committee was concerned that despite the steps taken to implement the Federal Employment Equity Act in the public sector, it was still too limited to have a real impact on women's economic position and suffered from weak enforcement. 333. The Committee was concerned that programmes directed at aboriginal women might have discriminatory effects. 334. The Committee also expressed its concern that current budget cutbacks were affecting the continuity of services in women's crisis centres. Suggestions and recommendations 335. The level of violence against Canadian women in general and sexually exploited women and girls, prostitutes and women victims of trafficking in particular requires urgent action. Measures to combat violence against women need to be continuously monitored and evaluated for their impact on long-term behaviours and attitudes. 336. The Committee suggested that the Government address urgently the factors responsible for increasing poverty among women and especially women single parents and that it develop programmes and policies to combat such poverty. 337. Information on the valuation and qualification of women's unpaid work, including domestic work, should be provided in future reports. 338. The Committee suggested that in the next report the Government, within the possibilities of its legal framework, integrate the information from federal and provincial levels article by article. The Committee also recommended that the report include explicit information on the impact of legislation, policies and programmes on Canadian women in general and specific groups of women in particular. 339. Methodologies to assess progress made in closing the gap in pay between men and women and in ensuring equal pay for work of equal value should be developed. 340. The Federal Plan for Gender Equality should have a specific time- frame, benchmark and measurable goals to monitor implementation and the specific resource allocation required. 341. A comprehensive picture of the situation of aboriginal women should be provided, including their educational situation, their position in the labour force and a description and evaluation of past and present federal and provincial programmes for aboriginal women. Programmes directed at aboriginal women should be monitored for possible discriminatory effects. The plight of aboriginal women in prison is of urgent concern. 342. The Committee recommended that social assistance programmes directed at women be restored to an adequate level. 343. The Committee urged the wide dissemination of the present concluding comments in Canada to make Canadians aware of the steps that had been taken to ensure de facto equality for women and the further steps required in that regard. 6. Report submitted on an exceptional basis Zaire 344. At its 317th meeting, on 16 January 1997, the Committee, on the recommendation of its Bureau, considered an oral report presented on an exceptional basis by the representative of Zaire (see CEDAW/C/SR.317). 345. The Committee had originally scheduled to take the initial report of Zaire at its sixteenth session. However, as a result of a breakdown in communication between New York and Kinshasa, the Government did not inform the Secretariat that it was ready to present its report. As a result, the initial report of Zaire was not included in the Committee's agenda. 346. However, as the representative of Zaire arrived in New York expecting to present the State party's initial report, the Committee instead agreed that the representative of Zaire would make an oral report on an exceptional basis on the situation of women in Zaire. The Committee agreed on the understanding that the regular report of Zaire would be rescheduled for consideration by the Committee at a future date. 347. The representative stated that eastern Zaire was in a state of rebellion, and as many as 600,000 Zairians, predominantly women and children, were displaced within the country. At the same time, Zaire was host to a significant number of refugees from Rwanda and Burundi. Many persons, including women and children, both Zairians and refugees, had fallen victim to violence, including murder, rape and other abuses. Comments of the Committee 348. The Committee reiterated that the oral report had been heard on an exceptional basis and as a matter of courtesy for the delegation of Zaire and that the regular report would be rescheduled. It expressed its particular concern for the situation of Zairian women in those areas where conflict had occurred and where refugee populations were high. 349. The Committee regretted that the oral report by the State party had not sufficiently reflected the close link that existed between discrimination against women, gender-based violence and violation of the rights and fundamental freedoms of women, particularly in the light of the current situation in the country. 350. The Committee was of the view that effective and immediate measures needed to be taken to protect the physical and moral integrity of refugee and displaced women and of all women victims of armed conflict. 351. The Committee encouraged the State party, when presenting its initial and subsequent reports, to provide information on the consequences of armed conflict within Zaire for the lives of Zairian women, as well as for the lives of refugee women from countries neighbouring Zaire. V. WAYS AND MEANS OF EXPEDITING THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE 352. The Committee considered ways and means of expediting the work of the Committee (agenda item 8) at its 311th and 332nd meetings, on 13 and 31 January 1997. 353. The item was introduced by the Chief of the Women's Rights Unit of the Division for the Advancement of Women, who introduced the reports of the Secretariat on reservations to the Convention (CEDAW/C/1997/4) and on ways and means of expediting the work of the Committee (CEDAW/C/1997/5) and a working paper containing draft rules of procedure (CEDAW/C/1997/WG.I/WP.1). Action taken by the Committee on the report of Working Group I 354. At its 332nd meeting, on 31 January 1997, the Committee considered the item on the basis of the report of Working Group I (CEDAW/C/1997/WG.I/WP.2 and Add.1). 1. Concluding comments 355. The Committee decided to maintain its practice of designating a main country rapporteur and back-up rapporteur for each State party report. It decided that the expert nominated as the main country rapporteur would draft the concluding comments and work in close collaboration with the back-up rapporteur, the general rapporteur of the Committee and the Secretariat. The country rapporteur should seek additional information on both initial and subsequent reports about the country under review. She was to present her findings as an introduction to the report at a closed meeting, before the State party's presentation, but the concluding comments drafted thereafter would reflect the views expressed at the meetings during which the report was presented rather than the views of the individual rapporteur. 356. The Committee decided that concluding comments should follow the standard pattern elaborated by it at its fifteenth session. It recommended that a standard format with five headings should be followed, but some flexibility would be necessary to meet unusual situations. The introduction to the comments should include whether the report had followed the Committee's guidelines, whether it was sufficient or insufficient, whether it had incorporated statistical data disaggregated by sex and the nature and quality of the oral report. It was suggested that there should be an objective indication of the strengths of the report and the level of the delegation, which should be considered in an open fashion, as it was impossible for some countries to send large or high-level delegations. 357. The section on factors and difficulties affecting the implementation of the Convention would describe major areas of the Convention that had not been implemented by States parties. It would address whether the Convention was self-executing and whether legislation had been put in place to give effect to it, as well as overarching social factors, such as tradition and cultural and behavioural patterns. That section should also include general factors such as the impact of structural adjustment and transition on the women of the State party under review. Any reservations to the Convention should be addressed in that section. 358. The section on positive aspects should be organized in the order of the articles of the Convention. The section on principal areas of concern should be organized in the order of the importance of the particular issue to the country under review. The suggestions and recommendations should provide concrete solutions from the Committee to the problems identified in the rest of the comment. 359. The concluding comments would also include a reference to any commitments of the State party made at the Fourth World Conference on Women, and would close with a recommendation relating to the dissemination of the Convention, the reports and the concluding comments. Each set of concluding comments would be internally balanced, and the Committee would strive to achieve consistency and balance, particularly in terms of praise and expressions of concern, among the concluding comments elaborated at each session. 360. The Committee would hold a closed meeting after the close of constructive dialogue with each State party in order to reflect on the main issues and tendencies to be discussed in the concluding comments relating to the report of the State party. 361. The Committee requested that these guidelines for concluding comments should be provided by the Secretariat to the Committee at each of its sessions. For the decision of the Committee, see chap. I, sect. A, above, decision 16/I. 2. Relations with non-governmental organizations 362. The Committee was broadly supportive of the involvement of non- governmental organizations in its work, its general view being that non- governmental organization material did not compromise the independence of the members, who had been selected on the basis of expertise and integrity. The Committee welcomed the input of non-governmental organizations and proposed that their advocacy role be encouraged. It recommended that, as from the seventeenth session, the Secretariat should facilitate an informal meeting with non-governmental organizations, which would include, inter alia, country-specific information, if possible with interpretation, during the first and second days of its session. The Working Group noted that reports of non-governmental organizations were able to shed light on the de facto implementation of the Convention in States parties and that those reports should be made public and shared with, and made widely known in, the State party concerned. It was stressed that the input of non- governmental organizations should not be perceived as clandestine material given to Committee members. For the decision of the Committee, see chap. I, sect. A, above, decision 16/II. 3. Relations with other treaty bodies 363. The practice of nominating Committee members to serve as focal points to other treaty bodies should continue. The Secretariat should ensure that the concluding comments of the Committee are transmitted immediately to other treaty bodies and that the concluding comments and observations of the other bodies are made available to the Committee as soon as possible. 364. The Committee welcomed the initiation of meetings between the Committee and the Committee on the Rights of the Child and called for further collaboration with other treaty bodies. In particular, the Committee should take into account the general comments and recommendations of other treaty bodies. The Working Group recommended that those members with fellow nationals in other treaty bodies should collaborate with them as much as possible. 4. Specialized agencies and other entities 365. Links between the Committee and specialized agencies and other entities of the United Nations should be strengthened. The Secretariat should ensure that the concluding comments of the Committee are submitted to the heads of specialized agencies as soon as possible after their conclusion. Specialized agencies, particularly those with field-level offices, should keep in mind the principles and recommendations of the Committee in defining their work programmes. The input of specialized agencies and other entities into the Committee's work within article 22 of the Convention should be more structured. Such input should be country- specific and include information on treaties accepted by the reporting State party, information from country or regional studies about the State party, new statistics about the State party collected by the agencies and a description of the country-level programmes of the agencies in the State party under review. The Committee would review its practice of nominating focal points for specialized agencies and other entities at its next session. 5. Institutional relations 366. An ongoing formal exchange should be established between the Committee and the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences. The Special Rapporteur should be invited to report to the Committee on general developments within her mandate, as well as on the results of specific studies undertaken by her which related to States parties under review by the Committee. 367. The Committee also recommended that relations be maintained with the Special Rapporteur on traditional practices affecting the health of women and children, as well as other relevant country-specific and thematic mechanisms. 6. Analysis report 368. The analysis report prepared by the Secretariat should provide the text of any reservations entered by the State party, information about whether those reservations had been withdrawn or modified and the text of reservations to other treaties. The report should also include the reactions of other States parties to reservations to the Convention and current statistics culled from United Nations sources. The Secretariat would also provide an analysis of whether any recommendations in the concluding comments of the Committee relating to the earlier report of the State party were addressed in the subsequent report. 7. Pre-session working group 369. On the basis of written observations of members of the Committee as well as observations of members of the pre-session working group, the pre- session working group would formulate a short list of questions concentrating on major areas of concern in regard to implementation of the Convention by the State party. The pre-session should be convened at the session prior to the one at which selected States parties were to report; written questions would be submitted to the State party, which would be answered in writing by the State party in advance of the session (see chap. I, sect. B, above, suggestion 16/2). The Committee would enter into a constructive dialogue on the basis of those replies. 8. The Committee's practices during constructive dialogue 370. Guidelines should be formulated to guide States parties with regard to their presentation of subsequent reports. Those guidelines should be part of the Committee's existing guidelines for the preparation of reports. The guidelines should indicate that the State party presenting its report would address the Committee for up to one hour with one and a half meetings being available for consideration by the Committee of the report. 371. Committee members should identify those areas in which they wished to specialize at the next session. A group of up to three members would communicate with each other about their area of specialization and prepare thematic questions. Specialization would not preclude members from posing questions in areas outside their speciality. 9. Rules of procedure 372. A first reading of the revised draft rules of procedure prepared by Ms. Bernard was begun, and general comments that would be submitted to Ms. Bernard and reflected in her revised draft for the seventeenth session were made. It resolved that any further comments would be sent through the Secretariat to Ms. Tallawy, who would compile them and submit them through the Secretariat to Ms. Bernard. The preparation of rules governing reports on an exceptional basis was recommended. 10. Technical and advisory services 373. The budget for technical and advisory services of the Centre for Human Rights should be made available to promote the Convention and the work of the Committee (see chap. I, sect. B, above, suggestion 16/1). 374. A number of regional and international seminars, concerning, inter alia, gender sensitivity, de jure and de facto equality and reservations to the Convention were suggested by the Committee. A small working group of Committee members would be convened to conceptualize the first such seminar and to examine funding requirements for the first such seminar during 1997 and early 1998. The Committee recommended that the expertise of present and past Committee members should be called upon as a resource for such activities. 11. Reports of States parties and overdue reports 375. In order to address the backlog of reports awaiting consideration and to encourage States parties to report in a timely fashion, the Committee decided, on an exceptional basis and as a temporary measure, to invite States parties to combine a maximum of two of the reports required under article 18 of the Convention (see chap. I, sect. A, above, decision 16/III). 376. The Secretariat was requested to present a list to the Committee at future sessions of those States parties whose reports had been overdue for more than five years. 12. Reports to be considered at the seventeenth and eighteenth session 377. The Committee decided that the reports of 10 States parties would be considered at its seventeenth session, in July 1997, and that the reports of another 10 States parties would be considered at the eighteenth session, in January 1998. 378. Bearing in mind the criteria of date of submission, geographical balance and reports delayed from earlier sessions, the reports of the following States parties should be considered: Seventeenth session Initial reports Antigua and Barbuda Armenia Israel Namibia Luxembourg Second periodic reports Dominican Republic Argentina Italy Third periodic reports Australia Bangladesh 379. In the event that one of the above-mentioned States parties should be unable to present its report, the Committee decided to consider the following reports: Initial reports Azerbaijan Belize Croatia Zimbabwe Second periodic reports Equatorial Guinea Bulgaria Republic of Korea Eighteenth session Initial reports Azerbaijan Belize Croatia Zaire* Zimbabwe Second periodic reports Bulgaria Equatorial Guinea Indonesia Third periodic reports Mexico Republic of Korea 380. In the event that one of the above-mentioned States parties should be unable to present its report, the Committee decided to consider the initial report of the Czech Republic. * Effective 17 May 1997, Zaire was renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo. 13. United Nations meetings to be attended by the Chairperson or members of the Committee in 1997 381. The Committee recommended that the Chairperson or an alternate should attend the following meetings (listed in order of priority): (a) Commission on the Status of Women; (b) Commission on Human Rights; (c) Meeting of persons chairing the human rights treaty bodies; (d) General Assembly (Third Committee). 14. Members of the pre-session working group for the seventeenth session 382. The Committee decided that the members of the pre-session working group for the seventeenth session of the Committee and their alternates should be: Member Alternate Ms. Miriam Estrada (Latin America) Ms. Ai'da Gonza'lez Ms. Emna Aouij (Africa) Ms. Ahoua Ouedraogo Ms. Ayse Feride Acar (Europe) Ms. Carlota Bustelo Ms. Aurora Javate de Dios (Asia) Ms. Salma Khan 15. Dates of the seventeenth session of the Committee 383. Consistent with the calendar of conferences for 1997, the seventeenth session should be held from 7 to 25 July 1997, in New York. The pre- session working group would meet from 30 June to 3 July 1997. VI. IMPLEMENTATION OF ARTICLE 21 OF THE CONVENTION 384. The Committee considered the implementation of article 21 of the Convention (agenda item 7) at its 311th and 332nd meetings, on 13 and 31 January 1997. 385. The item was introduced by the Deputy Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women, who presented the following documents: (a) Report of the Secretariat on the analysis of articles 7 and 8 of the Convention (CEDAW/C/1994/4); (b) Note by the Secretary-General on reports of specialized agencies on the implementation of the Convention in areas falling within the scope of their activities (CEDAW/C/1997/3); (c) Report of the International Labour Organization (CEDAW/C/1997/3/Add.2); (d) Report of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (CEDAW/C/1997/3/Add.3); (e) Working paper containing a draft general recommendation on articles 7 and 8 of the Convention (CEDAW/C/1997/WG.II/WP.1). A. Action taken by the Committee on the report of Working Group II 386. At its 332nd meeting, on 31 January, the Committee considered the item on the basis of the report of Working Group II (CEDAW/C/1997/WG.II/WP.2 and Corr.1 and Add.1-3) and took the following action: 1. General recommendation 23 387. The Committee adopted general recommendation 23 on articles 7 and 8 of the Convention relating to women in public life, and authorized Ms. Silvia Cartwright, in conjunction with the Secretariat, to edit the text so that it could be included in final form in the report of the Committee on its seventeenth session (for the text, see part two, chap. I, sect. A). 2. Open-ended working group on the elaboration of a draft optional protocol to the Convention 388. The Committee designated Ms. Silvia Cartwright to represent the Committee as a resource person at the meetings of the open-ended working group of the Commission on the Status of Women on the elaboration of a draft optional protocol to the Convention to be held during the forty-first session of the Commission. B. Statements by senior United Nations officials Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund 389. At the 314th meeting, on 15 January 1997, the Executive Director of UNFPA addressed the Committee, observing that the work of the Committee had been ground-breaking, notably in the context of women's health, and in particular of women's reproductive health. The guarantee of reproductive rights was indispensable in achieving gender equality and the improvement of women, and those goals were essential conditions for achieving sustainable development. 390. She indicated that UNFPA had been honoured to sponsor, together with the Division for the Advancement of Women and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the recent round table on human rights approaches to women's reproductive and sexual health rights, and acknowledged the important role played by the Committee in that initiative. The round table, which was the first occasion at which experts from all six human rights bodies as well as representatives of United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations had been brought together to address a thematic issue, made a number of recommendations, in one of which it called upon treaty bodies, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and others to strengthen their working relationships so as to foster a gender-integrated human rights perspective in their respective programmes. The Executive Director made clear that UNFPA had already sought to implement a number of the recommendations of the round table and had met with the Division and the Commissioner to discuss follow-up actions. 391. She also expressed the view that the human rights treaty process was critical in creating an international standard that transcended culture, traditions and societal norms. Although the latter were important forces binding societies together, they should not be used to force women into a subordinate role, damage their health and minimize their contributions to family, the community and their countries. Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund 392. Also at the 314th meeting, the Committee heard an address by the Executive Director of UNICEF. She indicated that 1996 had seen progress towards a close relationship between the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and noted that the UNICEF Executive Board had designated the rights of children and women as one of the three areas for follow-up of the Fourth World Conference on Women. She emphasized the importance of the first joint meeting of the two committees, held at Cairo from 16 to 25 November 1996, and described the several subsequent follow-up meetings to that meeting. She also observed that, under the UNICEF Mission Statement, the organization was guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and was committed to the principle of non-discrimination and the equal rights of women and girls. Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Director, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, United Nations Development Programme 393. At the 331st meeting, on 29 January 1997, the Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Director, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) addressed the Committee and stressed the commitment of UNDP to the empowerment of women. She indicated that the elimination of discrimination against women had two prongs so as to build country capacity in 134 programme countries to strengthen the enabling policy and legal framework for gender equality and to improve women's access to assets and resources, including decision- making. She also indicated that UNDP was guided by the primary objective of eliminating poverty and recognizing that for the majority of the world's women, overcoming poverty was the greatest challenge that they faced. She noted that women predominated in the care economy, which tended to be unpaid and undervalued. She also noted that UNDP had taken the first step in the long journey towards bringing human values into the economic equation. She indicated that women must be clear on the value system they will perpetuate through socialization and their own leadership. She emphasized that UNDP would work with the Committee to address discrimination against women. Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women 394. Also at the 331st meeting, the Director of UNIFEM addressed the Committee. She affirmed the continued interest of UNIFEM in supporting the work of the Committee. She acknowledged the work of Ms. Corti, the outgoing Chairperson, and congratulated the new Chairperson, Ms. Salma Khan, assuring her of UNIFEM support to her in her new capacity. She described the work of UNIFEM to promote the Convention and the Committee. In particular, she described the recent initiative of UNIFEM in collaboration with International Women's Rights Action Watch (Asia/Pacific), which allowed eight women from six countries who were and would soon be reporting to the Committee to attend the session and to take part in an intensive orientation on the Convention. She indicated that this had intensified the commitment of UNIFEM to find innovative ways to support implementation of the Convention. In that context, she looked forward to learning the Committee's views on future interaction with women around the world. VII. PROVISIONAL AGENDA FOR THE SEVENTEENTH SESSION 395. The Committee considered the provisional agenda for its seventeenth session (agenda 9) at its 333rd meeting, on 31 January 1997. 396. At the same meeting, on the basis of the report of Working Group I, the Committee decided to approve the following agenda: 1. Opening of the session. 2. Solemn declaration. 3. Adoption of the agenda and organization of work. 4. Report of the Chairperson on activities undertaken between the sixteenth and seventeenth sessions of the Committee. 5. Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. 6. Implementation of article 21 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. 7. Ways and means of expediting the work of the Committee. 8. Provisional agenda for the eighteenth session. 9. Adoption of the report of the Committee on its sixteenth session. VIII. ADOPTION OF THE REPORT 397. At its 333rd meeting, on 31 January 1997, the Committee adopted the report on its sixteenth session (CEDAW/C/1997/L.1 and Add.1-12), as orally amended.