what is cedaw

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is an international treaty adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly. It is often described as an international bill of rights for women and has been ratified by 189 states. CEDAW is a global human rights treaty that should be incorporated into national law as the highest standard for womens rights. It requires the UN Member States that have ratified it to set in place mechanisms to fully realize womens rights. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, usually abbreviated as CEDAW Committee, is the United Nations (UN) treaty body that oversees the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) . The Committee is composed of 23 experts nominated by their Governments and elected by the States parties as individuals "of high moral standing and competence in the field covered by the Convention". The Convention defines discrimination against women as "...any distinction, exclusion or restriction...". CEDAW is important to youth and is one of the key international agreements that guides the work of UN Women in achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.