Human Rights and Democracy - Official Documents

International institutions have a vital role to play in advancing women’s rights. The
UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women is a
legally binding international treaty designed to end gender inequality and promote
women’s empowerment. The UK ratified the convention in 1986. In 2011 the UK will
submit its report on the measures we have taken to comply with our obligations
under the convention. The Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action, adopted at the
Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, embodies the commitment
of the international community to the advancement of women, ensuring that a gender
perspective is reflected in all policies and programmes at the national, regional and
international levels. The year 2010 was the 15-year review of the Beijing Declaration
and Platform of Action, undertaken by the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
The review recognised that although the international community has made
advances in women’s rights in the 15 years since its adoption, many challenges
remain to women achieving the full enjoyment of their human rights.
In September the UK welcomed the adoption at the Human Rights Council of the
resolution on “The Elimination of Laws and Practices that Discriminate against
Women.” The resolution agreed to establish a new expert working group of five
independent and geographically representative experts who will conduct country
visits, make recommendations on best practice, and highlight laws and practices that
violate women’s rights.
The creation of a new UN agency for women, UN Women, in July is a welcome
development. UN Women merges four existing UN agencies on gender equality and
women’s empowerment into one agency to provide a more coherent and coordinated
approach to women’s rights. In September the UN Secretary-General appointed
Michelle Bachelet, the former Chilean president, as the new head of UN Women.
Negotiations to agree the size and composition of the governance body of UN
Women, the executive board, were lengthy. We supported the final board that
includes a diverse representation of countries. The UK will be represented on the
board for five out of the next six years. We will actively engage in the development
of UN Women during our tenure.
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