Within the framework of the 23rd meeting of the States Parties to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, elections were held for members of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) for 2025-2028 at UN headquarters, DKNews.kz reports.
For the first time, a candidate from Kazakhstan, the famous Kazakh diplomat Madina Dzharbusynova, was elected to CEDAW. This is a significant historical event, since previously none of the Central Asian countries were represented in this important UN body.
Among Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan is a leader in progress in gender equality. Kazakhstan improved its position and rose 18 places to 62nd place in the Global Gender Gap Index 2023, which was developed to assess gender equality among 146 countries.
Along with Kazakhstan, representatives of 20 states applied for 11 seats in CEDAW – Oman, Switzerland, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Guatemala, Andorra, Australia, Nepal, Georgia, Chile, Barbados, China, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Cameroon, Mozambique, North Macedonia, Uruguay, Great Britain and Togo.
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is a body of independent experts monitoring the implementation of their obligations by states parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The committee consists of 23 women’s rights experts from around the world. Countries that have become parties to the treaty are required to submit reports to the Committee on the implementation of relevant rights once every four years. During its sessions, the Committee examines the reports of each State party and submits its views and recommendations in the form of concluding observations. Kazakhstan joined this international document in 1998.
