Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

CEDAW was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 18 December 1979 and entered into force on 3 September 1981 after the twentieth ratification. It is often described as an international bill of rights for women, building on earlier instruments such as the 1967 Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

The Convention contains 30 articles. It defines discrimination against women in Article 1 as any distinction, exclusion, or restriction made on the basis of sex that impairs women's enjoyment of human rights on a basis of equality with men. States parties commit to:

• Embedding equality in national constitutions and legislation
• Taking measures, including temporary special measures, to accelerate de facto equality
• Modifying social and cultural patterns that perpetuate stereotyped roles
• Suppressing trafficking and exploitation of women
• Guaranteeing equal rights in political life, nationality, education, employment, health, economic life, and marriage and family relations

Implementation is monitored by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, a body of 23 independent experts that reviews periodic state reports and issues General Recommendations. Notable ones include General Recommendation No. 19 (1992) on violence against women and No. 35 (2017) updating that guidance.

An Optional Protocol, adopted in 1999 and in force since 2000, allows individual communications and an inquiry procedure, similar to mechanisms under other UN treaty bodies.

CEDAW has near-universal participation, with 189 states parties as of the early 2020s, though a number of ratifications carry substantive reservations, particularly regarding Article 2 (policy obligations) and Article 16 (marriage and family). The United States signed in 1980 but has not ratified, making it one of the few UN member states outside the treaty. Iran, Somalia, Sudan, and Tonga are also non-parties. CEDAW is frequently cited alongside the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) and UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security.