Women

The United Nations (UN) is an international organisation founded in 1945. Its work is guided by the aim of ‘maintaining international cooperation’. The founding Charter of the UN determined human rights to be a priority of the organisation. The UN strives to improve human rights globally through various methods including peacekeeping missions, the Human Rights Council, and Treaty bodies. Treaty bodies consist of committees of independent experts monitoring the implementation of human rights by States which have ratified the treaty in domestic law. A significant example is CEDAW: the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

CEDAW aims to improve gender equality by ensuring women’s equal access and opportunities in political and public life through its 14 articles. Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979, the Committee entered into force in 1981. There are 23 experts highly qualified to speak on women’s issues, with their previous professions ranging from politics to academia. 189 States worldwide have ratified CEDAW, subjecting them to national reports on their progress, at least every four years. The Committee experts provide a list of questions and concerns to which the State delegation will compile a progress report in response.

October 2024 saw the 89^th session of the Convention take place, with 8 country reports under scrutiny. During my visit, I observed two sessions.

The session began with an introductory explanation from the chairperson of CEDAW, and a statement from the head of the Nation’s delegation, summarising the progress achieved since the previous report. The main body of the meeting consisted of the delegation responding to questions from Committee experts which followed the Articles of the Convention. There were often follow-up questions, which could either be responded to immediately, or followed up in writing within 24 hours of the session’s conclusion.

Saudi Arabia

My first observation was on Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia ratified CEDAW in 2000 (p.8), making this their fifth periodic report. Saudi Arabia is governed by Sharia law, which is based on traditional Islamic law. The conversation between the Committee and the State delegation largely revolved around the male guardianship system, which arose from Sharia law. Equality Now describes it as treating women like ‘legal minors’, since women are subject to needing a male guardian’s permission for a range of decisions, alike to parent and child.

Whilst Saudi Arabia maintains that the guardianship system has been eradicated, the Committee had concerns about its effects lingering, particularly in healthcare. As provided by the Ministry of Health, abortion – only available if the mother or foetus is at risk of death – in the case of life-threatening foetal abnormalities requires the consent of both the mother and father. Whilst the provision makes it clear that the mother’s lack of consent would prevent an abortion taking place, it was silent on the opposite, suggesting that she could not receive an abortion if the father refuses.

New Zealand

I also observed the session of New Zealand. As provided by the Ministry for Women, The State ratified CEDAW in 1985, and this report was their ninth. The delegation was considerably smaller than Saudi Arabia’s, totalling only seven individuals. New Zealand were positive about the popularity of the 2023 Women’s World Cup co-hosted with Australia, which Reuters reported as earning them a net economic benefit of $109.5m, demonstrating the worth of in investing in women’s sport.

However, there was also discussion about the treatment of Māori women. The Committee expressed concern about the abolition of the Māori Health Authority, Te Aka Whai Ora, by the new government. Aljazeera describes concerns of indigenous groups who say that the decision undermines their rights, as they know how to best improve the general health of their people. However, the Prime Minister states that the decision was made to ensure all New Zealanders had equal rights, maintaining that focus will remain on the improvement of health outcomes for Māori people.

Whilst CEDAW has ambitious aims for progressing women’s rights, their impact requires the willing cooperation of the State. The Committee can try to push the State in the direction they believe would best improve gender discrimination, but no progress can be made without the State’s genuine effort to achieve equality.

Editor: Leah Russon Watkins