Thirty-fourth session 
Agenda item 75 

DRAFT CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN 

Working paper prepared by the Secretariat

CONTENTS 

Article 19

Original version of the Commission on the Status of Women with amendments proposed to it, the Swedish proposal with amendments proposed to it and the proposal by Ecuador.

Article 19 

I. Original Version of the Commission of the Status of Women and Amendments Proposed to It

Paragraph 1 

The States Parties undertake to adopt measures at the national level, including the establishment of machinery and procedures, aimed at achieving the full realization of the rights recognized in the present Convention. 

Paragraph 2 

(a) Every two years following the entry into force of the present Convention, the States Parties undertake to submit to the Secretary-General of the United Nations reports on the legislative, judicial, administrative or other measures which they have adopted and on the progress made in implementing the provisions of the Convention; reports may indicate factors and difficulties affecting the degree of fulfillment of obligations under the Convention;

Amendment proposed by New Zealand 
A/32/218, para. 154 

Substitute the word "shall" for the word "may". 

(b) In preparing their reports, the States Parties shall make use of national machinery established to promote the advancement of women and of appropriate non-governmental organizations;

(c) The States Parties shall furnish their reports in stages, in accordance with a programme to be established by the ad hoc Group set up under this article after consultation with the States Parties and the specialized agencies concerned. 

Paragraph 3 

For the purpose of considering the progress made in the implementation of the present Convention by the States Parties, the Commission on the Status of Women shall establish an ad hoc Group consisting of 10 to 15 persons. The Group shall be elected by the Commission from among its own members who are States Parties to the Convention and from an additional list of persons nominated by States Parties to the Convention who are not members of the Commission, consideration being given to the principle of equitable geographical distribution and representation of differing legal systems. Those elected to the Group shall serve in their personal capacity and shall be elected for a two-year term. 

Amendment proposed by Norway 
A/32/218/Add.1, p. 10

Insert after the words "Commission on the Status of Women" the words "or other body under the Economic and Social Council that the Parties to the Convention may nominate". "Subsequent mention of the Commission on the Status of Women may be supplemented by "or other relevant body under the Economic and Social Council appointed by the Parties to the Convention". 

Paragraph 4

The ad hoc Group shall normally meet for a period of not more than two weeks before the opening of the regular session of the Commission on the Status of Women, to consider the reports submitted in accordance with paragraph 2 above. 

Paragraph 5 

The ad hoc Group shall report to the Commission on the Status of Women on its activities and may make general recommendations based on the examination of the reports from the States Parties. The Commission shall transmit the report of the Group, together with its own comments, to the Economic and Social Council. 

Paragraph 6 

Specialized agencies shall be entitled to be represented at different stages of the consideration of the implementation of such provisions of the present Convention as fall within the scope of their activities. They shall be entitled to submit reports on the implementation of relevant instruments adopted by them or under their auspices. 

Paragraph 7 

The Economic and Social Council shall submit periodically to the United Nations General Assembly reports with recommendations of a general nature and a summary of the information received from the States Parties to the present Convention and the specialized agencies on the measures taken and the progress made in achieving full observance of the rights recognized in the present Convention. 

Paragraph 8 

The Economic and Social Council may bring to the attention of other organs of the United Nations, their subsidiary organs and specialized agencies concerned with furnishing technical assistance any matters arising out of the reports referred to in this part of the present Convention, which may assist such bodies in deciding, each within its field of competence, on the advisability of international measures likely to contribute to the effective progressive implementation of the present Convention. 

II. Swedish Proposal and Amendments Proposed to It 

Paragraph 1

The States Parties undertake to adopt measures at the national level, including the establishment of procedures, aimed at achieving the full realization of the rights recognized in the present Convention. 

New paragraph 2 

(a) For the purpose of considering the progress made in the implementation of the present Convention a Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women shall be established (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) consisting of eighteen experts of high moral standing and competence in the field covered by this Convention, elected by States Parties from among their nationals, who shall serve in their personal capacity, consideration being given to equitable geographical distribution and to the representation of the different forms of civilization as well as the principal legal systems; 

Amendment proposed by the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 

Replace the words "eighteen experts" between the words "consisting of" and the words "of high moral standing and competence" by the words "twenty-three experts." 

(b) The members of the Committee shall be elected by secret ballot from a list of persons nominated by the States Parties. Each State Party may nominate one person from among its own nationals; 

(c) The initial election shall be held six months after the date of the entry into force of this Convention. At least three months before the date of each election the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall address a letter to the States Parties inviting them to submit their nominations within two months. The Secretary-General shall prepare a list in alphabetical order of all persons thus nominated, indicating the States Parties which have nominated them, and shall submit it to the States Parties; 

(d) Elections of the members of the Committee shall be held at a meeting of States Parties convened by the Secretary-General at United Nations Headquarters. At that meeting, for which two thirds of the States Parties shall constitute a quorum, the persons elected to the Committee shall be those nominees who obtain the largest number of voters and an absolute majority of the votes of the representatives of States Parties present and voting; 

(e) The members of the Committee shall be elected for a term of four years. However, this term of nine of the members elected at the first election shall expire at the end of two years: immediately after the first election the names of these nine members shall be chosen by lot by the Chairman of the Committee; 

(f) For the filling of casual vacancies, the State Party whose expert has ceased to function as a member of the Committee shall appoint another expert from among its nationals, subject to the approval of the Committee; 

(g) States Parties shall be responsible for the expenses of the members of the Committee while they are in performance of Committee duties. 

New paragraph 3 

(a) The Committee shall adopt its own rules of procedure;

(b) The Committee shall elect its own officers for a term of two years; 

(c) The secretariat of the Committee shall be provided by the Secretary-General of the United Nations; 

(d) The meetings of the Committee shall normally be held at United Nations Headquarters or at any other convenient place as determined by the Committee. 

New paragraph 4 

States Parties undertake to submit to the Secretary-General of the United Nations for consideration by the Committee, a report on the legislative, judicial, administrative or other measures which they have adopted to give effect tot he provisions of the Convention and on the progress made in this respect:

(a) within one year after the entry into force for the State concerned; and 

(b) thereafter every four years and whenever the Committee so requests. 

Reports may indicate factors and difficulties affecting the degree of fulfillment of obligations under the Convention. 

Amendment to paragraph 4 proposed by Australia 

Insert new penultimate sentence: "The Committee may request further information from the States Parties." 

New paragraph 5 

The Committee shall normally meet for a period of not more than two weeks annually to consider the reports submitted in accordance with paragraph 4 above. 

New paragraph 6 

(a) The Committee shall, through the Economic and Social Council, report annually to the General Assembly on its activities and, on the basis of the examination of the reports from the States Parties, may make suggestions and general recommendations, including recommendations on the advisability of measures likely to contribute to the effective progressive implementation of the present Convention: 

(b) The Secretary-General shall transmit the reports of the Committee to the Commission on the Status of Women. 

Amendment to paragraph 6 proposed by Australia 

Add additional sentence to the end of the paragraph: "States Parties comment, if any, on the suggestions and recommendations put forward by the Committee shall also be reported to the General Assembly." 

New paragraph 7 

Specialized agencies shall be entitled to be represented at the consideration of the implementation of such provisions of the present Convention as fall within the scope of their activities. They shall be entitled to submit reports on the implementation of relevant instruments adopted under their auspices. 

III. Ecuadorian Proposal 

Paragraph 1 

The States Parties undertake to adopt measures at the national level, including the establishment of machinery and procedures, aimed at achieving the full realization of the rights recognized in the present Convention. (Identical to the original version of paragraph 1 proposed by the Commission on the Status of Women (A/C.3/34/WG.1/CRP.2/Add.2). 

Paragraph 2 

States Parties undertake to submit to the Secretary-General of the United Nations for consideration by the Committee, a report on the legislative, judicial, administrative or other measures which they have adopted to give effect to the provisions of the Convention and on the progress made in this respect: 

(a) within one year after the entry into force for the State concerned;  and 

(b) thereafter every four years and whenever the Economic and Social Council as requests. Reports may indicate factors and difficulties affecting the degree of fulfillment of obligations under the Convention. 

Paragraph 3 

For the purpose of considering the progress made in the implementation of the present Convention, an ad hoc Working Group of the Economic and Social Council shall be established, consisting of 23 States being Parties to the Convention and members of the Council. In the composition of the ad hoc Group, account shall be taken of the principle of equitable geographical distribution and the representation of differing socio-economic and legal systems. 

Paragraph 4 

"The ad hoc Group shall normally meet annually for a period of not more than two weeks during the first regular session of the Economic and Social Council, to consider reports submitted in accordance with paragraph 2 above." 

Paragraph 5 

"The ad hoc Group shall report annually to the Economic and Social Council on its activities and may make suggestions and general recommendations based on the reports received from States Parties, including recommendations on the advisability of measures likely to contribute to the effective progressive implementation of the present Convention." 

"The Secretary-General shall transmit the reports of the ad hoc Group to the Commission on the Status of Women." 

Paragraph 6 

"The Economic and Social Council shall submit periodically to the United Nations General Assembly reports with recommendations of a general nature and a summary of the information received from the States Parties to the present Convention and the specialized agencies on the measures taken and the progress made in achieving full observance of the rights recognized in the present Convention. 

Paragraph 7 

Specialized agencies shall be entitled to be represented at the consideration of the implementation of such provisions of the present Convention as fall within the scope of their activities. They shall be entitled to submit reports on the implementation of relevant instruments adopted under their auspices. 

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