CEDAW Reporting Processes

Engaging with CEDAW and the CEDAW Committee Reporting Processes

Many WAVE partners are already using CEDAW and engaging with CEDAW shadow reporting processes. This learning focus aims to provide a space to:

Share learning about your approaches to CEDAW shadow reporting – what is working well? What could you learn from others?
Provide some resources you can use as a reference guide for engaging with CEDAW
Share experiences about using CEDAW. What tools do we need?

Discussion and Webinar Links

This section will be updated with links to webinars and notes from any working group discussions.

News and Opportunities

This section will be updated with any news on CEDAW reporting processes in WAVE partner countries as well as any training opportunities.

Useful Resources

An Introduction to CEDAW
These resources provide an introduction to CEDAW. They may be useful for staff in your organisations who have not worked with CEDAW or to use with duty bearers in your advocacy and programme work.

IWDA’s CEDAW at a Glance
If you would like more information about the basic principles CEDAW is founded on, see these videos on Substantive Equality, Non-discrimination, and State Obligation. http://www.iwraw-ap.org/organisation/our-publications/media/
For an overview of how NGOs and women’s rights organisations can use or engage with CEDAW see: https://www.iwraw-ap.org/cedaw/using-cedaw/for-ngos/
Short video on CEDAW made by UN Women https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBdDB5PKrmk&feature=youtu.be
Diagram showing the CEDAW reporting process

CEDAW Shadow Reporting
This section includes resources on CEDAW shadow reporting and tools for facilitating the shadow reporting process.

IWRAW Asia Pacific 2010, Participation in the CEDAW reporting process: process and guidelines for writing a shadow/alternative report.
- This document is prepared by IWRAW Asia Pacific to guide NGOs in their participation in the CEDAW reporting process, including the preparation of CEDAW shadow/alternative reports.
- If you have never participated in the shadow reporting process, Part I provides a useful 4-step plan on the process and how to prepare and disseminate a shadow report.
- Part II provides recommendations on how to write a shadow/alternative report, including a list of considerations and questions to think about when preparing a shadow report.
Template for gathering evidence for the CEDAW Shadow Report
- A tool to gather evidence prior to writing the shadow report
Guidelines for Writing an NGO Report
- These lecture slides provide an overview of the shadow/alternative reporting process, structure, considerations for the situation analysis and how to comment on state implementation of CEDAW.

Using CEDAW for advocacy
This section provides some resources on how to use CEDAW recommendations to support advocacy campaigns.

Women’s Resource Centre, Summary_of_CEDAW_recommendations
- An interesting model for CSOs/coalitions that have supported shadow reporting to map the issues that are being identified by CEDAW and to identify advocacy, programming and future reporting priorities.
International Land Coalition How to use CEDAW as an advocacy tool
- Although written specifically from a women’s land rights perspective, this document has a good 2 page (p3-4) overview of how CSOs can engage with CEDAW