Introduction to the Convention
The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is an international treaty adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly and entered into force in 1981. The convention consists of a preamble and 30 articles and only has 16 substantive articles, excluding the articles regarding supervisory mechanisms and general terms; however, it covers the protection of women's fundamental rights in both public and private life. The CEDAW has earned its name as the "Women's Rights Code" and is a monumental accomplishment of the UN Commission on the Status of Women and the second-wave feminist movement.
The CEDAW requires state parties to immediately take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women by any person, organization or enterprise, so as to ensure fair entitlement to all rights and freedom for women. The "Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women" is an organization of the UN that is responsible for supervising the implementation of the CEDAW. The committee's general suggestions, review opinions on state party reports, and investigations on individual complaints provide an important reference to fully understanding the implications of the CEDAW as well as the problems it aims to address.
The CEDAW is open to all countries, regardless of whether they are members of the United Nations or not and there is no disqualification mechanism. It has accumulated 189 signing parties to date. In 2004, women’s organizations in Taiwan began advocating the implementation of CEDAW and formed an alliance to convince the government to do so. In 2007, the Legislative Yuan passed the "Proposal to join CEDAW," and despite being unable to complete formal procedures with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Taiwan nevertheless prepared its first national report in 2009, and passed the "Implementation Act of Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women" in 2011 to incorporate the CEDAW into domestic legislation. According to the Implementation Act, the five Yuans shall coordinate to prepare national reports every 4 years and invite experts and scholars from the United Nations or signing parties to review the reports prepared.