The Ministry of Women’s Affairs would like to thank all those who provided comments and ideas on the all CEDAW Reports to the United Nations on New Zealand's implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Ministry of Women's Affairs reports posted to the United Nations website!
This section contains the most recent country reports submitted, under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, to the Division for the Advancement of Women. Not all documents are available in electronic format - links will be added as they become available. For reports submitted prior to 1995, please contact daw@un.org.
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/reports.htm

Please note that as of 1 January 2008, responsibility for servicing the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has been transferred to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. This website provides information about the Convention, the Optional Protocol and the work of the Committee up until 31 December 2007. It will not be further updated. Information on the 40th and future sessions of the Committee is available on the website of OHCHR.

CEDAW Convention

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.

• Link to UN website, administrators till 31 December 2007 www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/
• Link to Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, administrators from 1 January 2008 www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/index.htm

Optional Protocol to the CEDAW

Very often, human rights treaties are followed by ‘Optional Protocols’ which may either provide for procedures with regard to the treaty or address a substantive area related to the treaty. Optional Protocols to human rights treaties are treaties in their own right, and are open to signature, accession or ratification by countries who are party to the main treaty.

The optional protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women includes:

• the right of individuals and groups of women the right to complain to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women about violations of the Convention systematic abuses

• the committee the ability to conduct inquiries into grave or systematic abuse of women's human rights in countries that become States parties to the Optional Protocol.

New Zealand signed and ratified the Optional Protocol in September 2000.
 
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/protocol/

CEDAW Reports

---

Sixth Report

---

NZ Report

March 2006 The 6th CEDAW Report. The Status of Women in New Zealand 2006: The Sixth Report on New Zealand's Progress on Implementing the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. HTML and PDF

Q & A Responses

April 2007 Questions & Answers 6th CEDAW Response. The government's response to questions from the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on New Zealand's Sixth CEDAW report.   PDF    HTML

Contacts

Link to UN website United Nations
www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/

Link to OHCHR website Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/index.htm

Concluding observations

6 (39) 2007

NZ Response

Not available.

Other documents

Opening Statement: NZ Mission to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women - Hon Lianne Dalziel Minister of Women's Affairs, Friday 3 August 2007: This goes to an external site Read more

Statement to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, 26 February 2007, Ministry of Women's Affairs Chief Executive, Shenagh Gleisner. This goes to an external site Read more.

---

Fifth Report

---

NZ Report

November 2002 The 5th CEDAW Report. The Status of Women in New Zealand 2002: The Fifth Report on New Zealand's Progress on Implementing the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.    PDF [1.76MB]   Word [1.04MB]

Q & A Responses

Contacts

Link to UN website United Nations
www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/

Concluding observations

2 (29) 2003

NZ Response

Other documents

CEDAW: Advance Unedited Version - 18 July 2003
Draft report - Consideration of reports of States parties
29th session 30 June - 18 July 2003
CEDAW Committee's concluding observations on New Zealand's Fifth CEDAW Report (advance and unedited version).  PDF [35KB]

---

Other CEDAW Reports

---

We only have hard copies of earlier CEDAW Reports

• Third & Fourth CEDAW Report 1998 (combined)
• Second CEDAW Report 1992
• First CEDAW Report 1986

For a hard copy, email mwa@mwa.govt.nz.

---

Fora any enquiries regarding the report, contact: 
The Ministry of Women's Affairs
Phone: 04 915 7112
Fax: 04 915 7112
Email: mwa@mwa.govt.nz