Press Release Cities for CEDAW | Columbia Law School

Women’s Rights Advocates from Cities Across the U.S. Gather in New York to Share Strategies for Advancing Gender Equity at the Local Level Using CEDAW

March 18th, 2019, New York – As human rights defenders from around the world convene in New York for the 63rd meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute (HRI) and the Leadership Conference Education Fund co-hosted a half day strategy session to explore effective avenues to promote and protect women’s rights at Open Society Foundations.  The meeting explored recent developments in local efforts to implement core principles of the one human rights treaty focused squarely on the rights of women and girls: the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The United States has yet to ratify CEDAW, but the treaty is increasingly influencing local advocacy and government action. Nine cities and counties have adopted CEDAW into local law and others are incorporating CEDAW’s principles into decision-making, including through the implementation of gender analysis tools and assessments. 

Advocates and local government representatives from New York, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Durham, Kansas City, and six additional jurisdictions shared updates on efforts to ensure local governments prioritize gender equity and focus on eliminating all forms of discrimination.  Participants represented a portion of  the sixty-two jurisdictions already committed to CEDAW in some way. “The momentum at the local level is not only inspiring, it demonstrates how governments and advocates can partner to concretely improve the lives of women and girls.  Our aim is to capture these developments and provide a platform to deepen and expand the work already taking place,” shared JoAnn Kamuf Ward, director of HRI’s Human Rights in the U.S. Project, and supervisor in Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Clinic.

The strategy meeting was convened by JoAnn Kamuf Ward in partnership with June Zeitlin, Senior Adviserat the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. The half day meeting focused on the ways in which mayors and local legislators can leverage their mandates to prioritize gender equity through law, policy, and practice, as well as the importance of peer to peer learning across jurisdictions. The spotlight on American city-level action was completed by a discussion of ways to elevate this work internationally, and connect with cities around the world.  

“The activism to advance women’s rights at the local level demonstrates how the Beijing Platform and the Sustainable Development Goals can be put into practice,” said Soon-Young Yoon, Chair of the Board at the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), UN Representative for the International Alliance of Women, and former Chair of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women.

CEDAW was adopted by the United Nations in 1979 but has yet to be ratified by the U.S Senate. Cities for CEDAW is a national coalition that “provides tools and leadership to empower local women’s organizations and municipalities and effectively initiate CEDAW within their city, county or state.”  

March 2019 marks the 63rd session of the CSW, the global intergovernmental organization dedicated to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women, as well as the 40thanniversary since the adoption of the Convention. 

###

The Human Rights Institute advances international human rights through education, advocacy, fact-finding, research, scholarship, and critical reflection. We work in partnership with advocates, communities, and organizations pushing for social change to develop and strengthen the human rights legal framework and mechanisms, promote justice and accountability for human rights violations, and build and amplify collective power.

Founded in 1998 by the late Professor Louis Henkin as the anchor for human rights within Columbia Law School, the Human Rights Institute promotes engagement and knowledge of human rights within the law school, throughout the University, and around world. Across the many substantive areas of its work, the Institute builds bridges between scholarship and activism, develops capacity within the legal community, engages governments, and models new strategies for progress.

Join us on Facebook: Columbia Law School and Human Rights Institute

Follow us on Twitter: @columbialaw and @CLSHumanRights