The UN Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women is an expert body established in 1982 in order to observe the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women. Bulgaria – being one of the counties that have ratified the Convention – has assumed an obligation to make efforts aiming at the elimination of discrimination against women through implementing legal, social and economic mechanisms in this direction. As one of the State parties to that Convention our country is bound to report every four years about its progress regarding the policies towards women.
On the 12.07.2012 within its 52nd regular session /09 – 27.07.2012/ the Committee considered the combined fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh report of Bulgaria.
On the 27.07.2012 the Committee issued its Concluding recommendations to our country. An important role in the process of formulating and issuing the recommendations belongs to the actively participating women's NGOs in Bulgaria which have been collaborating for years with regard to respecting women’s rights in all the areas under the Convention including through direct support of discriminated women, social, educational and legislative initiatives, monitoring of the current legislation, advocacy campaigns promoting women’s rights etc.
During the 52nd regular CEDAW session in July 2012 among the participants were representatives of Gender Alternatives Foundation and those of the Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation. Their attendance was made possible thanks to the international organization IWRAW – Asia Pacific within the framework of the program “Global to Local”. Bulgarian NGO delegation’s success during the New York session was also based on the contribution of numerous international organizations and networks which in their alternative reports[1] focused on different topics such as roma women and girls’ integration and education, access to health care, stereotypes in the media etc.
The Concluding recommendations of the CEDAW Committee to Bulgaria evidence the fact that the international community acknowledges the existing gender inequalities in Bulgaria which hinders women’s rights realization in both private and public areas. On the other hand the recommendations generate actual opportunities to increase and intensify collaboration between the State and the NGO sector which is being involved with supporting women in implementation of the Convention.
A full list of the concluding observations of the CEDAW Committee could be found here.