| 1973-1976 |
Drafting
of the CEDAW Convention by the Commission on the Status of
Women. Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden make suggestions
concerning a complaints procedure, and Belgium submits a proposal
for future examination of this issue. |
| 1977 |
Consideration
of the draft CEDAW Convention in the Third Committee of the
General Assembly. The Netherlands suggests the idea of an
individual complaints procedure. |
| 1979 |
The
text of the CEDAW Convention is adopted without a complaints
procedure. |
| 1991 |
In a
report on strengthening the communications procedure of
the Commission on the Status of Women, the Secretary-General
recommends that consideration be given to the development
of an optional protocol to the CEDAW Convention.
|
| An
expert group meeting convened by the Division for the Advancement
of Women recommends that the UN consider the possibility of
developing an optional protocol to the CEDAW Convention. |
| 1993 |
A
significant number of women's movements include the consideration
of a Complaints Procedure under CEDAW in the list of demands
to be made in the World Conference on Human Rights (Vienna). |
| The
CEDAW Committee's suggested list of issues to be addressed
in the World Conference on Human Rights includes the consideration
of a Complaints Procedure under CEDAW. The CEDAW Committee's
opinion at the time was that an optional protocol would place
CEDAW on equal footing with other human rights instruments. |
| The
World Conference on Human Rights recommends the examination
of the possibility of introducing the right to petition under
the CEDAW Convention |
| 1994 |
The
CEDAW Committee suggests to the Commission on the Status of
Women that an expert group meeting be convened to prepare
a draft optional protocol. |
| The
Commission on the Status of Women, in a recommendation to
the Economic and Social Council, agrees to examine the feasibility
of introducing the right to petition. |
| An
independent experts meeting is convened in Maastrich, Netherlands.
Several members of the CEDAW Committee and a group of experts
convened to prepare a draft optional protocol. The group was
brought together by international NGOs and funded by the governments
of Australia, Holland and a number of other countries. The
resulting document was widely circulated |
| 1995 |
The
CEDAW Committee adopts suggestion 7 of the Committee's views
on the elements to be included in an Optional Protocol to
the CEDAW Convention. |
| The
Commission on the Status of Women recommends that the Economic
and Social Council establish an in-session open-ended working
group to meet in parallel with the Commission on the Status
of Women in 1996. |
| The
Beijing Platform of Action supports the elaboration of an
Optional Protocol to the CEDAW Convention. |
| 1996 |
The
first session of the in-session open-ended working group of
the Commission on the Status of Women takes place and Ms Aloisia
Wörgetter from Austria is elected Chairperson. |
| The
working group holds an exchange of views and also considers
the views submitted by governments, inter-governmental and
non-governmental organisations. |
| The
working group recommends the renewal of its mandate. |
| The
working group recommends that the Commission invite the Secretary-General,
inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations to share
further views on an optional protocol, and to prepare a comparative
summary of the existing communications and inquiry procedures
and practices under the international human rights instruments
and under the United Nations Charter. |
| 1997
|
The
second session of the in-session working group of the Commission
on the Status of Women takes place. It has before it a comparative
summary of existing communications and inquiry procedures
and the additional views of governments and other actors.
The Chairperson submits a draft on an optional protocol, and
the working group completes the first reading of the Chairperson's
draft on the optional protocol. |
| The
Chairperson prepares a summary of views and comments made
by delegations during the negotiations which is included in
the working group's report to the Commission. |
| The
working group recommends to the Economic and Social Council,
through the Commission on the Status of Women, the renewal
of its mandate for two additional sessions. |
| The
working group recommends the Commission on the Status of Women
to invite the Secretary-General to prepare an annotated comparison
of the draft optional protocol and the proposed amendments
thereto with the provisions of existing international human
rights instruments. |
| 1998 |
The
third session of the in-session open-ended working group of
the Commission on the Status of Women takes place. It has
before it the annotated comparison of the draft optional protocol
with existing instruments and completes the second reading
of the draft optional protocol. |
| The
Chairperson prepares a summary of views and comments made
by delegations during the negotiations which is included in
the working group's report to the Commission. |
| 1999 |
The
fourth session of the in-session open-ended working group
of the Commission on the Status of Women takes place. It
completes drafting of the optional protocol and recommends
it for the adoption of the Commission on the Status of Women.
The Commission transmits the draft for adoption of the General
Assembly, through the Economic and Social Council.
|
| Interpretative
statements are made by a number of governments in the working
group upon adoption of the draft. |
| On
6 October, the General Assembly adopts resolution 54/4 containing
the Optional Protocol. |
| On
10 December, Human Rights Day, the OP-CEDAW is open for signature,
ratification and accession, and 23 States sign it. |
| 2000 |
On
22 December 2000, three months after the deposit of the tenth
instrument of ratification, the OP-CEDAW enters into force. |
