Welcome to the United Nations
1. An assessment of the situation regarding the principle of “ensuring that no one is left behind” at the global, regional and national levels
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (the Committee) is the international body mandated to monitor the implementation Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Convention). With 189 States parties, the Convention enjoys almost universal ratification, providing a comprehensive and legally binding framework on the protection of women’s rights. In its pursuit to monitor the implementation and the achievement of the principal objectives of eliminating all forms of discrimination against women and the empowerment of women, the Committee is cognisant that the norms that the Convention prescribes are transformative and, therefore, inextricably linked to development. Since its establishment in 1982, the Committee, through its supervisory mandate has garnered vast experience and expertise on women’s rights that is critical to the implementation of the principle of “ensuring that no one is left behind”. Furthermore, since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Committee has been resolute in its promotion of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including by taking concrete steps to encourage States parties to report on measures taken to achieve the targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
