Welcome to the United Nations
Women as leading forces for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in the post-Covid-19 world
A. Historic strengthening strategies
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (the Convention), through its 189 States parties and the countless activists, civil society organizations, national human
rights institutions, various United Nations organisations including its Secretarat in the Office of High
Commissioner for Human Rights, and regional organizations, supporting its implementation, is a
crucial tool to ensure implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, Security Council Resolution
1325 (2000) on women, peace and security, and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs).
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (the Committee) has fully integrated the SDGs in its work and played a crucial role in strengthening States parties' responsibility to accelerate their political commitments. In this regard, the Committee in 2019 adopted a Guidance note for States parties for the preparation of periodic reports in the context of the SDGs, to invite States parties to provide updated information on the progress made in achieving them through the State reporting procedure under the Convention.
B. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
The devastating impact and rapid spread of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis has seriously impacted the
promotion and protection of human rights and has disproportionately affected women and girls, due
to pre-existing gender inequalities, deep-rooted and often systemic discrimination, and lack of
gender-balanced leadership. In light of the Call for joint action in the times of the COVID-19
pandemic and of the Guidance note on CEDAW and COVID-19, and as outlined in the Beijing +25:
Women as leading forces of change paper, the Committee has widely recognized that the realization
of women’s human rights requires gender transformative shifts, integrated approaches, and new
solutions, particularly to advance gender equality and women's empowerment.
The Committee deplores that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities. It has significantly increased women's risk of unemployment and of living in poverty, mainly due to their over-representation in precarious and informal employment. Around the world, the Committee has also observed an increase in domestic violence resulting from confinement which attests to gaps in the mechanisms currently in place to prevent gender-based violence against women, affecting the full achievement of SDG targets 5.2, 5.3, 4.1, 4.5 and 16.1 of the SDGs. The Committee notes that women represent 70% of the health workforce at the front-line. Nevetherless, unfortunately, women remain significantly under-represented in leadership positions and decision-making processes in the health sector.
In this regard, the Committee has expressed concern that the restrictions imposed to counter the pandemic may result in new forms of discrimination and gender-based violence against women, especially for women belonging to disadvantaged groups and women at the lower end of the economic scale, thereby impeding the achievement of SDG targets 8, 10.2 and 10.7. Furthermore, at the international level, health challenges, economic and budgetary restrictions, and border closures may hinder international solidarity, cooperation and development, and the full achievement of SDG 1 to end poverty in all its forms everywhere.
Gender-based violence against women is closely linked to gender inequalities. Since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, statistical data and numerous reports have indicated that all forms of gender-based violence have intensified, triggering a "shadow pandemic", whereby one out of three women have suffered physical or sexual violence predominantly perpetrated by intimate partners or family members. As the increase in Covid-19 cases continues to put pressure on health systems worldwide, resources have been diverted from other services such as shelters for victims of genderbased violence against women or telephone helplines. Sexual harassment and new forms of genderbased violence are on the rise in public spaces and online. In this regard, the Committee stresses that action must be taken in all spheres of life, including political, social, economic, and religious, and urges State parties to prioritize combating gender-based violence against women.
Particular attention should be given to girls, who are directly impacted by the crisis, which may expose them to school dropout, and in the future unemployment and poverty. In line with the Generation Equality Forum, the Committee calls on States to mobilize resources for girls, with particular attention to inclusive schooling to meet the educational needs of girls with disabilities and girls belonging to ethnic, linguistic or religious minorities. The Committee believes that this unprecedented period is an historic opportunity for change, if guided by the principle of "leaving no one behind" enshrined in the SDGs.
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