16-17 September 2014, the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine with the support of UNFPA held the final discussion of the text of the Eighth Periodic Report of Ukraine to the UN Committee on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Eighth Periodic Report highlights achievements and challenges in the implementation of gender policy for the period of 2010-2013, covering in detail the areas of concern expressed by the Committee in the Concluding Observations for the previous, combined sixth and seventh, report. Among these areas, the Committee identifies a national mechanism for gender equality, temporary special measures, prevailing stereotypes, violence against women, human trafficking, low level of participation of women in political and public life, the situation of women in the labor market, economic empowerment of women, the state of health of vulnerable women, etc. The participants discussed the text of the Report, focusing on areas of concern noted by the Committee, identified the successes and challenges in implementation of the policy on ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men during the past four years.

Welcoming the participants Ms. Natalia Fedorovych, Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, noted that the submission of State Report on implementation of the UN Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women is extremely important for our country. Deputy Minister said that despite difficult times the Government is working on the fulfillment of its international obligations, and human rights remains a policy priority. In addition, Ms. Fedorovych emphasized that the Amendment to the Law of Ukraine "On Political Parties" (2013) has determined the size of the quota for the minimum level of representation of women in the electoral lists of political parties in the amount of at least 30 percent of the total number of candidates. However, awareness on this fact is very low among both the general population and parliamentarians. Therefore, systematic work to increase awareness of different groups of people on ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men in all spheres of society is necessary.

Representative of UNFPA, Ms. Nuzhat Ehsan, thanked the Ministry of Social Policy for taking leadership in the preparation of the Report to the CEDAW Committee. At a press conference held during the round table, Ms. Ehsan also emphasized the key role of the media in combating stereotypical views about the role of men and women in Ukrainian society. Ms. Ehsan also noted that the process of preparation is no less important than the Report itself, because it brings together organizations, and representatives of Government, international and non-governmental organizations, thus creating a platform for further dialogue and cooperation in this area.

During the round table, participants discussed findings and conclusions of three surveys conducted in the process of the Report preparation. In particular, the participants analyzed a survey to assess the functioning of the national mechanism of gender policy in Ukraine, and also the results of sociological research on access to social services for women survivors of violence, and on the Ukrainian population awareness of the presence of international and national legal instruments that enable adherence to the Convention CEDAW.

During the presentation participants repeatedly underlined and appreciated the participatory and inclusive process of Report preparation that brought together so many experts and NGOs along with the Government and international organizations.

Reference Information

Ukraine became one of the first countries to ratify the UN Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (March 12, 1981).

According to Article 17 of the Convention, the Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women was established to monitor the implementation of the Convention by the States Parties.

Every four years all States Parties shall submit to the Committee State Reports on implementation of the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Reports reflect the progress made by countries in the reporting period, highlights issues and provides answers to the questions and comments received from the previous reporting.

Ukraine has presented seven Reports on the implementation of the Convention and this year the eighth Report will be submitted. It is based on the responses to ​​Concluding Observations of the UN Committee formulated by the Committee after consideration of the previous Report. Particularly, these responses considered the mechanism for ensuring gender equality, temporary special actions, gender stereotypes, violence against women, participation in political and public life of vulnerable groups of women, etc.