CEDAW Committee Adopts Recommendation on Ageing Women

October 2010 – On 22 October, the 47th Session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) adopted a General Recommendation on Older Women and the Protection of their Rights. In doing so, the Committee expressed its concerns about the multiple forms of discrimination experienced by older women on the grounds of age and sex, often a result of unfair resource allocation, maltreatment, neglect and limited access to basic services. The new Recommendation includes policy recommendations to mainstream the concerns of older women into national strategies and development initiatives. The Recommendation also recognizes the importance of maintaining disaggregated statistics and will require States to report on the situation of older women in their countries. It is an important step toward ensuring that older women can participate fully in the political, social, cultural, civil and other fields in their societies. GWI was among the NGOs advocating for its adoption. We would like to thank to all NFAs who lobbied for its passage.