Circle of Empowerment: Twenty-Five years of the un committee on the elimination of discrimination against women

Advance Praise, Title Page

Advance Praise “The CEDAW Convention is one of the great milestones in the history of human rights. Through the eyes of those who have shaped the Convention over the past 25 years this book brings the challenge and the struggle to life. It sheds invaluable light on the difficult questions of how and why the treaty’s impact has been so great.” —Philip Alston, NYU Law School “This book is essential reading for those interested in moving the agenda forward on women’s equality. Written by an extraordinary group of CEDAW experts, it provides invaluable insights into the global challenges of eliminating all forms of discrimination against women.” —Rebecca J. Cook, professor of law, Faculty Chair in International Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto “A significant contribution to the history of women’s human rights internationally , this book will become a classic, required reading for lawyers, students, and those interested in international affairs or international jurisprudence. Once into it, one can’t stop reading, for despite differences among women, their common humanity transcends world politics and provides hope for the future.” —Arvonne S. Fraser, cofounder and former director of International Women’s Rights Action Watch (IWRAW); former U.S. ambassador to the UN Commission on the Status of Women “The title of this book does not do justice to its importance as both a history and a guide to the establishment of women’s human rights as a serious global issue. This collective account by former and current CEDAW experts underscores the key accomplishment of the CEDAW Committee : moving the focus of the gender discussion from development and empowerment to rights and equality. This has made all the difference for millions of women in the last twenty-five years and will continue to do so for decades to come.” —Marsha A. Freeman, current director of International Women’s Rights Action Watch (IWRAW) “This insightful collection brings together the wide-ranging expertise of the CEDAW Committee in taking on long-standing and deep-seated obstacles to women’s equal rights—economic, political, social, and cultural —as well as critical new challenges to those rights brought by globalization . Now celebrating its 25th year, the Convention has been ratified by nearly every nation in the world. UNIFEM has supported CEDAW and its Committee since its inception, and will be there to help it reach new heights over the next 25.” —Noeleen Heyzer, executive director, UNIFEM “This book is essential reading for anyone concerned with women’s equality and a sobering reminder to U.S. women of how their country’s failure to ratify the Women’s Convention has resulted in their exclusion from a vital international conversation.” —Ann Elizabeth Mayer, Department of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, The Wharton School, The University of Pennsylvania THE CIRCLE OF EMPOWERMENT Mariam K. Chamberlain Series on Social and Economic Justice Taking on the Big Boys: Or Why Feminism Is Good for Families, Business, and the Nation Ellen Bravo Taxes Are a Woman’s Issue: Reframing the Debate Mimi Abramovitz and Sandra Morgen with the National Council for Research on Women Edited by hanna be Hanna Beate Schöpp-Schilling, Editor Cees Flinterman, Associate Editor The Feminist Press at the City University of New York New York Twenty-five Years of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women THE CIRCLE OF EMPOWERMENT ed by hanna beate schöpp-schilling with cees flinterman ...