WASHINGTON, D.C  — This week, Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D (NY-16) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), along with four original cosponsors, introduced a resolution calling on the Senate to ratify the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The Convention establishes an agenda for national action to end discrimination against women and ensure the advancement of women in political, social, economic and cultural fields through legislative action and legal protections. It was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979 and signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1980, but has never been brought before the full Senate for a vote.

As of 2023, 189 countries have ratified the Convention. The United States is an outlier, joining only Iran, Palau, Somalia, Sudan and Tongo in not ratifying the treaty. In light of the Senate’s inaction, dozens of U.S. cities, counties and states have passed resolutions in support of the Convention’s ratification. Most recently, the District of Columbia enacted the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women Act in accordance with the principles of the Convention. 

“As a nation, we cannot be a leader in civil rights unless we advocate for and guarantee the rights of all people in this country,” said Congressman Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. “Ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women is a critical step in promoting equity, regardless of gender identity. U.S. ratification of this 1979 Convention holds broad public support and is long overdue. The U.S. must back-up its international discourse with domestic action and join the 189 countries who have already ratified the Convention.” 

“The Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women represents a monumental step towards eliminating the entrenched disparities in the job market and in our society,” said Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. “Its ratification is long overdue. President Biden supported ratification of this Convention when he was chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I urge the Senate to ratify this important Convention at last.”

“We are very gratified that the initiative UNA-Westchester started in 2015 in Mount Vernon is now part of a national movement to Ratify CEDAW (the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women),” said Yuhanna Edwards, Advocacy Chair of the United Nations Association Westchester Chapter. “Mount Vernon was the first city in New York to pass a CEDAW resolution, and Westchester County was the first county in New York to adopt a resolution on implementing CEDAW in Westchester County (May 2020).”

“We are so grateful to Congressman Bowman for moving forward with this excellent letter to President Biden, which can be a guide for other members of Congress, as well as for UNA-USA chapters throughout the country leading the Ratify Movement, to bring CEDAW to the Senate floor and get it ratified 44 years after it was signed by President Jimmy Carter,” said Marcia Brewster, President of the United Nations Association Westchester Chapter. “Ratification could catalyze real change in women’s equal rights for the betterment of all women and girls.”

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