CEDAW and the United States

The United States one of only seven countries of the world -the others being Iran, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Palau and Tonga - that have yet to ratify the treaty. Today 187 countries have ratified the women's treaty. As a leading advocate for human rights, the United States has a compelling interest to improve conditions for women. Yet, as one of the few nations that has failed to ratify CEDAW, the United States compromises its credibility as a leader for either human rights or women's rights.

Ratification is called for in the concluding documents of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the UN Conference on Human Rights, and the Vienna/Helsinki agreements of the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The United States was a signatory to these documents. The United States also made ratification of the Women's Convention one of its public commitments at the UN Conference on Women in Beijing in September 1995.

Feminist.org: Your daily source for the feminist perspective on national and global events.
Media Resources: