Welcome!

Formed in 2014 at the yearly UN Commission on the Status of Women conference, NYC for CEDAW is a volunteer coalition of community organizations, international NGOs, city council members, city officials, attorneys, professionals, and students.

We are working together to pass a New York City ordinance based on CEDAW, fostering laws and policies that advance equality for women and address all forms of gender discrimination:

• Equal pay for equal work
• Stopping violence against women and girls, including domestic and intimate-partner violence
• Access to affordable, safe housing
• Health and social services responsive to specific needs of women and girls
• Education curricula for girls’ success including STEM (Science-Technology-Math-Engineering)

Why make New York City a “City for CEDAW?”  The Cities for CEDAW campaign harnesses the power of city governments to address local gender equity issues. By adapting CEDAW into municipal ordinances, cities can directly support gender equality for women and girls.

CEDAW cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles are already proving it works. The time is NOW for New York City to join them.

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What is CEDAW?

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), an international  human rights treaty, provides a universal definition of discrimination against women and brings attention to a whole range of issues concerning women’s human rights.

Countries that ratify CEDAW are mandated to condemn all forms of discrimination against women and girls and to ensure equality for women and girls in the civil, political, economic, social and cultural arenas.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted CEDAW in 1979 and President Carter signed the treaty on behalf of the United States in 1980, but the United States Senate has not yet ratified CEDAW.

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In addition, in November 2014, the City of New York and UN Women signed an agreement to work together to enhance the safety and empowerment of women and girls. “It is the first such agreement signed between the City and a United Nations entity. As part of the pact, the City will support public education and advocacy efforts organized by UN Women in the context of the 20^th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, the visionary roadmap for gender equality adopted by 189 governments” (www.unwomen.org).