The CEDAW General Recommendation 30 on women
in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations
CEDAW, or the Convention on the Elimination
of all forms of Discrimination Against Women,
is an international human rights treaty
that focuses on women's rights and women's issues
worldwide
General Recommendations are authoritative
statements that serve to further clarify the
application of specific articles contained
in the CEDAW convention
There are 34 General Recommendations to CEDAW
to date
The CEDAW General Recommendation 30, adopted
in 2013, outlines the gendered impacts of
conflicts on women
Conflict is contextualised in three different
phases: before, during and post-conflict
It also takes into consideration that these
phases overlap with one another
It further outlines the concrete steps state
parties should take to ensure that women's human rights are protected in any conflict-related situation
General Recommendation 30 recognises the diverse
experiences and multiple roles that women
play in different phases of conflict
Women are not just victims but they are also
soldiers and combatants, human rights defenders,
protesters and active agents in both formal
and informal peacebuilding and recovery processes
Women are also seen as having multiple and
simultaneous identities that may lead to intersectional
discrimination, as experienced by women with
disabilities, widows, older women, pregnant women,
indigenous women and women living with HIV
General Recommendation 30 covers other situations
of concern that may not necessarily be classified as armed conflict
such as internal disturbances, low-intensity
but protracted civil strife, political clashes,
ethnic and communal violence, states of emergency
and suppression of mass uprisings, war against
terrorism and organised crime
General Recommendation 30 provides an expanded
definition of state actors, which include
individual state as well as states acting
as members of international coalitions
It also brings a wide range of non-state actors,
such as armed groups, paramilitaries, corporations,
private military contractors, organised criminal
groups and vigilantes into the accountability framework
One of the key features of CEDAW General Recommendation
30 is the principle of extraterritorial obligations
(ETOs)
This means that state parties are responsible
for all their actions affecting human rights,
regardless of whether the affected persons
are in their territory
It also requires state parties to regulate
the activities of domestic non-state actors
within their effective control who operate
extraterritorially
For example, a multinational corporation operating
in Country X extends loans to reconstruction
projects in conflict-affected Country Y
leading to forced evictions and displacement
in Country Y
Here, the government of Country X is accountable
for the actions of such non-state actors that
resulted in human rights violations in Country Y
This video highlighted the key features and
scope of CEDAW General Recommendation 30 on
women in conflict situations
For more detailed information, please visit
the IWRAW AP website
