On 11 February 2020 in Geneva, the 75th session of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) will consider the periodic report of the Republic of Latvia on actions taken by Latvia in the implementation of the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women over the period from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2017 (Report).
The Report was approved by the Cabinet on 16 October 2018 and submitted to the CEDAW on 10 December 2018.
The Report provides information about what has been accomplished in Latvia in order to ensure gender equality as well as about various programmes and awareness raising measures among the public concerning gender equality. The Report contains statistics and information on representation of women in various sectors, the elimination of domestic violence, the fight against trafficking in human beings, the suppression of exploitation of prostitution, the reduction of gender stereotypes in education, the promotion of equal opportunities in the labour market, and effective access to health-care information and services, and other issues.
The Latvian delegation taking part in the session will be headed by the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, Inese Lībiņa-Egnere. The delegation comprises representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Welfare, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health, and the State Police.
In advance of the examination of the Report, three civil society organisations – the “Marta” Centre, “Sustento” and the Centre for Reproductive Rights had submitted their own alternative reports on information contained in the Report. The Report is accessible online on the CEDAW website (https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=1380&Lang=en). The examination of the Report can be followed live on 11 February (http://webtv.un.org/meetings-events/).