The United Nations Association of Greater Kansas City is proud to launch the Midwest Coalition 4 CEDAW

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"The mission of the Midwest Coalition 4 CEDAW is to advocate for and assist Midwest cities and other governmental entities in adopting a CEDAW ordinance or resolution."

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What is CEDAW?

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), is a United Nations treaty for all women’s equality. It is the only international human rights treaty that focuses on women’s rights and provides a universal definition of discrimination against women so those who would discriminate on the basis of sex can no longer claim that no clear definition exists. It also calls for action to eliminate discrimination in many areas including politics, law, employment, education and health care.

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Why do we need A Midwest Coalition 4 CEDAW?
The US signed CEDAW in 1979, but the US Senate has not ratified it despite on-going advocacy in favor of ratification from diverse civil society organizations working at the national level. San Francisco adopted a breakthrough ordinance implementing and enforcing the provisions of CEDAW within municipal government in 1998 and over 40 cities across the nation have followed since.

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Local Action
Cities can adopt local measures reflecting CEDAW principles as a way to address barriers to full equality for women and girls. Such measures generally require a gender analysis of city operations (e.g. workforce, programs, budget); and oversight body to monitor the implementation of a local CEDAW ordinance (e.g. Commission on the Status of Women, Human Rights Commission, etc.); and funding to support the implementation of CEDAW principles.