Promising signs from Palestine bid to promote women’s rights, says UN rights expert
Introduction:
Promoting the rights of women in the Occupied Palestinian Territory “is not going to be easy” but the political will is there to bring about change, a leading UN-appointed expert said on Monday.
It marks the first time that the Palestinian Authority, which administers much of the occupied West Bank, has worked directly with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
In an interview with UN News in Geneva, CEDAW member Nahla Haidar said that the authority’s willingness to ratify the international covenant on women’s rights “without reservation” had sent a strong signal to the international community.
Nonetheless, the fact that less than 40 per cent of Palestinian land is under the control of the authorities is a complicating factor, the expert told Daniel Johnson, as are the different legal traditions, regarding women in Gaza and the West Bank.
Promoting the rights of women in the Occupied Palestinian Territory “is not going to be easy” but the political will is there to bring about change, a leading UN-appointed expert said on Monday.
It marks the first time that the Palestinian Authority, which administers much of the occupied West Bank, has worked directly with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
In an interview with Daniel Johnson in Geneva, CEDAW member Nahla Haidar said that the authority’s willingness to ratify the international covenant on women’s rights “without reservation” had sent a strong signal to the international community.