Submission on Strengthening the Treaty Body System

IWRAW Asia Pacific is committed to the realisation of all human rights of women through the pursuit of women's equality. IWRAW Asia Pacific's envisions a world where there is full realisation and enjoyment of human rights by all. Women's equality is integral to this achievement. We believe that through this, societies can be transformed so as to achieve a balance of power, and sustainable and equitable development conducive to realising human rights. To achieve this vision, our mission is to adopt a human rights approach and focus on the experiences of women from the South. We see ourselves as catalysts in building capacity for change and in enhancing the realisation of the human rights of women through:

• The effective implementation of human rights standards, as seen through the lens of CEDAW and other international human rights mechanisms, at all levels of society;
  
• The inclusion of women in standard-setting processes at the national and international levels, and in the formulation of policies and laws;
• The development of new knowledge and methodologies;
• The mobilisation of women to bring about good governance and sustainable change.
  

IWRAW Asia Pacific strongly believes that the inclusion of women's experiences into policy, legislation and development programmes is essential to the realisation of ALL human rights and women's efforts towards the elimination of all forms of discrimination must be recognised

IWRAW Asia Pacific programmes are implemented in partnership with constituencies in Asia-Pacific and other regions in such a way as to create synergy between local, regional and international activism. In fact, IWRAW Asia Pacific has transitioned into towards becoming an international human rights organisation based in the Global South, with outreach to national groups working with marginalized communities in a wide-ranging number of countries located both in the North and South. It works through collaborative projects with women's advocates and women's groups and maintains on-going partnerships with lawyers, judges, human rights advocates, NGOs working with marginalised communities, universities, governments and international organisations. It is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. Established in 1993 in Malaysia, where it continues to function, IWRAW Asia Pacific has been facilitating the participation of women from the national level in the CEDAW treaty review process since 1997 and has to date enabled participation by women from approximately 126 countries.