KATHMANDU: Bandana Rana of Nepal has been re-elected to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) during the 21st Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women held in New York on Monday.
According to Nepal’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, Rana obtained 137 votes, the third-highest among 19 candidates contesting the election. She was one of the eleven candidates elected for the term of 2021-2024.
Other experts elected to the Committee are from the Netherlands, Bahamas, Lithuania, Ghana, Australia, Mexico, Lebanon, France, Philippines, and China.
Rana, who is currently serving as the Vice-chair of the CEDAW, is the first Nepali national serving in the Committee.
Following the elections, the leader of the Nepali delegation to the 21st Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention Ambassador Amrit Bahadur Rai said that Rana’s re-election was a recognition of her proven expertise and experiences.
Upon being re-elected, Rana expressed her gratitude to the Government of Nepal and all States Parties for their support and cooperation and also pledged to continue working to the best of her capacity and adding value to the work of the Committee.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979 and came into force in 1981.
The number of its States Parties today stands at 189. Nepal became a State Party to the Convention in 1991, and also acceded to its Optional Protocol in 2007.
The CEDAW Committee is a UN Human Rights Treaty Body consisting of 23 independent experts elected by the States Parties to the Convention.
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