A CWN funding grant of 1,000 USD has helped support a successful advocacy campaign on the UN Convention for the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
Bernice Sam of WILDAF in Ghana says the funds will help to cover publication and printing costs of a toolkit on CEDAW developed through a workshop which also covered the Commonwealth Gender Plan of Action for Equality, the GPoA.
A total of 44 participants attended the workshop covering 11 government officials,  15 from civil society  15, 8 staff , 7 developing partners and 3 media persons.
Ms. Coker-Appiah, a member of the CEDAW Committee took participants through the provisions of CEDAW. "This was most valuable because of her rich experience on the Committee. She was therefore able to infuse her presentation with practical examples and advice," reports Sam.
An in-depth explanation of discrimination and the key principles of CEDAW were discussed. A representative of the Ministry for Women and Children’s Affairs gave an update of government implementation of CEDAW from 2006, when Ghana submitted its periodic report, to present. In particular the presentation emphasized what government had done about the concluding comments of the CEDAW Committee to Ghana’s last periodic report. Ms. Coker-Appiah advised the government on how it should structure its next report, what steps it must take in preparation for the next report, the kinds of questions to expect from Committee members and the timelines for the next report which is due in 2011.

A presentation on the Optional Protocol to CEDAW provided an insight into the 2 key procedures under the Protocol – Communications and Inquiry Procedures. Participants were informed that Ghana ratified the Optional Protocol in July 2009. There were concerns raised around the fact that Parliament may not have fully understood the Protocol before ratification. Participants discussed possible cases that could be take before the CEDAW Committee under the Complaints Procedure.

Also on the agenda: the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality (CPoA). Participants were sensitised to the provisions and uses of the Plan of Act. Information on processes for the mid-term review of the Plan of Action was provided. Participants were requested to support the Government to prepare its report under the CPoA. 5 persons were nominated to support the government through provision of information and consultations for the government report to the CPoA due November 2009.

The workshop also looked at the processes around preparation of an NGO shadow report. The process includes planning, identification of organisations that will provide information around the provisions of CEDAW, workshops to validate the report, publication and dissemination of the report to the CEDAW Committee and government of Ghana, attending the CEDAW Session that reviews the government report.  Participants identified the areas of CEDAW that should be the focus of the next NGO Shadow Report - Article 4, 10, 12- particular attention to maternal health and mortality, Article 7 (4&7 as they usually go together) and Article 2- on implementation. A list of NGOs that could be involved in the next shadow report process was also generated. In addition, participants outlined a process for preparation of the next NGO shadow report.

Dynamic group exercises and participant feedback were a key part of the workshop.