Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has recently praised the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, as it marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of its work in monitoring States' compliance with a landmark treaty on the issue. The 23-member expert body is responsible for ensuring that 185 States par ties meet their obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the 1979 treaty, often described as an international bill of rights for women. The Convention introduced the notion of substantive equality for women, emphasizing that although there may be no overtly discriminatory laws, women are not considered equal until they enjoy, in fact and in reality, the same opportunities and privileges as men.
Under the Convention, all States parties have legally committed themselves to take the necessary steps to end all forms of discrimination against women in any field
