"I call on the Senate, again, to ratify the United Nations Convention on the elimination of all forms ofdiscrimination against women ... it is, to say the least, an embarrassment that the United States has not done this...President Bill Clinton
Human Rights Day, December 10, 1996"...it is long past time for America to become party to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
March 12, 1997"Violence and discrimination against women don't just victimize individuals; they hold back wholesocieties ... Guaranteeing human rights is a moral imperative with respect to both women and men. It isalso an investment in making whole nations stronger, fairer, and better. "
From the official U.S. Government statement to the World
Conference on Human Rights, Vienna, Austria, 1993
On April 14, 1998, San Francisco became the first city in the United States to adopt and pass legislation implementing the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This is a quick guide for those considering implementing CEDAW in your own city or county.