At the Cabinet's weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Lai Ching-te was briefed on concluding observations and policy actions stemming from an international panel review of Taiwan's third national report under CEDAW, or the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
Among the conventions implemented in Taiwan, CEDAW has undergone more international expert reviews than any other, the premier said. The recent review of the third CEDAW report represents the fruit of four years of labor by the nation to eradicate discrimination against women and achieve gender equality. It also indicates that Taiwan's review mechanism for women's rights reports has attained a level of maturity.
The review of the third CEDAW report produced 73 concluding observations and recommendations, identifying many women's and gender rights issues in Taiwan still requiring urgent attention. Premier Lai instructed ministries and agencies to formulate specific measures for improvement, and, when necessary, introduce temporary special measures to accelerate the substantive equality of men and women. These actions will ensure the protection of women's rights and gender diversity in Taiwan.
The Executive Yuan's Department of Gender Equality summarized the main points of the review panel's recommendations, including: a regulatory and national machinery on the advancement of gender equality; access to judicial resources; physical safety; participation in political, public and economic decision-making; gender-friendly education and campus environments; labor rights; balancing work and family life; women's health policies and health care for disadvantaged women; and legalization of same-sex marriage.