8. At the 10th meeting, on 19 March, at the invitation of the Working Group, two members of the Human Rights Committee made statements and responded to questions raised by delegations with regard to the subject of justiciability. 9. The Working Group, at the invitation of the Chairperson, first held a general exchange of views on the question of an optional protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, followed by a systematic and in-depth exchange of views on aspects that would need to be addressed in such a protocol, using as a basis for discussion the elements proposed by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in suggestion 7. A. General exchange of views 10. Support was expressed in favour of an optional protocol to the Convention and the process initiated for its elaboration. Delegations stated their readiness to cooperate and to participate actively in the Working Group to achieve an effective instrument that would command the greatest possible support and a large number of ratifications. 11. However, delegations raised several obstacles and difficulties to be addressed in the elaboration of a protocol and put forward questions that needed to be clarified and extensively considered in the process. 12. It was argued that an optional protocol would increase the efficacy of the Convention, and lead to more effective protection and promotion of the human rights of women. Such a procedure would strengthen the Convention and put it on an equal footing with other human rights treaty mechanisms. The view was expressed that a communications procedure could place undue attention on individual cases, whereas situations of massive violations needed to be addressed. 13. Many delegations pointed out that the preparation of an optional protocol was a key element in the follow-up to the World Conference on Human Rights and the Fourth World Conference on Women. It represented a unique opportunity to fill procedural gaps in existing mechanisms. During its preparation, the reasons for the low number of ratifications of other complaints mechanisms could be assessed with a view to avoiding them in the instrument. 14. Many delegations pointed out that the question of the relationship between the proposed optional protocol and existing mechanisms providing for a communications procedure needed careful consideration. In that regard, overlapping or duplication would have to be avoided; the need for streamlining of the human rights machinery was noted. Efforts to mainstream women’s human rights and a gender perspective into the general human rights activities were mentioned. It was also emphasized that, while the question of overlapping and duplication presented a challenge, it should not stand in the way of the elaboration of such a procedure. The question of overlapping had also been raised, inter alia, at the time of the drafting of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and its reporting procedure, both of which are now widely accepted. 15. The possible complementary role that a well-drafted protocol could play within the human rights system was highlighted, especially given the wider scope of the provisions of the Convention. The scope of other procedures and the fact that the rights of women were not their main focus were noted. The elements -107-