United Nations
Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women
CEDAW/C/GC/34
Distr.: General
7 March 2016
Original: English
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women
General recommendation No. 34 (2016) on the rights of
rural women
Contents
Page
I.
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2
II.
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2
III.
Overarching State party obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of rural women . .
3
A.
Application of articles 1 and 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3
B.
Article 14, paragraph 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6
C.
Article 14, paragraph 1, read alongside articles 3, 4, paragraph 1, 5, paragraph (a), 6, 9,
15 and 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7
State party obligations in relation to specific dimensions of the rights of rural women . . . . . .
10
A.
Right to participate in and benefit from rural development (art. 14, para. 2 (a)) . . . . . . . .
10
B.
Health-care services (art. 14, para. 2 (b), read alongside art. 12) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10
C.
Economic and social life (art. 14, para. 2 (c), read alongside art. 11, paras. 1 (e) and 2
(b), and art. 13 (a)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12
D.
Education (art. 14, para. 2 (d), read alongside art. 10 (a)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12
E.
Employment (art. 14, para. 2 (e), read alongside art. 11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14
F.
Political and public life (art. 14, paras. 2 (a) and 2 (f), read alongside art. 7) . . . . . . . . . .
16
G.
Land and natural resources (art. 14, para. 2 (g), read alongside art. 13) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
17
H.
Adequate living conditions (art. 14, para. 2 (h)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
22
I.
Rural women in developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
23
V.
Data on the situation of rural women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24
VI.
Reservations and declarations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
25
VII.
Dissemination and reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
25
IV.
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