Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, presented Singapore's Third Periodic Report at the 39th Session of the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women on 1 Aug 2007 at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Singapore acceded to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on 5 October 1995.
In her opening statement before the Committee, Mrs Yu-Foo gave an overview of Singapore's progress and compliance with the Convention. Some of the milestones highlighted include the removal of the intake quota for female medical students and the equalisation of medical benefits for civil servants.
Mrs Yu-Foo also announced Singapore's withdrawal of reservation to Article 9. When Singapore first appeared before the Committee in 2001, a child born overseas could only acquire citizenship by descent if the father was Singaporean. With amendments to Article 122 of the Constitution, a child born overseas can now be a citizen by descent as long as the child?s mother or father is a Singaporean.
The Committee welcomed the withdrawal of the reservation and was pleased that Singapore has an Inter-Ministerial Committee to monitor the Convention's implementation. Ms Naela Mohamen Gabr, Vice-Chairperson of the Committee and expert from Egypt said that Singapore has scored progress, particularly in areas of health, mental health and care for the elderly.
During the constructive dialogue with the Committee, the delegation, comprising representatives from the Inter-Ministry Committee on CEDAW, responded to the Committee's questions on Singapore's progress in areas such as healthcare, education, employment, as well as in public life.
- Recognising that Singapore can do more to advance the status of women, Mrs Yu-Foo also listed the areas where improvements could be made, such as having more women in politics, narrowing the gender wage gap as well as greater sharing of household responsibilities between couples to better enable young parents to reconcile work and family.
- Mrs Yu-Foo said, ''Our dialogue with the Committee has been a valuable learning experience. Singapore has come a long way. But there is room for improvement and more to learn. We recognise that the empowerment of women requires more than legislation. It involves changing social norms and mindsets. We will continue in our endeavour to bring about such changes in the interest of all concerned.''
During Mrs Yu-Foo's trip to the UN Headquarters, she also called on the President of the 61st Session of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa.
Further details of the presentation can be found at the UN Department of Public Information website at
www.un.org/apps/pressreleases/MCYS MEDIA RELEASE NO: 46/2007
DATE OF ISSUE: 01/08/2007