U.S. Opposes Litany of Global Treaties in 2005
"'There is no good reason why the United States is not ratifying CEDAW,' says Ritu Sharma, director of the Washington, D.C.-based Women's Edge Coalition, an umbrella group representing 180 non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
'It simply lacks the political will' to ratify the treaty, she adds.
Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, the treaty defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets an agenda for national action to end abuse of women's human rights.
But CEDAW is not the only international treaty that Washington is reluctant to sign on to.
Recently, when the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voted to a adopt a new treaty that protects cultural rights worldwide, the United States stood alone in its opposition.
The treaty allows nations to maintain, adopt, and implement policies they deem appropriate to protect the diversity of cultural expressions on their territory.
The U.S. rejected the treaty by arguing that it could have a chilling effect on the ongoing negotiations at the
World Trade Organization (WTO).
"This convention invites abuse by enemies of democracy and free trade," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told UNESCO members in a letter in October.
And just a few days ago when government leaders from around the world gathered in the Canadian city of Montreal to take further steps to curb global warming, once again the U.S. turned its back on the international community."
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