one of the first tasks of the commission on the status of women was to write the convention on the political rights of women the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women builds on previous conventions and its article concerns womens access to decisionmaking in political and public life article guarantees the right of women to vote in all elections and public referendums and to be eligible for election to all publicly elected bodies the right to participate in the formulation of government policy and its implementation to hold public office and perform all public functions at all levels of government and the right to participate in nongovernmental organizations ngos or associations concerned with the public and political life of the country article requires state parties to take all appropriate measures to ensure to women on equal terms with men and without any discrimination the opportunity to represent their governments at the international level and to participate in the work of international organizations