U.S. policymakers and members of the public have contentiously debated U.S. ratification of the United Nations (U.N.) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, or the Convention) since it was drafted in 1979. CEDAW is the only international human rights treaty that specifically focuses on the rights of women. As of July 22, 2015, 189 countries have ratified or acceded to the Convention. The United States is the only nation to have signed but not ratified CEDAW. President Jimmy Carter signed the Convention and submitted it to the Senate in 1980. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) held hearings on CEDAW in 1988, 1990, 1994, and 2002, and reported it favorably in 1994 and 2002. To date, the treaty has not been considered for advice and consent to ratification by the full Senate. Other countries that are not parties to CEDAW include Iran, Palau, Somalia, Sudan, and Tonga. The Senate may consider providing advice and consent to U.S. ratification of CEDAW during the 114 th Congress. The Barack Obama Administration has expressed support for the Convention, calling it "an important priority." In a May 2009 letter to the SFRC, the Obama Administration identified CEDAW as a human rights treaty on which it "supports Senate action at this time." Most recently, Secretary of State John Kerry stated that he supported U.S. ratification of the Convention. U.S. policymakers generally agree with CEDAW's overall objective of eliminating discrimination against women around the world. Many, however, question whether the Convention is an appropriate or effective mechanism for achieving this goal. Opponents are concerned that U.S. ratification would undermine national sovereignty and require the federal government or, worse, the United Nations to interfere in the private conduct of citizens. They argue that the Convention is ineffective, and emphasize that countries with reportedly poor women's rights records—including China and Saudi Arabia—have ratified CEDAW. Supporters, however, contend that the Convention is a valuable mechanism for fighting women's discrimination worldwide. They argue that U.S. ratification will give CEDAW additional legitimacy and empower women who aim to eliminate discrimination in their own countries. This report addresses CEDAW's background, objectives, and structure and provides an overview of U.S. policy toward the Convention. It examines issues that have been raised in the U.S. ratification debate, including the treaty's impact on U.S. sovereignty, the effectiveness of the Convention, and its possible use as an instrument of U.S. foreign policy. It also describes controversial provisions and CEDAW Committee recommendations addressing the role of women in society and women's equal access to education and healthcare. U.N. member states adopted several treaties addressing aspects of women's rights prior to adoption of CEDAW in 1979, including the Convention on the Political Rights of Women (1952) and the Convention on the Consent to Marriage (1957). In 1967, after two years of negotiations, the U.N. General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, a nonbinding document that laid the groundwork for CEDAW. Subsequently, the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women drafted CEDAW, which the General Assembly adopted on December 18, 1979. The Convention entered into force on September 3, 1981, after receiving the required 20 ratifications. CEDAW calls on States Parties to take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all areas of life. This includes equality in legal status, political participation, employment, education, healthcare, and the family structure. Article 2 of the Convention specifies that States Parties should undertake to "embody the principle of equality of men and women in their national constitutions or other appropriate legislation ... to ensure, through law and other appropriate means, the practical realization of this principle." The Convention defines discrimination against women as any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil, or any other field. It specifically calls for equal pay with men, more attention to the equality of rural women, the freedom to choose a marriage partner, and the suppression of trafficking in women and girls. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (the Committee) was established in 1982, under Article 17 of CEDAW, as a mechanism to monitor the progress of the Convention's implementation. It is composed of 23 independent experts who are elected at a meeting of States Parties to the Convention by secret ballot, with consideration given to the principle of equitable geographic distribution. Each State Party may nominate one expert, and if elected, the expert serves a four-year term. The majority of the Committee members are women who, according to the Convention, should have "high moral standing and competence" and "represent different forms of civilization as well as principal legal systems." The Committee is led by a Chairperson, three Vice Chairpersons, and a rapporteur, which are elected by Committee members. The Chairperson directs the discussion and decision-making process of the Committee and represents the Convention at international conferences and events. The Committee reports annually on its activities to the U.N. General Assembly through the U.N. Economic and Social Council and meets twice a year at the U.N. Office in Geneva. As one of seven U.N. human rights treaty bodies, the Committee is financed from the U.N. regular budget. It was previously supported by the U.N. Division for the Advancement of Women, but since January 2008 it has been serviced by the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Committee is responsible for reviewing the reports on national CEDAW implementation submitted by States Parties. Countries are required to submit an initial report within the first year of ratification or accession, followed by a report every four years. The reports identify areas of progress as well as concerns or difficulties with implementation. The Committee engages in an open dialogue and exchange of ideas with the reporting country and compiles recommendations and conclusions based on its findings, which include general recommendations on cross-cutting issues of concern. The general recommendations are nonbinding, and there is no mechanism for their enforcement. The Committee has made over 30 general recommendations since 1986 covering a wide range of issues affecting women, such as improvement in education and public information programs, elimination of female circumcision, equality in marriage and family relations, and preventing violence against women. On October 6, 1999, the U.N. General Assembly adopted an Optional Protocol to strengthen the Convention. The Protocol entered into force in December 2000, and has been ratified by 106 countries. It is a stand-alone treaty that can be signed or ratified by countries that are not party to the main treaty. It includes a "communications procedure" that permits groups or individuals to file complaints with the CEDAW Committee. It also incorporates an "inquiry procedure" that allows the Committee to explore potential abuses of women's rights in States Parties to CEDAW. Successive U.S. Administrations and Members of Congress have supported the Convention's overall objective of eliminating discrimination against women. They have disagreed, however, as to whether the Convention is an effective or appropriate means of achieving this goal. The Obama Administration has expressed support for the Convention. On January 15, 2009, Susan Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated at her Senate confirmation hearing that CEDAW "will be an important priority" for the Administration. In May of the same year, the Obama Administration identified CEDAW as a human rights treaty on which it "supports Senate action at this time," prompting some to speculate that the Administration may transmit the treaty to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) for its advice and consent. In March 2010, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the Administration "will continue to work for the ratification of CEDAW." At a November 2010 Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law hearing, then- Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer supported U.S. ratification of CEDAW, noting that it is critical to U.S. efforts to "promote and defend the rights of women" worldwide. At the same hearing, a representative from the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division expressed support for CEDAW ratification to "express more forcefully our [the United States'] commitment to the rights of women in the United States and to further opportunities for girls and women around the world." Secretary of State John Kerry also expressed his support for U.S. ratification of CEDAW at his January 2013 nomination hearing before SFRC. Most recently, in a February 2015 report to the U.N. Human Rights Council, the Administration reaffirmed its support for the Convention, stating that "the principles endorsed in CEDAW are consistent with our domestic and foreign policy objectives and are strongly supported in federal and state law." President Carter signed the Convention on July 17, 1980, and submitted it to the Senate for advice and consent on November 12 of the same year. The Reagan and first Bush Administrations did not support ratification, and the Convention remained pending in the SFRC. The Clinton Administration supported CEDAW ratification and in 1994 sent a treaty package to the Senate for advice and consent to ratification. The package included nine proposed reservations, understandings, and declarations (RUDs) to the Convention. (RUDs often accompany U.S. ratification of a treaty. See text box.)