With
Libya
Women's Rights
Under Fire,
UN's Mitri
Calls CEDAW "Nothing"
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, June
19 -- While
the UN talks a
lot about
women's rights
and political
participation,
activists in
Libya tell
Inner City
Press a
different
story.
They
describe a May
20, 2013
meeting with
UN envoy Tarek
Mitri at which
he called the
Convention for
the
Elimination of
Discrimination
Against Women
(CEDAW)
"nothing."
They
say the new
agency UN
Women promised
to give them
information
how to reach
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon and
didn't, and
did not attend
a May 30
follow up
meeting. Now
the 35% quota
for women is
about to be
eliminated.
And where is
the UN?
On
June 19 at UN
Headquarters
in New York,
Inner City
Press put
these
questions to
Mitri, and
then to Ban's
deputy
spokesperson
Eduardo Del
Buey.
Mitri
said it was up
to the women
to do more,
including a
"sit in" he
said he
encouraged
them to hold.
He admitted
saying
"wala’ishi" or
"nothing" as
to CEDAW,
explaining
that he meant
that a
Parliament
could not be
sued. Video
here and
embedded
below.
"I
have spoken to
the media on
three
occasions on
this, the UN
did everything
it said it
would," Mitri
insisted.
"They are
nascent,
sometimes they
are able to
act more
decisively. It
is easier for
the UN to
support
Libyans rather
than act on
behalf of
them."
Del
Buey said Ban
Ki-moon
supports
women. Well,
despite UN
Women not
giving the
email address,
Ban is set to
receive a
letter from
Libya on this,
Inner City
Press has
learned. So
we'll see.
Watch this
site.
, 
