A/HRC/15/40 I. Introduction 1. In its resolution 12/17 of 2 October 2009, the Human Rights Council requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights “to prepare a thematic study on discrimination against women, in law and practice, and on how the issue is addressed throughout the United Nations human rights system”. The Council requested consultation with States, relevant United Nations bodies, mechanism and agencies, including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the agencies within the new United Nations composite entity on gender, and other stakeholders. It requested the High Commissioner to take into account efforts made to address discrimination against women in law and practice, particularly by the Commission on the Status of Women. The Council decided that it would address the thematic study at its fifteenth session, “in order to consider taking further possible action on discrimination against women at that session.” 2. In a note verbale of 29 March 2010 the High Commissioner solicited information on the issues to be addressed in the study from member and observer States, United Nations agencies and programmes, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders. As at 15 July 2010, 74 replies had been received in total, from 49 States,1 5 United Nations agencies and programmes,2 6 national human rights institutions3 and 14 NGOs and other organizations.4 These replies are reflected in an addendum to the present document (A/HRC/15/40/Add.1). The Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) also had the benefit of the plenary panel discussion on “equality before the law” held at the eleventh session of the Human Rights Council (4 June 2009); the on-line discussion on “women and human rights” (1-28 February 2010) moderated by OHCHR and contributing to the fifteenyear review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action; the international conference on equality of women and men in national legislation, Ljubljana, 12 May 2010; the extraordinary informal meeting of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in Paris, 20-21 May 2010; and other events, including the cross-regional side event to the fourteenth session of the Human Rights Council on equality of women and men in national legislation held on 15 June 2010. 3. A number of the relevant issues have been previously considered by the Commission on the Status of Women in relation to discussions on the advisability of the appointment of a special rapporteur on laws that discriminate against women. At its fiftieth 1 2 3 4 Albania, Algeria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Hungary, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Republic of Moldova, Samoa, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United States of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of). Division for the Advancement of Women/Department of Economic and Social Affairs, (DAW/DESA), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Kenyan Human Rights Commission, National Centre for Human Rights – Jordan, National Human Rights Commission – India, National Human Rights Committee Doha-Qatar, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, Procuraduría para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos – Nicaragua. Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha, Center for Reproductive Rights, Centro de Derechos de Mujeres, Cooperativa Lotta contro l’emarginazione, Equality Now, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network, Family & Life, Federation of Women Lawyers, Foro de la familia – Spain, International Council for Human Rights Policy, International Women’s Rights Watch – Asia Pacific, Musawah, Soroptimist International, and Swedish CEDAW-Network. 3