Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1996, published 85th ILC session (1997)

1. The Committee notes the information contained in the Government's report concerning the Four-Year Plan of Action to Establish Equality between Women and Men (1994-97), which was launched in accordance with section 17 of the Equal Status and Equal Rights of Women and Men Act 1991. In the Government's summary of progress made by various ministries in implementing individual projects under the Plan, the Committee notes that a number of initiatives have been commenced, or are being planned, which are of direct relevance to the application of the Convention, including programmes to train women for jobs in the fish-processing industry, studies on traditional women's occupations and on sexual harassment, measures to improve the position of women in the State Criminal Investigation Police and the implementation of gender equality in the personnel policies of some authorities, such as the Posts and Telecommunications Administration. The Committee requests the Government to furnish the assessment report of the Equal Status Council on the implementation of the Plan during its first two years, together with the report required to be made by the Minister of Social Affairs under section 17 of the Act and the report by the Job Assessment Committee, which are due to be presented to Parliament in 1996.

2. Referring to its previous comments, the Committee notes with interest the final report of the three-year Nordic projects (1992-94) on gender and equal opportunities in teacher education carried out under the auspices of the Nordic Council of Ministers (the NORD-LILIA project). The Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate any measures taken to consolidate this initiative, such as through drawing up action plans for gender equality in all teacher training in Iceland, as is discussed on page 75 of the report.

3. The Committee notes from the report submitted by Iceland on its application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (United Nations document CERD/C.299/Add.4 of 29 April 1996) that a revision of the Constitution's human rights provisions in order to expand upon, and phrase them more clearly, entered into force after being accepted in June 1995. The Committee requests the Government to provide copies of the constitutional amendments.