Design by Pepper Peterson OldzieyRepresentatives of the Baha’is of the United States have been active members, including as co-chairs for 10 years, of the U.S.-based CEDAW Working Group since its inception. This network of more than 100 national organizations advocates for U.S. ratification of CEDAW.

Often described as a “bill of rights” for women, CEDAW is the first and only international instrument to comprehensively address women’s rights within political, cultural, economic, social and family life.

As of December 2005, 180 nations have ratified the treaty, making the United States the only industrialized nation not to do so. The United States participated in drafting CEDAW, and President Jimmy Carter signed and sent it to the U.S. Senate for advice and consent in 1980.

U.S. Baha'is have also played a key role in establishing the national strategy for ratification of CEDAW. In 2001, a Baha'i representative compiled and edited Human Rights for All, an education and advocacy tool on CEDAW. More than 15,000 copies were distributed to the public and members of Congress. A second expanded edition of the book was published in spring 2004.