CMNT_TITLE

The Committee notes the Government's report and the attached annexes, with particular reference to the copy of the chapter on human rights incorporated into the Constitution of Iceland in 1995 and the copy of the national report presented by the Government at the Beijing Conference in 1995.

1. The Committee notes with interest the detailed information provided by the Government concerning the final assessment of the Four-Year Plan of Action to Establish Equality between Women and Men (1994-97), launched in accordance with section 17 of the Equal Status and Equal Rights of Women and Men Act, 1991. The Committee notes that in the meantime another Plan of Action has been adopted (1998-2001) and it requests the Government to keep it informed of the projects developed under this second Plan and the results obtained with regard to the access of women to vocational training, employment and conditions of employment. It would also be grateful to be provided with information on the results achieved by certain projects launched under the previous Plan and which are still under way, such as: those designed to improve the status and number of women working in the criminal police; the project to encourage women to follow vocational training with a view to working in industry; the project to carry out a study and organize a conference on sexual harassment; and the project under which a post of counsellor was created for matters relating to equality between the sexes in the northern region, where the unemployment rate of women is particularly high.

2. The Committee notes that many initiatives have been taken by the Government to facilitate and promote respect for the principle of equality between the sexes in education. In this respect, noting that section 29 of the Compulsory School Act No. 66/1995 states that the aim of study and methods of work in compulsory school shall be to prevent discrimination on grounds of origin, gender, residence, class, religion or disability, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate the manner in which section 29 is applied in practice. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on the follow-up to the report presented in 1998 by the Minister of Education advocating the implementation of a "new school policy", of which one of the objectives would be to prepare students (boys as well as girls) to participate fully in the political, social and economic life of the country.