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1. Article 2 of the Convention. Equality of opportunity and treatment of men and women. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that the Ministry of Social Affairs submitted a report to Parliament in April 2004, in accordance with section 9 of the Act on the Equal Status and Equal Rights of Women and Men (No. 96/2000). Subsequently, Parliament adopted a resolution regarding a new action plan, which provides for an external evaluation two years, then four years after its adoption. The plan includes a project to assess the impact of the Maternity/Paternity and Parental Leave Act. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the measures contained in the action plan which relate to the application of the Convention and to keep the Committee informed of the action taken under it with a view to promoting and ensuring equality of opportunity of men and women in employment and occupation, including relevant results of the planned evaluations referred to above.

2. With regard to the position of men and women in the labour market, the Committee notes from statistical information published by Statistic Iceland for 2004 that some 30 per cent of all managers and legislators are female, while men and women are equally distributed in the occupational group of professionals. Women also are underrepresented among craft and related trade workers (23 per cent), while the female ratio among clerks is 87 per cent. The Committee also notes the Government’s view that, compared to the high female labour market participation, the rate of women business owners is too low (18 per cent). Please provide information on the measures taken to address occupational segregation based on sex (horizontal and vertical), and continue to provide information on the efforts made to increase the number of female business owners and entrepreneurs.

3. Equality of opportunity and treatment irrispective of race, colour and national extraction. The Committee notes from the report submitted by the Government under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination that the proportion of foreign nationals and Icelandic nationals born abroad has increased in recent years, but that this trend has slowed over the last four years. In 2003, this category included 10,180 persons, 3.5 per cent of the population. While some 70 per cent of these persons were from European countries, 17 per cent were from Asia (CERD/C/476/Add.5, 8 October 2004). Noting the recommendation by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to strengthen safeguards so that foreign workers are protected from discrimination (CERD/C/ISL/CO/18, 1 November 2005, paragraph 13), the Committee asks the Government to provide information on any measures taken or envisaged to protect foreign workers from discrimination in employment and occupation on the grounds of race, colour or national extraction.

4. Parts IV and V of the report form. The Committee thanks the Government for providing summaries of court cases concerning discrimination and equality and invites the Government to continue to share such information, as well as information on activities, reports or relevant decisions of other relevant bodies, such as the bodies established under the Act No. 96/2000.