Declarations and Reservations
(Unless otherwise indicated, the declarations and reservations were made
upon ratification, accession or succession.)
France 22

       Upon signature:

       Declaration:

       The Government of the French Republic declares that article 9 of the Convention must not be interpreted as precluding the application of the second paragraph of article 96 of the code of French nationality.

       
[All other declarations and reservations were confirmed in substance upon ratification.]

       Upon ratification:

       Declarations:

       The Government of the French Republic declares that the preamble to the Convention in particular the eleventh preambular paragraph contains debatable elements which are definitely out of place in this text.

       The Government of the French Republic declares that the term "family education" in article 5 (b) of the Convention must be interpreted as meaning public education concerning the family and that, in any event, article 5 will be applied subject to respect for article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and article 8 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

       The Government of the French Republic declares that no provision of the Convention must be interpreted as prevailing over provisions of French legislation which are more favourable to women than to men.

       Reservation:

       ...

       Article 29

       The Government of the French Republic declares, in pursuance of article 29, paragraph 2, of the Convention, that it will not be bound by the provisions of article 29, paragraph 1.
Objections
(Unless otherwise indicated, the objections were made
upon ratification, accession or succession.)
 
France

26 June 2001


With regard to reservations made by Saudi Arabia upon ratification:

       The Government of the French Republic has examined the reservations made by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted in New York on 18 December 1979. By stating that in case of contradiction between any term of the Convention and the norms of Islamic law, it is not under obligation to observe the terms of the Convention, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia formulates a reservation of general, indeterminate scope that gives the other States parties absolutely no idea which provisions of the Convention are affected or might be affected in future. The Government of the French Republic believes that the reservation could make the provisions of the Convention completely ineffective and therefore objects to it. The second reservation, concerning article 9, paragraph 2, rules out equality of rights between men and women with respect to the nationality of their children and the Government of the French Republic therefore objects to it.

       These objections do not preclude the Convention's entry into force between Saudi Arabia and France. The reservation rejecting the means of dispute settlement provided for in article 29, paragraph 1, of the Convention is in conformity with the provisions of article 29, paragraph 2.

4 March 2002


With regard to reservations made by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea upon accession:

       Having considered the reservations and declarations made on 27 February 2001 by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women of 18 December 1979, the Government of the French Republic objects to the said reservations and declarations relating to article 2, paragraph (f) and article 9, paragraph 2.

25 April 2003


With regard to reservations made by Bahrain upon accession:

       The Government of the Republic of France has examined the reservations made by the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain upon accession to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women of 18 December 1979. The Government of the Republic of France considers that, by making the implementation of articles 2 and 16 of the Convention subject to respect for the Islamic Shariah, the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain is making two reservations of such a general and indeterminate scope that it is not possible to ascertain which changes to obligations under the Convention they are intended to introduce. Consequently, the Government of France considers that the reservations as formulated could make the provisions of the Convention completely ineffective. For these reasons, the Government objects to the reservations made in respect of articles 2 and 16 of the Convention, which it considers to be reservations likely to be incompatible with the object and purpose of the Convention.

       The Government of France objects to the reservations made in respect of article 9, paragraph 2, and article 15, paragraph 4, of the Convention.

       The Government of France notes that these objections shall not preclude the entry into force of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women between Bahrain and France.

21 July 2003


With regard to reservations made by the Syrian Arab Republic upon accession:

       [The Government of the French Republic has examined the reservations made by the Syrian Arab Republic upon its accession to the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

       The Government of the French Republic considers that, by making a reservation to article 2 of the Convention, the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic is making a reservation of general scope that renders the provisions of the Convention completely ineffective.For this reason, the French Government objects to the reservation, which it considers to be incompatible with the object and purpose of the Convention.

       The French Government objects to the reservations made to article 9, paragraph 2, article 15, paragraph 4, and article 16, paragraphs 1 and 2, of the Convention. The French Government notes that these objections do not preclude the entry into force of the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women between Syria and France.

18 November 2005


With regard to the reservations made by the United Arab Emirates upon accession:

       The Government of the French Republic has examined the reservations formulated by the United Arab Emirates upon accession to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, of 18 December 1979, according to which the United Arab Emirates, on the one hand, does not consider itself bound by the provisions of article 2 (f) and article 15, paragraph 2, because they are contrary to the sharia and, on the other, states that it will abide by the provisions of article 16 insofar as they are not in conflict with the principles of the sharia. The Government of the French Republic considers that, by precluding the application of these provisions, or by making it subject to the principles of the sharia, the United Arab Emirates is formulating reservations with a general scope depriving the provisions of the Convention of any effect. The Government of the French Republic considers that these reservations are contrary to the object and purpose of the Convention and enters an objection thereto. The Government of the French Republic also objects to the reservation formulated to article 9. These objections shall not preclude the entry into force of the Convention between France and the United Arab Emirates.

13 February 2007


With regard to the reservations made by Oman upon accession:

       The Government of the French Republic has considered the reservations made by the Sultanate of Oman upon accession to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women of 18 December 1979, according to which the Sultanate of Oman does not consider itself bound by 'any provisions of the Convention which are incompatible with Islamic Sharia or with the laws in force in the Sultanate of Oman', or by the provisions of article 9, paragraph 2, article 15, paragraph 4 and article 16, in particular paragraph 1 (a), (c) and (f). The Government of the French Republic considers that, by ruling out the application of the Convention or subordinating it to Sharia principles and the laws in force, the Sultanate of Oman is making a reservation of a general and indeterminate nature, thereby depriving the provisions of the Convention of any effect. The Government of the French Republic considers this reservation to be contrary to the object and purpose of the Convention and therefore wishes to register an objection thereto. The Government of the French Republic also objects to the reservations made to article 9, paragraph 2, article 15, paragraph 4 and article 16, in particular paragraph 1 (a), (c) and (f). These objections shall not prevent the entry into force of the Convention between France and the Sultanate of Oman.

13 June 2007


With regard to the reservations made by Brunei Darussalam upon accession:

       The Government of the French Republic has examined the reservations made by Brunei Darussalam upon acceding to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, of 18 December 1979. The Government of the French Republic believes that in 'expressing' reservations regarding provisions of the Convention 'that may be contrary to the Constitution of Brunei Darussalam and to the beliefs and principles of Islam', Brunei Darussalam is making a reservation of broad and indeterminate scope which does not allowhe other States Parties to ascertain which provisions of the Convention are envisaged and which may render the provisions of the Convention null and void. The Government of the French Republic believes that this reservation is incompatible with the object and purpose of the Convention and objects to it. The Government of the French Republic also objects to the reservation made specifically to article 9, paragraph 2 of the Convention. These objections shall not preclude the entry into force of the Convention between France and Brunei Darussalam.