Switzerland – Submission to UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

This submission summarizes how cross-border tax abuse by corporations and wealthy individuals jeopardizes CEDAW-protected rights, particularly in developing countries, and illustrates Switzerland’s particular contributions to this corrosive phenomenon through its financial secrecy laws and lax rules on corporate reporting and taxation. In light of this information, the submitting organizations respectfully request that the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, as part of its review of Switzerland’s combined fourth and fifth periodic reports during the Committee’s 65th Session, urge the State party to assess and address the impact of its banking and tax policies on the resources available for the fulfilment of women’s rights in developing countries.