Ricardo Lamour

ALT UN Committee to Canada: Do More to Curb Arms Exports to Israel IHRP/GHRC submission to top international women’s rights body prompts callout of Canadian inaction on maternal care deprivations in Gaza

ALT In September, we submitted a report to the UN CEDAW Committee linking Canadian arms exports to violations of women’s maternal care rights in Gaza. At every stage of their pregnancy journey Palestinian women in Gaza face violence and human rights violations due to targeted attacks and other operations by Israeli forces. 100% of maternity hospitals have been damaged by IDF attacks While Canada has stopped issuing permits to export arms to Israel, Canadian arms are still being routed to Israel through the US, which supplies 70% of Israel’s arms imports. This is because Canadian arms exports to the US do not require a permit.

ALT Last month, the IHRP team traveled to Geneva to engage with the CEDAW Committee’s review of Canada. IHRP members held meetings with multiple stakeholders, in tandem with the review, to raise awareness on Canadian arms exports to Israel and their impacts on women’s rights to maternal care in Gaza.

ALT The CEDAW Committee incorporated criticism of Canada’s inaction on arms exports to Israel into its Concluding Observations. The Committee echoed the concerns raised by our report - which was endorsed by almost 50 civil society organizations - about direct or indirect Canadian arms exports to Israel being used to facilitate violations of women’s rights in Gaza. This marks the first time a major UN body has specifically called out Canada on this issue.