Palestine & the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women: Implications of Ratification guarantees to provide women with appropriate services in connection with pregnancy, confinement, the post-natal period and nutrition during pregnancy and lactation. Appropriate measures are also to be taken by States Parties in eliminating discrimination against women in respect to the right to family entitlements, bank loans, mortgages, other financial credits and participation in the different aspects of cultural life. Women are to be accorded equality with men before the law and be granted to them in civil matters a legal capacity identical to that of men and the same opportunities to exercise that capacity. In particular, women are to be given equal rights to conclude contracts and to administer property and shall be treated equally in all stages of procedure in courts and tribunals. Women are to have the same rights as men with regard to laws concerning the movement of persons and the freedom to choose their residence and domicile. States Parties are to agree that all contracts and all other private instruments of any kind with a legal effect that are directed at restricting the legal capacity of women shall be deemed null and void. Measures must also be put in place which eliminate discrimination against women in matters relating to marriage and family relations, and this includes the right to enter into marriage only with free and full consent and the right to freely choose a her spouse. In addition, the betrothal and the marriage of a child is not to have any legal effect, and all necessary action, including legislation, must be taken to specify a minimum age for marriage and to register all marriages in a compulsory official registry. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Here, the contents of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women are presented and discussed. Formed pursuant to article (17) of the fifth chapter of the Convention, its purpose is to watch over the implementation of the Convention according to specified criteria. It is composed of (23) experts on women’s issues from around the world who are elected by secret balloting, and they are nominated by States upon request by the UN’s Secretary-General, who takes into account an equitable geographical distribution. The membership term for these 15