Tunisia enjoys the second-highest human development score in Africa. Since the one-party regime was overthrown in late 2011, the country has embarked on a tortuous transition towards democracy. A new progressive constitution was approved in early 2014, consolidating women's rights and bringing innovations in a number of areas, including open government, state decentralization and sustainable use of natural resources.
IDLO and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) convened a forum in Casablanca, Morocco on 14-15 December 2017 to lay the foundations for the first regional network for women judges in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region – Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and West Bank and Gaza.
On 26 July 2017, Tunisia’s parliament approved a landmark bill seeking to eliminate all forms of violence against women. The passage of the bill, which is set to enter force in 2018, represents the first national legislation dealing with violence against women based on a human rights approach.
A regional workshop co-organized by IDLO brought together female judges, lawyers and academics in Sousse, Tunisia to discuss women’s effective participation in justice delivery and policy making across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
EBRD and IDLO lay foundations of regional women judges’ platform
Women in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region, including Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia, are significantly affected by considerable inequalities. Discriminatory legal frameworks and neutral laws enforced with underlying biases and stereotypes continue to hold women in the region back from fully participating in society. Crucially, this is also the case in political and other leadership and decision-making positions. Enhancing the contributions of women judges is particularly important as gender justice remains elusive in many aspects.
A strong regime of intellectual property (IP) law is crucial for fostering increased investment and innovation in key sectors of the economy. In recent years Tunisia has focused on building and implementing a policy for attracting foreign investment. Following the adoption of the new constitution, many laws regulating the economy were revised and a new investment code was adopted. The Tunisian government has also strengthened the legal framework for protecting IP, by acceding to the majority of treaties relating to IP and passing several laws on these matters.
Investment climate to improve through creation of transparent and predictable legal environment
Tunisia is regarded as a leader in the region, and even globally, on progressive gender legislation and initiatives, including on women’s participation in all aspects of public life. The 2014 Constitution upholds the principles of equality of rights and duties between men and women, and confirmed the obligation of the State to protect and strengthen women’s gains and their equal representation in senior positions and in elected bodies. However, operationalizing the constitutional mandate in the justice sector remains challenging.
