International Development Law Organization

CSW62 | Legal Frameworks for the Empowerment of Rural Women

HIGH LEVEL SIDE EVENT Legal Frameworks for the Empowerment of Rural Women: Case Studies From Across the SDGs

Rural women, serving as key agents in the eradication of poverty and the achievement of sustainable development, face particularized problems differentiating their lives from urban counterparts. In a largely agricultural setting, issues affecting agricultural production such as access to credit and markets, land ownership, tenure, and inheritance, and natural resource rights take central stage. Article 14 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms Against Discrimination Against Women, identifying particular rights of women in rural areas, represents recognition within an international treaty of the specialized disadvantages and discrimination encountered by rural women, beyond those of women generally. Yet while efforts at remediation can be found oftentimes in national legislation, discrimination in the law itself, lack of knowledge of the law, and weak implementation, enforcement, and access to justice all prove to be a major barrier in rural settings, where the very rule of law may be fragile or absent. [ Image: © Veronica Smirnoff, Aliska, 2006, Egg Tempera On Wood, 90x70cm, www.riccardocrespi.com ]

Event details

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Details:

18:30 - 20:30  |  Thursday, 15 March, 2018  |  with Reception to follow  |  Location: NYC Bar Association, 42 West 44th Street, New York, USA

Organizers:

Format: 

High level keynote addresses will be followed by presentation of illustrative case studies and a brief moderated dialogue.

Keynote Speakers:

  • Dr. Irene Khan, Director-General, International Development Law Organization
  • Yasmin Batliwala, JP, Chief Executive, Advocates for International Development

Moderator: 

  • Kim Azzarelli, Co-Founder, Seneca Women

Speakers:

  • Justine Uvuza, Sr. Land Policy Advisor on Gender of Landesa Rural Development Institute will present on legal initiatives under SDG Target 1.4: “Women’s Rights to Equal Ownership and Control over Land” by Landesa in Rwanda and Liberia
  • Dr. Beatrice Duncan, Rule of Law Advisor (Justice and Constitutions), UNWomen
  • Christine A. Carron, Ad.E., Retired Senior Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada, LLP, President Pro Bono Quebec, Fellow of American College of Trial Lawyers, will present on a pro-bono legal initiative under SDG Target 10.3 to protect rural women from persecution for witchcraft in rural Tanzania in conjunction with HelpAge International.

Participation: 

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Social media information: Follow Twitter @IDLO and contribute with #CSW62  |  #GenderJustice  |  #SDGs  |  #RuralWomen

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Related Download(s): 
CSW62 | Legal Frameworks Concept Note and Program