International Development Law Organization

CSW64 | Women Delivering Justice

SIDE EVENT Women Delivering Justice: What's Next for SDG 16.7 and Women Justice Professionals

As the world commemorates twenty-five years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPFA), women continue to struggle for equal representation in justice sectors around the world. Although women justice professionals have been making incremental headway in achieving gender parity, they continue to encounter barriers to their full and effective participation as justice actors.  

Ensuring equal representation of women as justice professionals is not only the right thing to do. A more representative judiciary can increase confidence in the rule of law and there is growing evidence showing that an increased presence of women judges can contribute to improved access to justice for women.

The SDGs include a dedicated target to monitor the proportion of positions in public institutions held by women (16.7.1). Nevertheless, data on women justice professionals continues to be incomplete, inconsistent and uneven.

Building on States’ commitments on women’s representation in political and public life under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW, art. 7), the BPFA (Strategic Objectives G.1 and I.2), and the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development (SDG 16.7.1), this event will focus on the importance of investing in the equal representation of women and men in justice delivery.

Panellists will:

  • Identify challenges and pathways for increased investment and action; and
  • Discuss policy and programmatic directions to be prioritized to achieve better gender balance in the justice sector.

The event will be informed, among others, by IDLO’s recent reports on this theme: Women Delivering Justice: Contributions, Barriers, Pathways (2018); Women’s Professional Participation in Tunisia’s Justice Sector: Pathways and Opportunities (2019); and Women’s Professional Participation in Kenya’s Justice Sector: Barriers and Pathways (forthcoming).

Experts from IDLO, IAWJUNDP  and the American Bar Association as well as women justice professionals from various countries, including Kenya and Tunisia, will be joining our discussion.

Details:

10:00 - 11.15 AM | Monday, March 16, 2020 | Express Bar, United Nations Headquarters, New York

Participation:

RSVP by Tuesday, March 10, 2020 here.