Statement by the Director-General, Ms Jan Beagle
General Discussion
New York, 14 March 2025
Mr. Chairman,
It is very special to be here marking the 30th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women.
This anniversary is deeply personal for me. I participated in the Beijing Conference and visited the NGO Forum in Huairou.
I fully agree with the representative of civil society at the opening session of the Commission who said that, although those days were rainy, there was a feeling of sunshine. We were seeing the world through women’s eyes. We reaffirmed that women’s rights are human rights.
Three decades on, there has been progress to celebrate.
But this progress is facing pushback and we must accelerate action to deliver on the promise of Beijing.
The evidence is clear: ensuring equal rights and equality of opportunity for women is not just a matter of fairness – it is a strategic necessity.
When women have the opportunity to participate fully in public life, societies and economies thrive.
In some countries, it is estimated that GDP could rise by as much as 35 per cent with greater female economic participation. 1
Similarly, it has been estimated that peace agreements are 35 per cent more likely to last for at least 15 years when women take part in negotiations. 2
As the only global intergovernmental organization exclusively devoted to advancing the rule of law to promote peace and sustainable development, IDLO has spent 40 years working across more than 100 countries.
We have seen first hand that the rule of law is fundamental for ensuring both rights and equality of opportunity for women and girls.
Currently women enjoy less than two-thirds of the legal rights available to men. 3
Laws and policies that protect women’s rights, trusted and accessible institutions, effective independent judiciaries, and strong implementation and accountability mechanisms are essential to prevent discrimination and violence. They also create pathways for economic empowerment.
When women lead, they drive innovative solutions for peace, justice, and sustainable development.
Drawing on our experience, IDLO would share the following recommendations:
First, we must continue to work towards the elimination of discriminatory laws and policies that hinder women’s and girls’ ability to contribute equally to their societies and their economies.
Second, we must support justice institutions to be responsive to the challenges women and girls face across the justice chain, and increase the participation of women in the justice sector.
Third, we must work to eliminate violence against women and girls, and develop effective, survivor-centred responses to violence, including in digital spaces.
Fourth, we must ensure that all people, especially women and girls, understand their rights and have access to legal mechanisms when violations occur.
As an International Gender Champion, I am proud that the International Development Law Organization places closing the justice gap for women and girls at the centre of our work.
And as a member of Global Women Leaders Voices, I am convinced of the need to increase the number of women in leadership positions at national and global levels. I hope that you can read the GWL report on “Women in Multilateralism” launched last week.
IDLO welcomes the adoption of the Political Declaration, particularly the reaffirmation of the importance of respecting, protecting and promoting all human rights for all women and girls; upholding the rule of law; and ensuring equal access to justice.
IDLO stands committed to work with all partners towards these objectives.
1 International Monetary Fund, Economic Gains from Gender Inclusion: Even Greater than You Thought. Available at: https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2018/11/28/blog-economic-gains-from-gender-inclusion-even-greater-than-you-thought
2 International Peace Institute, Reimagining Peacemaking: Women’s Roles in Peace Processes. Available at: https://www.ipinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IPI-E-pub-Reimagining-Peacemaking-rev.pdf
3 World Bank, Women, Business and the Law 2024 (2024).