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Promoting Active Participation of Women in the Judiciary (Webinar)

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Promoting Active Participation of Women in the Judiciary (Webinar)

Friday, 10 March 2023, 14:00 – 15:15 CET (Vienna)

Online (MS Teams)

Background:

In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 75/274 designating 10 March the International Day of Women Judges. The Resolution invites Member States and all relevant stakeholders to observe the International Day of Women Judges annually, including through education and public awareness-raising activities, in order to promote the full and equal participation of women at all levels of the judiciary. The Resolution reaffirms that the active participation of women, on equal terms with men, at all levels of decision-making is essential to the achievement of equality, sustainable development, peace and democracy. It further reaffirms the commitment of Member States to develop and implement appropriate and effective national strategies and plans for the advancement of women in judicial justice systems and institutions at the leadership, managerial and other levels.

The establishment of the International Day of Women Judges builds upon the ongoing work of the Global Judicial Integrity Network on gender-related judicial integrity issues, with this work being explicitly appreciated in the aforementioned Resolution. Since its launch in 2018, the Global Judicial Integrity Network has been emphasizing the need to address and tackle gender discrimination, biases, prejudice, stereotyping, unequal gender representation and other forms of gender issues that hamper access to justice, integrity, impartiality and independence of the judiciary. With its mandate rooted in the UN Convention against Corruption, the Network has also been stressing the crucial role of the judiciary in fighting corruption. Fair gender representation strengthens the judiciary. Women judges contribute to the quality of decision-making and help build trust in the judiciary. The fight against corruption and other crimes can only be successful if the judiciary is inclusive, diverse and offers different gender perspectives. Among other work on the topic to date, the Network published a ground-breaking Paper on Gender-Related Judicial Integrity Issues and continuously creates opportunities for experience-sharing among judges and judiciaries.   

 

Event Description:

On the occasion of the 2023 International Day of Women Judges, the Global Judicial Integrity Network would like to hold a webinar for the participants of the Network aimed to shine light on the experiences of female judges from around the world and focus on topics such as barriers faced in accessing or advancing in the judiciary, existing challenges related to gender discrimination, stereotyping or biases, strategies and measures that might effectively promote women’s participation in the judiciary, or the importance of peer-support. In particular, the event will feature personal stories and experiences of several senior female judges from around the world. In addition, the webinar will provide space to the Network’s partners to raise awareness about their gender-related work, in line with the Network’s vision to bring closer together existing initiatives and amplify their positive impact.

Format: Online via MS Teams. At the time of the event, please access the webinar via the following MS Teams link: Click here to join the meeting (full link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NDc4NDQwYWMtODdlYi00ZTJiLTk4NzktMGIzZmE0NTJiZTAy%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%220f9e35db-544f-4f60-bdcc-5ea416e6dc70%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%222c3c6879-57a0-424f-960d-f46195cac6a4%22%7d

Language: English

Duration: 75 minutes

Agenda:

 

10 March 2023

 

Introduction + Moderation

  • Tatiana Veress, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, Secretariat of the Global Judicial Integrity Network, UNODC

 

Opening remarks (5 minutes):

  • Hon. Vanessa Ruiz, Senior Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the United States, former President of the International Association of Women Judges, member of the Global Judicial Integrity Network’s Advisory Board

 

Speakers (2 questions, 3-5 min. for each answer):

  • Hon. Roxane George, Chief Justice, Guyana
  • Hon. Shiranee Tilakawardane, Justice, Supreme Court of Sri Lanka (ret.), Consultant to Sri Lanka’s Judges Institute, International Judicial Educator and a National and International Arbitrator
  • Hon. Adisa Zahiragic, Judge, Cantonal Court of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, former President and current member of the Coordination Board of the Association of Women Judges of Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Hon. Ifeyinwa Nasiah Okoye, Senior Magistrate, Anambra State Judiciary, Nigeria

 

Partners’ work (around 3 min. per intervention):

  • Sara Carnegie, Director of Legal Projects, the International Bar Association (IBA)
  • Tomas Kvedaras, Project Specialist, Judicial Integrity Network in ASEAN of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  • J. Jarpa Dawuni, Executive Director, Institute for African Women in Law (IAWL)
  • Carolyn Hammer, Rule of Law Adviser, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE/ODIHR)

 

Closing

  • UNODC