Half the power: UN women’s rights committee issues guidance on women’s equal and inclusive representation in decision-making

GENEVA (24 October 2024) – Women must have an equal say, on par with men, in all decision-making systems, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) told States parties today.

In its comprehensive guidance, officially known as General Recommendation 40 (GR40), the Committee made it clear that “equal and inclusive representation” requires no less than 50-50 parity between women and men. This undisputable standard ensures equal access for all women and girls within any decision-making system, which the Committee underlined should include public, private sector, political, economic, and digital spaces.

The Committee said previous targets of 30%, are now behind the times. “Targets of 30 percent representation of women in decision-making are incompatible with the Convention’s core aim of elimination of discrimination against women, as these convey a message that inequality between women and men is justifiable.”

“Decision-making will have real and dynamic meaning and lasting effect only when it is shared at 50:50 parity by women and men and takes equal account of the interests of both,” it added.

Failing to achieve parity will prevent States and the international community from effectively addressing urgent national, regional and global challenges, notably those related to peace, political stability, economic development, climate change and technological advancements such as artificial intelligence, the Committee warned.

In 2022, women made up merely 16% of peace negotiators, and only 33% of peace agreements included provisions for women or girls, according to UN Women. It reflected that “women remain structurally excluded from conflict and crises prevention as well as peace negotiations,” the Committee said.

Although research suggested that women’s political leadership would lead to greater stability and peace, as well as stronger responsiveness to people’s needs, women still held only 27% of seats in national parliaments and 35% of seats in local governments, as of September this year. “Women’s political representation and civic space are increasingly under attack through restrictions on the activities of women’s organizations, and the growing attacks and intimidations against women politicians, journalists, and human rights defenders,” the Committee noted with concern.

Women’s economic autonomy is essential to eradicate poverty and build a prosperous and sustainable society. Nevertheless, women held only 28.2 per cent of management positions in the labour market, according to a UN Women report. More women than men work in many informal and low-paying jobs among less innovative and less lucrative industries, leaving them fewer opportunities to advance to decision-making positions and shape the economy. “They are underrepresented, including in decision-making in economic governance architecture, multilateral financial institutions, debt servicing systems, capital markets, the industrial infrastructure architecture, trade negotiations and public procurement regimes,” stated the Committee.

The rapid digital transition, including the expanding role of Artificial Intelligence (AI), is transforming the world, yielding immense potential to benefit humanity. However, the Committee observed that “women have been severely underrepresented in the development of these technological advances. AI innovations have also shown a tendency to reflect and magnify gender bias and gender-based discrimination.”

The Committee laid out seven equal and inclusive representation pillars in decision-making systems that frame the guidance of the General Recommendation. Besides gender parity being a starting point and a universal norm, the other six pillars are effective youth leadership through parity, intersectionality and inclusion of women in all their diversity, a comprehensive approach ensuring parity across spheres, women’s equal power and influence beyond numeric parity, structural transformation changing stereotyped gender roles, and strong women’s civil society representation.

The Committee detailed States’ obligations to achieve equal and inclusive decision-making systems.

The Committee stressed the importance of parity in peace and security efforts and called on States to ensure equal representation of women in conflict and crises prevention and peacebuilding processes. It also urged governments to adopt a gender-responsive peace agenda and to include GR 40 into the global security architecture. It urged the international community to adapt and extend the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda to the changing nature of conflicts and new threats to peace and security.

On political participation and leadership, the Committee addressed States’ responsibilities to adopt laws to ensure gender parity in elections and appointments, and to adopt rules to guarantee parity in leadership positions across parliaments and other decision-making bodies. Additionally, the Committee called for gender audits of parliaments, government offices and municipal councils to examine gender responsiveness and the division of responsibilities to tailor reforms to achieve gender parity at all levels of governance.

The Committee also outlined Governments’ role in creating sustainable, inclusive, and human rights-based economies based on gender parity. It called for the elimination of all legal and practical forms of economic discrimination, including inequalities in pay, taxation, and regulations that hinder women’s participation. It further stated the importance of equal access to financial and non-financial resources, including technology, energy, and information.

The Committee will meet with States parties, the press and other stakeholders on 25 October from 11.30 am – 1.00 pm (Geneva time) in Room XVIII, at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, to explain and launch this guidance. The launch will be opened by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.