Gender parity is a human right

Excellencies,

Distinguished members of the Committee,

Dear colleagues,

When we look at the state of the world today, it is impossible not to question, deeply, how we got here. Conflicts, escalating in terrifying ways; deepening inequalities, with almost obscene levels of wealth concentrated in the hands of a few; and the relentless destruction of our planet.

It begs the question – how can we build a more peaceful tomorrow, when today is so violent and so full of turmoil?

The oppressive, outdated patriarchal system, subjugating half of humanity, is at the root of many of the challenges we face – as individuals, as societies, and at the global level.

The power to suppress and to silence, to wage war and wreak havoc – is all too often wielded by angry, egotistical, short-sighted men.

Women remain starkly underrepresented in decision-making systems.

And there is even lower representation of women who suffer from intersectional forms of discrimination – including indigenous women, trans women, afro descendant women, older women and others.

This is a grave injustice and a glaring paradox.

So, this important General Recommendation, on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems, must be a milestone and a call to action – matched by meaningful progress around the world. 

I congratulate everyone involved in elaborating it.

Distinguished committee members, dear colleagues,

While there has been some progress on gender parity over recent decades, it comes at a very slow pace.

In 2022 – the most recent year for which we have statistics -- 107 countries had never had a woman Head of State, and women held only 27 percent of seats in national parliaments. Women made up just 16 percent of peace negotiators.

Women occupy only 28.2 per cent of management positions in the labour market, and the percentage of public tenders awarded to women-owned businesses is shockingly low – a mere 1%.

These are lost opportunities and lost potential.

Gender parity is a human right.

The right of women, in all their diversity, to have an equal say in all decisions that shape their societies, economies, and futures, is non-negotiable.

And gender parity is transformative.

It brings to bear the full breadth of human experience, talent, and vision.

It unlocks capacities – as individuals and collectively – to innovate and to be creative, so we are better equipped as societies to solve complex problems.

Such as violent conflict. 

Women are agents of peace. Their full participation in society helps to prevent conflict. It makes peacemaking and peacebuilding much more effective – especially when women exercise a strong influence on the negotiation process.

Studies show that the participation of women increases the probability of a lasting peace agreement by 35 percent.

And we have seen this in action – from Liberia to Colombia to Northern Ireland.

It is beyond time for women to take their rightful place, with important seats at all the important tables.

Parity is also game changing for our economies. Ensuring women’s equal access to economic opportunities is fundamental for building a sustainable, inclusive economy rooted in human rights.

And for our environment, where comprehensive and sustainable responses to the triple planetary crisis require women’s voices and experiences.

In the digital sphere, women’s equal participation in the design and roll-out of new technologies is essential to avoid bias – and build gender equality into the algorithms that rule our digital lives. 

Distinguished committee members,

General Recommendation No. 40 puts forward immediate, concrete and detailed measures across the board, to make parity a reality by 2030 -- in line with SDG 5 and Action 8 of the Pact for the Future.

It makes clear that parity cannot be partial. The Convention’s core aim of eliminating discrimination against women demands not one quarter or one third, but 50:50 parity – the only way for governance to be truly representative and for women’s voices to have real and lasting impact across the board.

And it sets out measures to ensure parity is systemic.

Achieving true gender parity means we must confront and dismantle the deeply entrenched patriarchal structures that have shaped power relations between men and women for centuries.

This may involve constitutional amendments and wide-ranging reforms to legal frameworks, to institutionalize parity in the foundations of governance. It may require national action plans and temporary special measures, including quotas.

It also means we must denounce, unequivocally, institutionalised regimes of systematic oppression and domination of women, increasingly characterised as amounting to gender apartheid for the extent and severity of their impacts. I would like to take this opportunity to express my own support for efforts to codify gender apartheid as a crime against humanity, to broaden individual accountability for the full range of gender-based violations we are witnessing today.

Distinguished participants,

I thank the informal “group of friends” of States for their support for this General Recommendation, together with UN Women, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and partners from civil society and academia.

We must all seize this opportunity – collectively - to ensure that the General Recommendation spurs concrete and immediate action.

We must have the highest ambitions for this critical tool – and we must meet them.

A more just and equal world demands it.

Thank you.