A/HRC/RES/41/6 retrogressive lobbies or political views, or the misuse of religion to oppose the struggle for women’s and girls’ equal rights, Recognizing that the right to liberty is a human right recognized in international instruments and that it is inextricably linked to other rights, including the rights to freedom of movement, the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, sexual and reproductive health, work, education, freedom of peaceful assembly and association, freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief, equality, freedom from discrimination, and privacy, with full respect for the dignity, integrity and bodily autonomy of the person, Recognizing also the differing needs of girls and women at different ages and stages of their lives, and the various forms of discrimination, in particular multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, that affect their day-to-day reality and that can lead to deprivation of liberty not only in detention facilities but also in other public and private institutions, private homes and community spaces, and in situations of conflict and crisis, Recognizing further that discrimination against women and girls is inherently linked to deep-rooted patriarchal and gender stereotypes and unequal power relations, that discriminatory attitudes, behaviours, norms, perceptions, customs and harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation and child, early and forced marriage, have direct negative implications for the status and treatment of women and girls, and that gender-biased environments promote impunity and impede the implementation of legislative and normative frameworks that guarantee gender equality and prohibit discrimination against women and girls, Reaffirming that the full enjoyment of all human rights by all women and girls includes their right to have control over and decide freely and responsibly on matters relating to their sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health, free from coercion, discrimination and violence, and that equal relationships in matters of sexuality, sexual relations and reproduction, including full respect for the dignity, integrity and bodily autonomy and agency of the person, require mutual respect, consent and shared responsibility for sexual behaviour and its consequences, in accordance with applicable international human rights standards, Recognizing the major contribution made by civil society, including women’s organizations, feminist groups, women human rights defenders, trade unions and girls’ and youth-led organizations, to promoting the empowerment of women and girls and the fulfilment of all their human rights, and recognizing also the importance of having an open, inclusive and transparent engagement with civil society in the implementation of measures promoting substantive gender equality in the empowerment of women and girls in all spheres, Regretting that women remain underrepresented, especially in management positions, in several United Nations bodies and mechanisms responsible for developing international human rights norms and standards and monitoring their implementation, and noting that balanced gender representation is an essential step towards bringing about a structural change needed to advance substantive gender equality and gender parity in line with the system-wide strategy on gender parity, while bearing in mind the necessity to secure the highest standard of efficiency, competence and integrity, as well as equitable geographical distribution, Taking note of the work of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee regarding the mainstreaming of a gender perspective and the issue of gender equality, 1. Calls upon States: (a) To ratify or accede to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and to consider ratifying or acceding to the Optional Protocol to the Convention as a matter of particular priority; (b) To limit the extent of any reservations and to formulate them as precisely and narrowly as possible to ensure that no reservations are incompatible with the object and purpose of the Convention, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties; 2