A/HRC/20/20
the question as being limited to an inquiry about gender balance in the capacity-building of
judges. The intention was to learn about gender balance and to understand how the content
of capacity-building courses integrated a gender perspective. It was, however, possible to
identify some examples, whether the question was interpreted as limited or more broadly.
1.
Gender balance
76.
In Austria, special attention is paid to gender balance in the judiciary; furthermore,
seminars and special support for women magistrates after maternal leave are provided. In
Nigeria, the participation of women in the judiciary is mandatory. Courses on women’s
human rights and courses on international and regional women rights conventions are
offered. In the Philippines, gender sensitivity is mainstreamed through the gender
sensitivity committee of the Supreme Court. In France, gender is considered throughout the
entire education process; indeed, it was reported that, in France, there are more women
magistrates than men.
2.
Gender sensitivity training for judges and lawyers
77.
The flagship publication in 2011 of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality
and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) entitled “Progress of the World’s Women:
In Pursuit of Justice”, underscored that while there had been a transformation in women’s
legal rights, laws that exist on paper did not always translate into equality and justice for
most of the world’s women. In the report, 10 recommendations were made to make justice
systems work for women, including a recommendation to train judges and monitor their
decisions. It was concluded that balanced, well-informed and unbiased judicial decisionmaking was “an essential part of ensuring that women who go to court get justice”.
78.
In 2012, UN-Women conducted a mapping exercise on specialized training for
judges and lawyers on women’s human rights and gender equality issues, in order to
identify the extent and types of training programmes. Interviews were carried out with staff
members, and a range of documents was reviewed. The mapping illustrated the types of
initiatives that have been supported and evaluated by United Nations bodies since 2007,
and the recommendations emerging from evaluation reports and assessments. The
information below is based on the mapping results.
79.
Training initiatives for judges, prosecutors and lawyers on women’s human rights
and gender equality issues are carried out and supported by a number of United Nations
bodies, including OHCHR, UN-Women, the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence
against Women, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Interregional
Crime and Justice Research Institute and the Joint United Nations Programme on
HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Many of these initiatives are carried out jointly by various United
Nations agencies; however, not all training programmes are evaluated systematically. The
Special Rapporteur recommends that assessments be carried out in order to determine the
effectiveness of capacity-building programmes and that they be adjusted if necessary.
80.
UN-Women has supported various capacity-building projects for judges,
magistrates, prosecutors, lawyers, paralegals and other legal actors in the formal and
informal justice sectors in many States in Africa, Asia, Central and South-eastern Europe,
Latin America and the Caribbean. Its training initiatives have focused in particular on
sexual and gender-based violence, including when committed during armed conflicts. They
have also covered other areas, such as gender equality in the workplace, women’s rights
within the family and women’s access to justice, including through transitional justice
mechanisms. The content has included the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women and other international human rights treaties, international
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