World YWCA at the Human Rights Council
On September 26, 2011, the Human Rights Council held its annual discussion on the integration of gender under the title “Promoting Gender Equality as Institutional Practice: From Policy to Action”. The objective of the panel discussion was to reflect on key measures to institutionalise gender integration in organisational structures by looking at best practices from the past as well as envisioning the future.
Following the opening addresses by Ms Laura Dupuy Lasserre, the President of the Human Rights Council, and Mr Bacre Ndiaye, the Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaties Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the session was essentially an interactive dialogue between panelists, Member States and NGOs.
Key issues and challenges discussed included the concern that the concept of gender is still misunderstood; the lack of resources; the need for quotas so that women may be better represented; the role of men in gender integration and the cultural resistance to gender integration through fear of change and loss of power.
The main recommendations were the need for implementation of decisions and obligations which Member States and political actors had agreed upon; the need for women to be better represented in Treaty Bodies; the importance of taking cultural diversity into consideration; rendering gender trainings more practical; strengthening the CEDAW Committee recommendations within the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, and the need to look at how women’s needs are being addressed by the judicial system.
The World YWCA, the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and Femme Afrique Solidarite (FAS) prepared a joint statement which: encouraged the Human Rights Council to support the CEDAW Committee’s General Recommendations on women and conflict as part of implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325; encouraged the UPR process to have greater inclusion of gender perspective, and highlighted the World YWCA’s work with Canada and other Member States on the Violence Against Women resolutions and its future work on remedies.
In conclusion, the World YWCA stated that it valued its close collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, especially the Women’s Division, and the Treaty Bodies Office, in taking this work forward.
