United Nations General Assembly declared March 10 as ‘International Day of Women judges’

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared in a resolution adopted by consensus that March 10 of every year will be International Day of Women Judges due to the initiative of the State of Qatar.

Before the resolution was adopted, 72 countries joined the sponsorship and adoption of the draft resolution, including a number of Arab countries, namely the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the State of Kuwait, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania and South Sudan.

The initiative of the State of Qatar to present the draft resolution to designate an International Day of Women Judges comes as a result of the second high-level meeting of the Global Judicial Integrity Network of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime during Feb. 25-27, 2020, hosted by the State of Qatar. The meeting launched a pioneering initiative to designate an International Day of Women Judges that is celebrated globally under the UN umbrella and aims to enhance the presence of women in the judicial field in order to strengthen the rule of law.

In a statement made by HE the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya bint Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, the State of Qatar confirmed, before the draft resolution was adopted, that International Day of Women Judges is an annual occasion to reaffirm the importance of women's participation in public institutions, including the judiciary, and the commitment of the international community that participatory and representative decision-making at all levels requires a balance between the genders.

The General Assembly resolution also referred to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and that gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls will make a vital contribution to achieving progress in all sustainable development goals and targets, stressing the gender perspective in implementing the 2030 Agenda.

The decision emphasized the active participation of women on an equal footing with men in decision-making at all levels as a fundamental matter for achieving equality, sustainable development, peace and democracy, and affirmed the commitment to formulating and implementing appropriate and effective national strategies and plans to advance the position of women in judicial justice systems and institutions at the leadership, administrative and other levels.

The resolution called on all Member States, entities of the UN system, other international and regional organizations, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders to celebrate the International Day of Women Judges every year in the most appropriate manner, including through educational and public awareness activities, to promote the full participation of women on an equal basis with men in all levels of the judiciary system. (QNA)

Source: QNA

United Nations General Assembly International Day of Women judges March 10 State of Qatar Qatar News Qatar Day