10 March 2023: Join us to celebrate
the second International Day of Women Judges

On Friday, 10 March 2023, we will mark for the second time the International Day of Women Judges. This international day aims to raise awareness about the importance of equal gender representation at all levels of the judiciary and shine light on successes achieved and challenges faced in this regard.

The UN General Assembly Resolution 75/274 of 2021, which proclaimed the International Day of Women Judges, explicitly appreciates the work of UNODC's Global Judicial Integrity Network "to incorporate women’s representation issues into judicial systems”. To date, the Network has collected, developed and disseminated a broad range of resources on gender-related issues and has created valuable opportunities for experience-sharing.

We hope that the present newsletter might inspire you to join the global community in promoting gender equality and celebrating the many women judges worldwide who strengthen the judiciary by serving justice with professionalism and integrity.

SAVE THE DATE: 10 March: Webinar to mark the International Day of Women Judges

We are pleased to invite you to a special webinar to mark the International Day of Women Judges. The webinar will explore why fair gender representation is a key prerequisite for a strong and independent judiciary, what challenges women judges face in advancing judicial careers, and what strategies might be effective in promoting women's empowerment and participation. The event will feature personal stories and experiences of several female judges from around the world and will raise awareness about relevant gender-related work of the Network's partners.
The webinar will be held via MS Teams. The invitation and the access link will follow shortly via a separate email.

New thematic opinion pieces

OPINION PIECE:

The Significance of Women Judges and my Contribution Towards Gender Equality and the Equality of Access to Justice

By Hon. Tun Tengku Maimun b. Tuan Mat, Chief Justice of Malaysia. Visit all opinion pieces here.

OPINION PIECE:

Progress in the Quest for Gender Parity in the Judiciary of The Gambia

By Hon. Amina Saho Ceesay, Justice of the Court of Appeal of The Gambia. Visit all opinion pieces here.

OPINION PIECE:

Women judges and women judicial leaders play an irreplaceable role in modern judiciary

By Hon. Ivana Hrdlickova, President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Visit all opinion pieces here.

UNODC's Women in Justice / for Justice Campaign: Equality for Justice

Last year, on the occasion of the first International Day of Women Judges, UNODC launched a new global campaign "Women in Justice / for Justice" to promote gender balance and gender responsiveness across the spectrum of justice.

You can learn more about the campaign and how to join at its dedicated website. If you use social media, you are invited to share stories about women in the justice sector and women working for justice in your region and use the campaign hashtags #WomenInJustice and #WomenForJustice.

Please also visit the website or follow UNODC's social media accounts for more information about UNODC's Women in Justice/ for Justice event that will take place on 9 March 2023. The event will focus on the experiences on both sides of the bench - the judges and criminal justice officials taking on the fight against organized crime, including trafficking in persons, and advocates working for equal access to justice and legal empowerment for all people coming into contact with criminal justice systems.

Other resources of the Network

Visit here the Network's webpage dedicated to gender-related judicial integrity issues to access, among others, the Network’s paper on the topic, the Judicial Ethics Training Package, opinion pieces, webinars, podcasts and other resources.