The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime will mark the second International Day of Women Judges held on 9 March 2023 from 14:00-15:00 (Vienna time), Board room D, Vienna International Centre. Special with a panel discussion on “Equality for justice.” The event was be opened by UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly and Alma Zadić, Minister of Justice of Austria. United Nations General Assembly Resolution 75/274 designated 10 March the International Day of Women Judges. This one-hour hybrid event with experts from different regions was focus on experiences of women judges and prosecutors in countering organized crime and tackling inequality and discrimination and was be centred around gender equality and judicial integrity. Annually celebrated across the globe as International Day of Women Judges to promote the full and equal participation of women at all levels of the judiciary. The day also celebrates the progress that has been made and raises awareness about the challenges ahead. The event was be moderated by Umej Singh Bhatia, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations in Vienna. Among the speakers who specially participated in the conference were,
Imane El Malki, Judge, Court of Cassation, Morocco (in person).
Virginia Kendall, Judge of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (virtual)
Hajara Haruna Yusuf, Chief State Counsel, Nigeria (virtual).
Concetta Locurto, Judge and Legal Adviser, Permanent Mission of Italy to the International Organizations in Vienna (in person).
Mai Sami Matar, Judge and Head of the High Civil Court of Bahrain (virtual).
Luis Javier Campuzano Piña, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the UN in Vienna, Co-Chair, Group of Friends of Gender (in person).
A large number of different Ambassador’s, diplomat’s participated in this conference. Ambassador of Pakistan Aftab Ahmed Khokhar attended on behalf of Pakistan.
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/75/274 on 28 April 2021 and proclaimed the 10th March of every year as the International Day of Women Judges.
ii.The resolution was drafted by the State of Qatar.
iii.The first-ever International Day of Women Judges was observed on 10th March 2022.
Global Judicial Integrity Network:
On the occasion of the first International Day of Women Judges, UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly and Alma Zadić, Minister of Justice of Austria launched a new “Women in Justice/for Justice” initiative to promote representation and gender-responsive criminal justice.
The Global Judicial Integrity Network of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) brings together female judges to learn from each other’s lived experiences and provide a source of solidarity.
Gender Equality & Women Judges:
Gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls – Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 is one of the crucial steps to achieve progress across all the SDG. The representation of women in the judiciary is significant to ensure that the legal system is developed with all of society in mind and it also inspires the next generation of female judges and motivates them to achieve their goals.
Key Points:
i.In 2017, around 40% of judges were women, which is around 35% more than in 2008.
ii.In several European countries, there are more women than men professional judges or magistrates; however, women represent 41 per cent of the judges in national supreme courts and only 25 per cent of court presidents.