Assessing CEDAW's Committee Contribution to Enhancing Women's Political Participation through General Recommendation 40: Know the GAP gender lectures

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) serves as a fundamental human rights instrument, often referred to as the "women's charter", and has been almost universal adopted by 189 member states. At its core is Article 17, which entrusts the CEDAW Committee with the responsibility of monitoring the fulfilment of state parties' obligations.

Of particular note are Articles 7 and 8 of CEDAW, which emphasise the importance of women's participation in political processes at all levels, whether national or international. These articles emphasise the need for greater representation of women in decision-making, a key aspect of democratic governance. Therefore, understanding the symbiotic relationship between democracy, women's political engagement and gender equality is critical to achieving gender parity as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 5.

In response to the need to translate these commitments into concrete actions, the CEDAW Committee has formulated General Recommendations 23 and 40. These recommendations underscore the need to implement substantive measures to ensure the inclusion of women not only as voters, but also as leaders and candidates for public office. Of particular importance is General Recommendation 40, which plays a key role in promoting women's political participation.

In this Gender Lecture Series, I will explore the significance and impact of General Recommendation 40 in increasing women's political engagement. By comparing it to previous recommendations, I aim to highlight its evolving role in this critical aspect of human rights and democracy.

More about the speaker

Parinaz Tofighi is a PhD candidate and researcher in international law at the University of Bern. She received her Master's degree from the University of Tehran (Iran), where she graduated with highest honors. Parinaz was awarded the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship and is actively involved in the Graduate School of Gender Studies of University of Bern, where she emphasises her commitment to promoting gender equality.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Parinaz has been participating in various activities that demonstrate her commitment to social and legal causes. Her move from Iran to Switzerland has broadened her perspectives and enhanced her academic approach. Parinaz's research focuses on the promotion of women's rights and gender equality, especially political participation, in the field of international law and international human rights law.

Know the GAP gender lectures

The building blocks of Gender Studies: foundational concepts to navigate a complex field of study

Since 2019, the WTI Gender Team has been organizing the Know the GAP gender lecture series. This series has been a source of fundamental insights on gender studies and contributed to the general debate on these issues.

The interest in this complex and variegated area is continuously increasing, and the perspectives from which it is studied are numerous and all interconnected. From sociology to law, from political science to linguistics, from international relations to literature and philosophy, gender studies epistemologically inform virtually any other field of research.

At the same time, gender studies call for action, thus providing a concrete contribution to the evolution of political systems and societies towards more equality and inclusivity.

The present lecture series aims to provide some instruments to understand such a complexity stemming from increasing awareness of and research on gender issues, as well as manifold action at the international and domestic levels. To do so, this year’s series focuses on the key words of gender studies, in order to give some fundamental points of reference and build an updated glossary of this area of study.

Such a timely endeavour is carried out thanks to the participation of prominent guest speakers in gender studies, whose expertise mirrors the variety of perspectives from which this area can be approached. Every lecture deals with a specific key word. The latter have been selected after an analysis of academic literature and international soft law in the area of gender studies and are meant to constitute foundational concepts and issues regarding this field. Some of the key words constitute basic theoretical notions of gender studies: key concepts such as “feminism and eco-feminism”, “empowerment”, “intersectionality”, “gender migration”, “gender equality” and “sorority” will be addressed. Other key words refer to the concrete manifestations and applications of those concepts in societal and political systems as well as their embedment in legal orders. Accordingly, “gender mainstreaming”, “non-discrimination”, “CEDAW”, “gender quotas”, “participation in public life”, “gender and conflict”, “reproductive rights” will be dealt with in the series.

Together, they all give justice to the complexity of the field, while at the same time providing the tools to navigate through it.

The lectures are meant to be an essential resource for students who are approaching this field, but also for academics and civil society members willing to contribute to a collective effort in building an updated and at the same time accessible glossary of gender studies. In this sense, the lectures are purposedly organized to leave enough time for discussion. After a presentation of the subject, in the second part of the lecture the room will be open for comments and questions from the audience.

The gender lecture series is organized by Prof. Elisa Fornalé who is leading the SNSF-funded research project ‘Gender Equality in the Mirror (GEM): Clothing the Invisibility of Women’s Participation at International Level’ housed at the World Trade Institute, University of Bern.

Participation is open to the public and free of charge.

For further information please email Dr. Nicolò Alessi