Speech: Justice - the bedrock of every right to which women and girls are entitled
Remarks by UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous at the interactive dialogue on the CSW70 priority theme, “Bridging systemic gaps: Advancing justice for all women and girls”.
[As delivered.]
I am very happy to note that we have yesterday adopted Agreed Conclusions for this particular session by a broad consensus and this is a very good result we see given the headwinds that we are facing against gender equality and women’s rights at this particular time in our long drive towards gender equality and women’s empowerment. So, broad consensus is key in this troubled world and we will continue to strive for consensus every single year and we will get there as long as we fight and push forward. So thank you all who were there, or not there and supportive. This was a key moment yesterday for women and girls across the world and for justice for all women and girls across the world.
Our CSW priority theme this year is foundational. Justice is the bedrock of every right to which women and girls are entitled. Delivering full access to justice sits among the highest priorities and the highest duties of every Member State.
Today we focus on solutions to persistent challenges: discriminatory laws, deep-seated structural and institutional inequities, inadequate justice services, gaps in legal literacy, time poverty due to unpaid care work, and weak enforcement.
These challenges apply to formal, informal, or customary justice systems, and are exacerbated for those living in rural, in conflict-affected contexts, and other underserved communities.
Despite these challenges, we have many examples of what works. At this time of headwinds we really need to concentrate on what works and how we can make it even work better and become more global.
From 2022 to 2024, 325 laws across 83 countries were adopted, revised, or repealed with UN Women support, improving the lives of 2.9 billion women and girls globally.
Initiatives like the UNDP–UN Women Gender Justice Platform support Member States, with almost a quarter-million people since 2022 receiving legal aid, paralegal support, or assistance through customary and informal mechanisms.
Let me also share the five deliverables UN Women believes lie at the heart of solutions based on our experience, working with our partners.
First, justice systems must be fair, functional, effective and coherent, which meet international human rights instruments, and which are financed appropriately. I would put a line under the word financed, especially at this particular time when funding and financing are withdrawing
They must model equality in decision-making, without structural gender imbalances that inevitably influence outcomes.
They must be coherent across police, prosecution, courts, corrections, legal aid, health, social services and government. No woman should have to deal with complexity, with delay and dysfunction in the pursuit of justice.
And justice systems must serve prevention with the appropriate capacities, including public legal education to combat the discriminatory social norms.
Second, women and girls must have access to justice services that are gender-responsive, survivor-centred, trauma-informed, and are financed appropriately.
Clear and transparent gender-responsive budgeting, fully funded victim and survivor-centred services, and investment in institutional capacity are prerequisites for real, lived justice.
Third, all women and girls, everywhere, must have access to legal aid when they need it, wherever they live.
Fourth, the women’s organizations whose work underpins justice and rights on the ground must be funded.
They support service delivery, demand accountability and more. Their contribution is essential.
And fifth, we must leverage technology and data. Digital innovation can help surmount challenges such as distance or care responsibilities but technology comes with clear risks also. Guaranteeing non-discrimination in technology-assisted justice tools, including those using AI, is non-negotiable.
Governments must live up to their responsibilities to steward digital innovation, alongside the duties of private sector to act responsibly. And data, robust and disaggregated, underpin the evidence we rely on for success.
Our promise of justice to women and girls has been made many times, from the Beijing Platform for Action over three decades ago, to the Pact for the Future, and Sustainable Development Goals 5 and 16. It is time to live up to that promise. I’m sure you all agree with that.
There is no excusing a failure to act when solutions are plentiful. Let us use our discussions, and the wisdom and expertise here today, as a launchpad. So much is lost when women and girls are denied justice. And there is so much to gain if we commit to making justice a lived reality for every woman and girl, always and everywhere. UN Women looks forward to working with you all to that end.
I thank you very much.
