International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. On this day the Hague Academy of International Law will organize a symposium and the booklaunch of the Centre's 2014 research programme "Women's Human Rights and the Elimination of Discrimination= Les droits des femmes et l'élimination de la discrimination".
International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. On this day the Hague Academy of International Law will organize a Symposium and the Booklaunch of the Centre's 2014 research programme "Women's Human Rights and the Elimination of Discrimination= Les droits des femmes et l'élimination de la discrimination".
The Charter of the United Nations, signed in 1945, was the first international agreement to affirm the principle of equality between women and men. Since then, the UN has helped create a historic legacy of internationally-agreed strategies, standards, programmes and goals to advance the status of women worldwide. The empowerment of women continues to be a central feature of the UN's efforts to address social, economic and political challenges across the globe. International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities
International Women's Day 2017 theme : “Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030”
The world of work is changing, and with significant implications for women. On one hand, we have globalization, technological and digital revolution and the opportunities they bring, and on the other hand, the growing informality of labour, unstable livelihoods and incomes, new fiscal and trade policies and environmental impacts—all of which must be addressed in the context of women’s economic empowerment. The idea of this theme is to consider how to accelerate the 2030 Agenda, building momentum for the effective implementation of the new Sustainable Development Goals, especially goal number 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; and number 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning. The theme will also focus on new commitments under UN Women’s Step It Up initiative, and other existing commitments on gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s human rights. Some key targets of the 2030 Agenda are:
- By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and Goal-4 effective learning outcomes
- By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education.
- End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
- Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
- Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
The Hague Academy's Symposium and Booklaunch on 8 March 2017
Celebrating International Women's Day, the Hague Academy of International Law will organize on 8 March a Symposium and Booklaunch: Women's Human Rights and the Elimination of Discrimination= Les droits des femmes et l'élimination de la discrimination. This book is the result of the 2014 Centre's research programme on the Rights of Women and Elimination of Discrimination and the main focus will be on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the key international agreement on women's human rights. In this book and volume, 17 scholars approach women’s human rights globally, regionally and nationally, combining the perspectives of public and private international law in a unique manner. Comprehensive legal, culture-based and theoretical overviews are combined with analyses of topical issues, such as unbalanced sex-ratios, intercountry adoption, women as refugees or as “surrogate mothers”, violence against women and cross-border enforcement of protection orders. The two Directors of Studies of the research programme for 2014 are, Maarit Jänterä-Jareborg, Professor at Uppsala University and Member of the Hague Academy Curatorium, for the English-speaking section and Hélène Tigroudja, Professor at Aix-Marseille University, for the French-speaking section.
The book and contributions
- Jänterä-Jareborg, M., Women's Human Rights : International Law in the Intersections between Socioeconomic Conditions, Culture, Tradition and Religion, p. 3-98.
- Tigroudja, H., Droits des femmes et non-discrimination : de l'affirmation des obligations internationales de l'État à un droit à l'autoprotection, p. 99-150.
- Cairns, C., The Costs of (Partial) Inclusion : the Evolution, Limits and Biases of the Principal Feminist Challenges to International Law, p. 153-181.
- Henn, E.V., Gender Injustice, Discrimination and the CEDAW : A Women's Life Course Perspective, p. 183-215.
- Korsakoff, A., Femmes et droit international des réfugiés : la définition du refugié renouvelée, p. 217-264
- Ben Saad, S., Charia et droits des femmes : approche comparée, p. 267-297.
- Rivera Maldonado, A., Les stratégies de (auto)protection des droits des femmes face à la pauvreté : analyse du droit international des droits humains, p. 299-354.
- Fortas, A., Droit international économique et genre, p. 355-389.
- Mustasaari, S., CEDAW and the Riddle of Diversity : Can Culture, Traditions or Religion Justify Economic Inequalities Embedded in Family Laws, p. 391-420.
- Raad, N., La lutte internationale contre les stéréotypes de genre et la "culture de discrimination, p. 421-464.
- Möller, L., Improving Women's Rights through Children's Rights? The Reform of Custody Laws in Contemporary Muslim Jurisdictions, p. 465-489.
- Azari, H. L'interdiction de la violence à l'égard des femmes en temps de conflits armés : quel régime de responsabilité internationale?, p. 493-513.
- Vaige, L., Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Orders Aimed to Protect Women against Domestic Violence, p. 515-553.
- Napoli, C., Le droit des femmes à la santé, p. 555-599.
- Bassan, S., Can Human Rights Protect Surrogate Women in the Cross-Border Market?, p. 601-640.
- Ferrão, R., Rights of Women and Imbalance in Sex Ratio in India, p. 641-668.
- Zhang, M., Gender Aspects of Inter-country Child Adoption, p. 669-700.
- Cameron, E.A.M. and E. Vanneste, Women's human rights and the elimination of discrimination : selected bibliography, 2014 = Les droits des femmes et l' élimination de la discrimination : bibliographie sélective, 2014, p. 701-771.
Symposium “Women’s Human Rights and The Elimination of Discrimination”
- 17:00 – Welcome address by Professor Jean-Marc Thouvenin, Secretary-General of The Hague Academy of International Law
- 17:10 – Speech by Ms. Saskia Bruines (Deputy-Mayor for Knowledge Economy, International Affairs, Youth and Education, Municipality of The Hague
- 17:25 – The Istanbul Convention and its implications in the Netherlands, by Ms. Renée Römkens, Professor at the University of Amsterdam
- 17:40 – Women’s progress and legal instruments: The Southern African experience, by H.E. Sanji Monageng, Judge at the International Criminal Court
- 17:55 – Presentation of the book by the editors: Professor Maarit Jänterä-Jareborg, Uppsala University and Professor Hélène Tigroudja, Aix-Marseille University
- 18:15 Panel discussion: Empowering Women
Moderator: Professor Yves Daudet, President of the Curatorium of The Hague Academy of International Law Speakers: dr. Liesbeth Lijnzaad (Legal Adviser, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Professor Nico Schrijver (Leiden University), dr. Elisabeth Wesseling-van Gent (Advocate General, Court of Cassation of the Netherlands) and Ms. Ann Wilkens (Former Ambassador of Sweden)
- Banda, F., Women's Rights and Religious Law : Domestic and International Perspectives, London ; New York, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2016.
- Campbell, M., Women's Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women : Unlocking the Potential of the Optional Protocol, in Nordic Journal of Human Rights, 34 (2016), No. 4, pp. 247-271.
- Campbell, M. and G. Swenson, "Legal Pluralism and Women's Rights after Conflict: The Role of CEDAW", in Columbia Human Rights Law Review, 48 92016), No. 1, pp. 112-146.
- Flaherty, M., Gender and Peacebuilding : All Hands Required, Lanham, Boulder, New York, London, Lexington Books, 2015.
- Fredman, S., Women and Poverty : a Human Rights Approach, in African Journal of International and Comparative Law = Revue africaine de droit international et compare´, 24 (2016), No. 4, pp. 494-517.
- Freeman, M., and C. Chinkin (eds.), The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women: a Commentary, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2012.
- Hellum, A. and H. Aasen, Women's Human Rights : CEDAW in International, Regional, and National Law, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2013.
- Holtmaat, R., Naber, J., Women's Human Rights and Culture : from Deadlock to Dialogue, Cambridge, Intersentia, 2011.
- Kouvo, S. and Z. Pearson (eds.), Gender and International Law, London, Routledge, 2014, 4 vols.
- McEvoy, K., Transitional Justice, IV: Transitional Justice Actors, London, New York, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2017.
- Jänterä-Jareborg, M. and H. Tigroudja (eds.), Women's Human Rights and the Elimination of Discrimination = Les droits des femmes et l'élimination de la discrimination, Académie de droit international de La Haye, Leiden, Brill, Nijhoff, 2016.
- Schöpp-Schilling, H.B. and C. Flinterman (eds.), The Circle of Empowerment : Twenty-five Years of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, New York, NY, Feminist Press, 2007.
- Shivdas, M., and S. Coleman (eds.), Without Prejudice : CEDAW and the Determination of Women's Rights in a Legal and Cultural Context, London, Commonwealth Secretariat, 2010.
- Westendorp, I., The Women's Convention Turned 30 : Achievements, Setbacks, and Prospects, Cambridge, Intersentia, 2012.