Director-General/Executive Director
Dear Minister Zadić,
Ambassador Bhatia,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you, Minister Zadić, for being with us for the second year in a row to celebrate this important day, and welcome to the many inspiring women in the justice sector also joining us here and online. It is indeed a pleasure to have you all.
The theme of our event today, Equality for Justice, speaks to an essential truth and goal of our work at UNODC, and of this international day: we strive for gender representation across the spectrum of justice, and to promote more gender-responsive justice systems, because more equal justice is better justice, for everyone, leaving no one behind.
As we reflect on gender equality and representation in justice, UNODC data from 2019 indicates that, globally, women hold on average 45.9 per cent of presidencies in lower courts.
But the higher they progress, the lower this number falls, with women representing only 18.6 per cent of positions in higher courts.
In the developing world, too, the glass ceiling is still very difficult to break through. Africa, for example, counts only six women Chief Justices in the entire continent.
So, although women are entering the legal profession, and may even account for the majority of students in law schools, too few are reaching senior posts.
From lower courthouses to Supreme Courts, more women must wield the gavel of justice to ensure justice for all.
Greater representation enhances the legitimacy of courts, signalling that they are open and accessible to all those who seek recourse to justice.
More broadly, we need to see more women working in criminal justice systems across the world.
And it all starts with girls’ education.
In schools and universities, we need to teach girls that they can accomplish their dreams and reach any position they wish to reach, including a career path in the justice sector.
We need to break down barriers and dispel stereotypes surrounding women’s jobs in general and particularly in the judiciary.
This also requires international support and the sharing of best practices. By investing in women’s advancement and justice leaders, we can help ensure that all members of society are treated fairly and equally before the law.
Women in leadership contribute to greater accountability and reinforce transparency, which can break cycles of corruption.
Be it in the justice sector, the private sector, or elsewhere, diversity and inclusion enrich all institutions.
By bringing different perspectives and experiences, women improve the quality of justice across the board.
They can point to biases and gender stereotypes in rulings and laws, ensuring fairer and greater justice for all.
Inclusion and equal representation matter always and everywhere. While they are a goal in themselves, they also serve to improve the quality of decision-making.
We need a wider skillset in the judiciary, but this requires political and societal support to change misperceptions about the representation of women and girls in the judiciary.
Dear Excellencies,
Gender equality is both possible and necessary.
Last year, I launched the second UNOV/UNODC Strategy for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, with an enhanced focus on research and gender as well as male engagement on gender equality issues.
I am also proud to say that we have achieved gender parity in our workforce in both UNODC and UNOV at all levels. While we have come a long way here in Vienna, the challenge now is to reach underrepresented areas.
The UNODC Gender Strategy aims to assist countries in improving gender balance in all sectors related to our mandate, including in the criminal justice sector, particularly in developing countries.
Through our global programmes, UNODC is also providing capacity building and supporting gender representation in law enforcement, as greater inclusion oftentimes builds trust, contributes to victim-centred responses, and overall leads to more successful operations.
In 2021, we trained for the first time a group of female police officers in Pakistan, where women constitute only 1.5 per cent of the entire police force.
Last year in Mexico, we trained over 17,500 police officers and first responders on the prevention, detection, and referral of cases of violence against women and girls.
To support greater justice for all we also need to build networks that connect judges around the world.
UNODC’s Global Judicial Integrity Network connects over 4,000 judges and gives them the resources to strengthen judicial integrity and tackle corruption in justice.
As we mark the second International Day of Women Judges, let us continue to celebrate champions of gender equality for a more equal, representative, and inclusive justice sector for all.
On that note, I would like to introduce Minister Alma Zadić - a renowned lawyer and politician, an inspiring role model, and the youngest Justice Minister in Austrian history, including the first one with migrant roots. Dr. Zadić, the floor is yours.