RES/20/6 Elimination of discrimination against women

GE.A/HRC/20/28. 2-15531

Human Rights Council Twentieth session

Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,

political, economic, social and cultural rights,

including the right to development

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council 

20/6.

Elimination of discrimination against women

The Human Rights Council,

Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,

Guided also by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,

Recalling the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted on 25 June 1993 by the World Conference on Human Rights, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted on 15 September 1995 by the Fourth World Conference on Women, and their review conferences in 2005 and 2010, the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted on 8 September 2001 by the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, and the outcome document of the Durban Review Conference, adopted on 24 April 2009,

Recalling also Commission on Human Rights resolutions 2000/13 of 17 April 2000, 2001/34 of 23 April 2001 and 2003/22 of 22 April 2003, and Human Rights Council resolutions 6/30 of 14 December 2007, on integrating the human rights of women throughout the United Nations system, and 12/17 of 2 October 2009 and 15/23 of 1 October 2010, on the elimination of discrimination against women,

Bearing in mind that international human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social

 The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of

the Council on its twentieth session (A/HRC/20/2), chap. I.

and Cultural Rights, prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender and include guarantees to ensure the enjoyment by women and men, and girls and boys, of their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights on a basis of equality,

Deeply concerned by the fact that women everywhere are still subject to significant disadvantage as the result of discriminatory laws and practices and that de jure and de facto equality has not been achieved in any country in the world,

Recognizing that women face multiple forms of discrimination,

Recognizing also that the full and equal participation of women in all spheres of life is essential for the full and complete economic, political and social development of a country,

Mindful of the fact that the elimination of discrimination against women requires the consideration of women’s specific socio-economic context, and recognizing that laws, policies, customs and traditions that restrict women’s equal access to full participation in

development processes and public and political life are discriminatory and may contribute to the feminization of poverty,

Mindful that women and girls account for more than half of the world population, that equal rights and opportunities are key in achieving sustainable economic, political and social development and lasting solutions to global challenges, and that gender equality benefits women, men, girls and boys in society as a whole,

Bearing in mind the challenges still faced by all countries throughout the world to overcome inequality between men and women,

Reiterating the need to intensify efforts to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women throughout the world,

Acknowledging the work undertaken by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, the Commission on the Status of Women, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the special procedures mandate holders of the Human Rights Council on violence against women, its causes and consequences, on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and on contemporary forms of slavery, and other relevant United Nations bodies, agencies and mechanisms to eliminate discrimination in law and in practice throughout the world, and noting the work undertaken by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the issue,

Considering that periods of political transition provide a unique opportunity to advance women’s equal participation and representation in economic, political and social spheres,

1. Acknowledges the initial work undertaken by the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice, and takes note of its first report;1

2. Recognizes the constructive approach of the Working Group and calls upon it, in the discharge of its mandate, to maintain such an approach and dialogue with States to address the elimination of discrimination against women in law and in practice in all spheres from the perspective of States’ obligations under international human rights law, taking into account the good practices that have been transformative in different contexts and in the light of the different realities that women face;

3. Welcomes the thematic priorities identified by the Working Group, namely, political and public life, economic and social life, family and cultural life, and health and safety;

4. Requests the Working Group to give special attention, in the discharge of its mandate, to the importance of the right to education as key to the empowerment of women and girls in all spheres as well as for ensuring equality and non-discrimination;

5. Also requests the Working Group, in the discharge of its mandate, to dedicate specific attention to good practices that have contributed to mobilizing society as a whole, including men and boys, in the elimination of discrimination against women;

6. Further requests the Working Group, in the discharge of its mandate, to offer support to States’ initiatives to address multiple forms of discrimination against women when implementing their obligations as State parties to relevant international human rights treaties with regard to civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, and related commitments where applicable;

7. Affirms that supporting the empowerment of women in all spheres is necessary to bring about equality;

8. Emphasizes the significant role that women play in economic development and in the eradication of poverty, and stresses the need to promote equal pay for equal work or work of equal value, to promote the recognition of the value of women’s unremunerated work, as well as to develop and promote policies that facilitate the reconciliation of employment and family responsibilities;

9. Calls upon States to ensure full representation and full and equal participation of women in political, social and economic decision-making as an essential condition for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and a critical factor in the eradication of poverty;

10. Calls upon all States to cooperate with and assist the Working Group in its task, to supply all necessary available information requested by it and to give serious consideration to responding favourably to its requests to visit their country to enable it to fulfil its mandate effectively;

11. Invites relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, treaty bodies and civil society actors, including non-governmental organizations, as well as the private sector, to cooperate fully with the Working Group in the fulfilment of its mandate;

12. Decides to continue consideration of this question in conformity with the annual programme of work of the Human Rights Council.

31st meeting

5 July 2012

[Adopted without a vote.]