Summary
Women should enjoy equality with men before the law.
Obligations
Election Parts
Issues
Criteria
- Female candidates participated in the electoral process on an equal basis with men
- The state took steps to ensure de facto equality between men and women
- Citizenship rules did not discriminate directly or indirectly against women
- The legal framework for elections included guarantees of equality before the law
- The legal framework for elections included guarantees of equality before the law for men and women
Quotes
- State Parties acknowledge the need to eliminate discrimination against girls and young women according to obligations stipulated in various international, regional and national human rights conventions and instruments designed to protect and promote women's rights. In this regard, they shall: (...) b) Ensure that girls and young women are able to participate actively, equally and effectively with boys at all levels of social, educational, economic, political, cultural, civil life and leadership, as well as scientific endeavours.
- Women and men are equal before the law and shall have the right to equal protection and benefit of the law.
- Every person shall have the right of access to public property and services in strict equality of all persons before the law.
- The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to ensure the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all civil and political rights set forth in the present Covenant.
- All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law.
- Equality between men and women must be ensured in all areas.
- Everyone is equal before the law.
- The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to ensure the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all economic, social and cultural rights set forth in the present Covenant.
- State Parties shall implement this Charter in accordance with the following principles: 5. Promotion of gender equality in public and private institutions.
- All shall be equal before the law and shall be entitled, without any discrimination, to equal protection before the law.
- All persons are equal before the law. Consequently, they are entitled, without discrimination, to equal protection of the law.
- Each State Party to the present covenant undertakes : (a) to ensure that any person whose rights or freedoms are herein recognized as violated shall have an effective remedy, notwithstanding that the violation has been committed by persons acting in an official capacity.
- State Parties shall protect the right to equality before the law and equal protection by the law as a fundamental precondition for a just and democratic society.
- States Parties shall accord to women equality with men before the law.
- Every woman has the right to the recognition, enjoyment, exercise and protection of all human rights and freedoms embodied in regional and international human rights instruments. These rights include, among others: …f.The right to equal protection before the law and of the law.
- States Parties shall combat all forms of discrimination against women through appropriate legislative, institutional and other measures. In this regard they shall: (a) include in their national constitutions and other legislative instruments, if not already done, the principle of equality between women and men and ensure its effective application.
- While article 2 limits the scope of the rights to be protected against discrimination to those provided for in the Covenant, article 26 does not specify such limitations. That is to say, article 26 provides that all persons are equal before the law and are entitled to equal protection of the law without discrimination, and that the law shall guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any of the enumerated grounds. In the view of the Committee, article 26 does not merely duplicate the guarantee already provided for in article 2 but provides in itself an autonomous right. It prohibits discrimination in law or in fact in any field regulated and protected by public authorities. Article 26 is therefore concerned with the obligations imposed on States parties in regard to their legislation and the application thereof. Thus, when legislation is adopted by a State party, it must comply with the requirement of article 26 that its content should not be discriminatory. In other words, the application of the principle of non-discrimination contained in article 26 is not limited to those rights which are provided for in the Covenant.
- The right to equality before the courts and tribunals and to a fair trial is a key element of human rights protection and serves as a procedural means to safeguard the rule of law.
- The marginalisation of women remains real despite the progress of recent years. We will, therefore, work with renewed vigour to ensure gender equality and ensure their full and effective integration of women in political and socioeconomic development.
- At the beginning of the new century and millennium, we reaffirm our commitment to the promotion of democracy and its core values in our respective countries. In particular, we undertake to work with renewed determination to enforce the equality of all citizens before the law and the liberty of the individual.
- [Member states should] protect and promote the equal civil and political rights of women and men, including running for office and freedom of association.
- [Participating States] will...comply with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), if they are parties, and, if they have not already done so, consider ratifying or acceding to this Convention; States that have ratified or acceded to this Convention with reservations will consider withdrawing them.
- Effectively implement the obligations in international instruments to which they are parties and take appropriate measures to implement the United Nations Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women (FLS).
- Having reaffirmed the principles to which the Commonwealth is committed, and reviewed the problems and challenges which the world, and the Commonwealth as part of it, face, we pledge the Commonwealth and our countries to work with renewed vigour, concentrating especially in the following areas: ...equality for women, so that they may exercise their full and equal rights.
- They stress the importance of ensuring equal rights of men and women; accordingly, they agree to take all actions necessary to promote equally effective participation of men and women in political, economic, social and cultural life.
- The full and equal exercise by women of their human rights is essential to achieve a more peaceful, prosperous and democratic OSCE area. We are committed to making equality between men and women an integral part of our policies, both at the level of our States and within the Organization.
- We accept it as a binding obligation to ensure that women have every opportunity to contribute on terms of full equality to political and socio-economic development in all our countries.
- [Participating States] will... affirm that it is their goal to achieve not only de jure but de facto equality of opportunity between men and women and to promote effective measures to that end.
- States shall promote the full and equal participation of women in the political structures of their countries as a fundamental element in the promotion and exercise of a democratic culture.
- [Consider] signing and ratifying or acceding to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other core international human rights treaties.
- The participating States confirm their determination to ensure equal rights of men and women. Accordingly, they will take all measures necessary, including legislative measures, to promote equally effective participation of men and women in political, economic, social and cultural life. They will consider the possibility of acceding to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, if they have not yet done so.
- All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
- Every person who has the right of suffrage must be allowed to exercise his/her suffrage right in a nondiscriminatory manner on the basis of equal treatment before the law.
- Other international declarations and treaties provide for the equal enjoyment of women of these rights, and outlaw discrimination on the basis of race.
- Women and men have an equal right to participate in all aspects of public life. An election cannot fully comply with international standards unless women, as well as men, can fully enjoy all their political rights.
- There is broad agreement that women’s representation should be increased in democratic institutions. The electoral system may affect the structure of opportunities for women’s representation. There is some empirical evidence, for example, that women are generally better represented under proportional representation list systems than, for example, in plurality or majority systems in single-member constituencies. Usually closed lists are preferable to open list voting systems.