CSW70 side event: Gender equality laws: An accelerator for equal participation and gender-responsive governance

This side event will examine how gender equality laws can accelerate equal participation and gender-responsive governance when they create enforceable duties that change decision-making in practice. Gender equality laws can shape access and participation, how policies and budgets are developed, and how results are monitored.

The discussion will focus on three design features that help laws deliver: representation obligations for elected and appointed bodies at national and local levels; legally grounded gender mainstreaming duties across the policy and budget cycle (e.g., gender impact assessment, inclusive consultations, gender-responsive budgeting, gender audits); and accountability mechanisms (clear mandates, monitoring and reporting duties, sex-disaggregated data requirements, and accessible remedies).

Albania’s new Law on Gender Equality will serve as a practical anchor, including its requirement that no gender holds less than 30% of positions and its longer-term goal of approaching 50% representation. The event will draw additional lessons from practice across the OSCE region.

This side event aims to

• Identify legal solutions that accelerate equal representation and the enforcement features that make them effective;
• Explore how laws can embed gender-responsive governance across policy-making and budgeting through clear duties, mandates, reporting and data requirements; and
• Distil implementation lessons on what enables laws to deliver results, including co-ordination, capacity, monitoring, remedies and accountability.

Registration

No registration is needed, but seating is limited to 96 participants.

Target audience: Member State delegations, parliamentarians, human rights organizations, women’s rights groups and academia.

For further information, please contact Saša Gavrić (ODIHR) — Sasa.Gavric@odihr.pl.