The right to equal participation in decision making is a fundamental human right enshrined in international law, including in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic Social, and Cultural Rights, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. In its General Recommendation 40 (GR40) issued in October 2024, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (the CEDAW Committee) made it clear that this right applies to international judiciaries. GR40 notes that despite the fundamental nature of this right, States do not enforce it. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is one such example. In the almost 80 years of the court, only 5.22% of its permanent judges have been women, the rest men, and no data is known regarding other genders. Justice systems should reflect the diversity of the societies they serve, and the ICJ is no exception. Known as the ‘World Court’, the historical and ongoing overrepresentation of one gender on its bench demonstrates its lack of representativeness.
This panel discussion will focus on the need for gender parity on the ICJ bench from a human rights lens with a special focus on the right to equal participation in decision making and in the international judiciary. Panelists will discuss the causes and consequences of women’s absence from the ICJ bench and assess barriers to ICJ judicial gender parity and how to overcome them. The discussion will address gender-based discrimination and gendered barriers to the fulfillment of other human rights that may impede the effective exercise of judicial participation rights for women. One year on from GR40, and one year away from the November 2026 ICJ judicial election, it is time to turn the recommendation into reality.
Moderators:
Jessica Corsi, Senior Lecturer in Law at The City Law School and a founding faculty member at City’s interdisciplinary Violence and Society Centre
Milena Sterio, James A. Thomas Distinguished Professor of Law at Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and Managing Director at the PILPG
Speakers:
J. Jarpa Dawuni, Full Professor of Political Science at Howard University
Margaret M. deGuzman, Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Institute for International Law and Public Policy at Temple University Beasley School of Law
Claudia Martin, Professorial Lecturer in Residence and Co-Director of the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Valerie Oosterveld, Professor at Western Law and Western Research Chair in International Criminal Justice
Registration is closed.
The ABILA webinar on the Rule of Law in International Relations will consider the nature, value, purpose, and effectiveness of the rule of law in international affairs. Too often, proponents of the international rule of law assume or assert its content and value without considering or offering convincing arguments to support their assertions. This webinar will seek to articulate a more coherent and persuasive basis for the concept and authority of the rule of law in international affairs. The International Law Association declares as its purpose furthering “international understanding and respect for international law”. Panelists will consider what this requires in practice.
Speakers:
Margaret M. deGuzman, Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Institute for International Law and Public Policy at Temple University Beasley School of Law
Mortimer Sellers, Regents Professor of the University System of Maryland and Director of the University of Baltimore Center for International and Comparative Law
Gregory Shaffer, Scott K Ginsburg Professor of International Law at Georgetown Law
Ioanna Tourkochoriti, Associate Professor of Law and Associate Director of the Center for International and Comparative Law at the University of Baltimore
Registration is closed.
With all eyes on the World Court, the overrepresentation of one gender on its bench is more visible than ever. Currently, 4 of the 15 permanent ICJ judges are women. This is a historic high in the ICJ’s almost 80-year history, and stands in contrast to the gender equal judiciaries achieved at other international courts. Equality on judicial benches matters. Key goals like access to justice, fairness, and the legitimacy of courts require gender-equal judicial benches. Judicial identity shapes judicial approaches to law-making. Women’s equal participation in judiciaries comprises part of the right to participation in politics and public life, essential to achieving the SDGs by 2030. Beyond the gender binary, the equality of all people requires judiciaries to be inclusive of gender diverse persons. Civil society has been calling for gender equality on the ICJ bench for years, but progress has been slow. With the next ICJ judicial elections taking place in November 2026, this webinar will offer reflections on what can be done over the next two years to finally achieve a gender equal ICJ bench.
Registration is closed.