Statement by the Director-General, Ms Jan Beagle
Excellencies,
Distinguished Colleagues and friends,
It is a pleasure to be part of this panel. I am grateful to Thailand, the ASEAN Secretariat and UN Women for bringing us all together for this critical discussion. I would particularly like to thank UN Women for their longstanding partnership with IDLO.
Congratulations on the launch of the 2024 ASEAN Gender Outlook and for your leadership in building the evidence base on gender equality. We know the importance of good disaggregated data and the way our lack of it is often an obstacle to progress.
The report shows that ASEAN has made considerable progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment in many areas. There is much to learn from this experience. But, as in other regions, there remains a significant gender justice gap.
And, it is unfortunate that gender data and data on access to justice is often not readily available. There are only two references to justice institutions in the Outlook and they reveal a lack of trust in these institutions and belief that they may not make a difference in women’s lives.
At IDLO, reducing the justice gap for women and girls is central to our mission.
Let me share four areas where we believe that reforms are urgently needed.
First, we must identify and eliminate discriminatory laws against women and girls which persist in all countries. Based on current data, it will take us 300 years to reach legal equality for women and girls. We need to address the cultural stereotypes and outdated social norms that undermine much current legislation.
We must prioritize legal reforms in line with international human rights standards. Good laws require effective implementation. Too often the laws on the books are not the laws on the street. We must invest in accessible gender-responsive institutions that can drive change.
In the Philippines, IDLO partnered with UN Women and the Philippine Commission on Women, to conduct a comprehensive review of 51 Philippine laws, and proposed reforms to eliminate discriminatory provisions that affect various aspects of women’s lives -including on nationality, education, employment, marriage, economic and social benefits, and protection from violence.
This legal review informed the Philippines Women’s Priority Legislative Agenda, as well as trainings on how to be a gender-responsive legislator. The report has become the pilot for similar work being undertaken by IDLO, with UN Women and our national partners, in Kenya, Sierra Leone and Mali.
Second, we need to accelerate efforts to combat gender-based violence.
We know it is prevalent in all societies and often not reported.
The Outlook highlights that women victims of violence, particularly those with limited education or married early, are less likely to seek help from authorities.
IDLO developed a report on Survivor-Centered Justice for Gender-Based Violence in Complex Situations, with primary data and research from six countries (Afghanistan, Honduras, Papua New Guinea, South Sudan, Tunisia and the Philippines), which highlights obstacles and good practices to accessing justice in situations of conflict, organized crime, climate disasters, and health emergencies.
With the adoption of the Global Digital Compact, we are also reminded of the urgent need to address gender-based violence that occurs online or is amplified by technology, including strengthening the legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks.
Third, we must intensify efforts to address the intersection of climate change, gender equality, and the rule of law. Climate change is not gender-neutral. As your Outlook shows, women and girls are disproportionately affected, including by livelihood loss, food insecurity, and gender-based violence. And despite being on the frontlines, women continue to be excluded from climate-related decision making.
As a leader of the Generation Equality Action Coalition on Feminist Action for Climate Justice, we welcome the ASEAN Gender Outlook’s attention to this intersection, noting that only a few countries in the region currently prioritize gender issues in their climate policies.
IDLO is supporting countries to do this. The findings of the Philippines' legal assessment were presented in a multi-stakeholder conference with representatives from government, civil society, women community leaders, academia, and development partners discuss ways to craft better laws, policies and interventions on gender and climate. As part of this work, we are developing a curriculum for law schools on gender and climate.
We are also working on a training curricula for judges across the ASEAN region to enhance their capacity to adjudicate complex environmental issues with a human rights and gender-responsive lens.
And we need to ensure the participation of women in international climate negotiations. The appointment of an all male 28 member organizing committee for COP29, until the intervention of women advocates, shows that there is much left to do.
Finally, we need more women in the justice sector, in both formal and informal systems.
Women's participation brings a diversity of experience that helps ground the administration of justice in lived reality. IDLO supports capacity building for women at all levels - judges, legal professionals, women in law enforcement, and adjudicators in customary and informal justice systems.
And yet, women’s work in justice systems, especially at the local levels, is often unrecognized and undervalued. IDLO has recently launched a research report on Women’s Participation and Leadership in Customary and Informal Justice Systems, with case studies from various countries including Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, to spotlight ways women contribute to these systems in various ways: as justice providers, administrators and changemakers.
IDLO looks forward to continuing to partner with all of you to make our equality commitment a reality.