Human Rights

Human Rights Council Sixth Session, Integrating a Gender Perspective in the work of the Human Rights Council, Item 8

Thursday 20 September

New Zealand and Norway welcome this opportunity to focus on the importance of mainstreaming a gender perspective in the Human Rights Council’s work and institutions. Such integration will support the full implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
This entails addressing human rights violations as they affect women and men, girls and boys. Recent evaluations of both bilateral donors and multilateral agencies (such as UNDP, ILO) show that gender mainstreaming must run along two tracks, both specifically addressing the under-represented gender and visibly integrating a gender dimension into all activities, procedures and processes. Gender mainstreaming needs to be properly resourced and backed by strong leadership.
As a new organisation, we have a chance to ensure a gender perspective is included in our work from the outset. It is important that the Human Rights Council addresses the rights of women and girls directly, but equally the Council must ensure that gender issues are considered across all of its work, including the Universal Periodic Review, the new and revised mandates, the working groups, and the work of the Council’s Advisory Committee.

New Zealand and Norway commend the majority of Special Rapporteurs who already integrate gender perspectives into their respective mandates, and encourage them to continue this important work, and others to follow their examples. A gender perspective should be evident in the work of all Special Procedures not only those which deal primarily with women’s rights.
In particular New Zealand and Norway welcome the attention given to gender in the recent work of the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and also the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living.
We would welcome any comments the Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing or Children in Armed Conflict may wish to make about the practical implications of integrating a gender perspective in their work. For example, during field visits, have they found it easy to meet with both women and men and with people who are able to provide a gender perspective on the mandate? Or else, how can they gain improved access to groups or persons who may be able to provide a gender perspective during field visits?

New Zealand and Norway welcome discussion on how gender issues can be reflected in the Universal Periodic Review. The challenge for states undergoing the review will be to ensure their reports integrate a gender perspective. This could be done for example in the preparation of the report by:

• Consulting with those NGOs and interest groups active in addressing gender issues, including groups working on issues relevant to girls and boys;
• Using sex-disaggregated data, which is helpful in identifying gender issues across country reporting;
• Including a paragraph in the ‘normative framework section’ indicating efforts the State has made to ensure women are represented in decision-making positions (executive), judiciary and legislative areas;
• Including references throughout the rest of the report to indicate how domestic policies and programmes described take into account the differential effects on women, girls, men and boys.

States participating in the UPR review dialogue could ask the State under review a question about the integration of a gender perspective, which would provide an opportunity to exchange views and comment on best practices, or to identify policies and programmes in the State’s report that may benefit from a gender perspective.

We would welcome any comments our panellists could provide on how States and the Council might better tackle human rights violations specifically affecting women and girls, and integrate a gender perspective in the UPR process.

A third area where we think it is important to consider the integration of a gender perspective is in the Council’s resolutions. For example, States tabling an initiative could first consider how the subject matter of the resolution reflects the different manners in which the issue affects men and women, boys and girls.

Can the panel provide practical advice as to how a State tabling an initiative, on any subject matter, could go about identifying the differential effects of the issue on women, girls, men and boys, from a methodological point of view?

New Zealand and Norway thank the panellists in advance for their comments and responses to these questions. We reiterate our view that the mainstreaming of a gender perspective should remain at the forefront of our work in the Council, as mandated by the General Assembly (GA resolution 61/145).

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