Crisis Prevention and Recovery

Concluding Statement, Gender Justice Conference

Kathleen Cravero, Assistant Administrator and Director, Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, UNDP

21 Novemmber, Accra, Ghana

On behalf of the United Nations Development Programme, I would like to thank Her Ladyship, Chief Justice Georgina Wood, and the Judiciary of Ghana for hosting the Gender Conference in Accra this week.

I would like to thank all the participants for their contributions and for taking the time to attend. I would also like to thank those with whom we have organized this conference, including the Partners for Gender Justice, the International Legal Aid Consortium and the International Association of Women Judges and Brandeis University.

I am disappointed at not being able to participate in this conference in person. I have been receiving continuous updates from my colleagues and know that you have had three days of dynamic and inspiring discussions.

I understand that you have not only focused on the challenges and obstacles you face, but that you have also highlighted the light and hope that is represented in your wealth of expertise, experience and determination to act. It is truly a remarkable achievement to have so many committed and inspiring women and men judges meeting together in Accra.

Rape of women and girls has been on top of your agenda. As judges you have a powerful opportunity to bring an end to impunity and hold the perpetrators accountable. You can help end practices of forced marriage, sexual slavery, domestic violence and harmful traditions, and inspire others to follow suit.

To this end, it is critical that we work to change the attitudes of all actors and institutions involved: the police, the lawyers, the prosecutors. And, we too have to work together to establish partnerships across the board with civil society, NGOs, government actors, the United Nations, and the survivors of such atrocities. Only through partnership – an overriding theme of the last three days - can we truly make a lasting impact.

This work is of particular importance in countries where protracted conflicts have shattered the justice system, and where the rule of law has been replaced by impunity and the rule of violence and intimidation.

Women and girls bear an unequal burden of violence and hardship in times of crisis. During conflicts and disasters, levels of violence against women in both the public and private spheres tend to soar. Rape and other forms of gender-based violence have become institutionalized as tools of warfare, and cultures of violence in the domestic sphere continue long after conflicts have ceased.

As has been emphasized during the past three days, women often find it more difficult than men to access the justice system. This may be a result of discriminatory norms and practices within the justice sector and society as a whole, or of inadequate training and awareness of actors within the justice sector. It may also be because women are less aware of their rights under the law, or that the crimes and threats to which they are exposed are not prioritised by law enforcement actors.

Gender justice is a key priority in UNDP’s Global Programme on Rule of Law in conflict and post-conflict countries. Under the leadership of national actors and institutions, we assist in developing independent judiciaries, ensuring impartiality and fairness of judges, improving legal literacy, supporting legal aid clinics, empowering lawyers, prosecutors and judges, and civil society and survivors.

UNDP has also launched an Eight-Point Agenda for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality in Crisis Prevention and Recovery that seeks to realize women’s rights in post-crisis situations, emphasizing women’s participation and leadership. This agenda seeks to end sexual violence, improve the security of women in crisis, enable their access to justice, address discrimination that prevents them from claiming land and property, and transform social norms that exclude them from the recovery and peacebuilding process.

As Chair of UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict, I see UN agencies and departments across the UN system uniting their efforts to end sexual violence during and in the aftermath of armed conflict.

UN Action builds upon existing inter-agency structures and was created in direct response to the “Calls to Action” of the June 2006 Symposium on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond. The Secretary-General has endorsed UN Action as “a critical joint UN system-wide initiative to guide advocacy, knowledge building, resource mobilization, and joint programming around sexual violence in conflict”.

The Partners for Gender Justice Initiative is another example of joint effort. It was launched in 2004 as an informal partnership of government actors, United Nations actors, NGOs, international and regional organizations, as well as academic institutions. Our common goal is to promote equality in the justice sector. I am very proud that UNDP has been welcomed as a partner.

This Conference, which brings together representatives from over 25 African judiciaries, is evidence of what this partnership can do. During the past three days, we have seen the value of collaboration and experience sharing across national borders.

This conference also shows that African judiciaries have strong and committed leaders, who are willing and capable of leading processes for change. In UNDP’s view, such leadership is a sine qua non for sustainable progress. Yet, it can’t stop here.

Gender justice is not just about the formality of the law. It is about attitudes and the spirit of the law.

My hope, and indeed my expectation, is that the legacy of this conference will be an ever closer collaboration, and an ever stronger commitment to this spirit, and thus to gender justice.

Under your guidance, let me assure you that UNDP stands ready to assist you in this effort.

Delegates, thank you for allowing me to make these brief remarks. Let me close by expressing my hope that this meeting will increase our commitment, strengthen our resolve and improve our action to make gender justice real across the globe.

Thank you.