COMMUNITY

Women continue to be underrepresented in international human rights leadership, largely due to opaque and complex selection processes that create barriers to entry. While the right to equal representation is widely recognized, gender parity remains an afterthought rather than a requirement in most appointment procedures. The lack of clear, accessible information on these processes disproportionately affects women—especially those from the Global South and other underrepresented groups—limiting their ability to navigate, advocate, and compete for these crucial roles.

At GQUAL, we believe that knowledge is power. That’s why we created the GQUAL Toolkit—a practical, user-friendly resource designed to demystify selection processes, highlight existing barriers, and provide actionable insights for advocacy and institutional reform.

The current version includes a step-by-step breakdown of the appointment processes for the United Nations Special Procedures, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights—with more selection procedures to be added soon.

Why Does the GQUAL Toolkit Matter?

1. Breaking Down Barriers to Transparency

One of the biggest obstacles to gender parity in international bodies is the lack of transparency in selection procedures. Many people simply do not know how appointments are made, what the rules are, or which criteria matter. The GQUAL Toolkit brings clarity by mapping out the rules, steps, and key actors involved in these processes. By making this information accessible, we aim to empower more women to aspire to, prepare for, and pursue leadership roles in human rights institutions.

2. Making Gender Equality Standards More Accessible

While gender parity is often overlooked, there are guidelines, international standards, and best practices that promote gender-balanced representation. The GQUAL Toolkit compiles these frameworks, making them easier to find, understand, and use as advocacy tools to push for fairer selection processes.

3. Turning Barriers into Opportunities for Change

Understanding the challenges is the first step toward dismantling them. The GQUAL Toolkit not only identifies the structural and procedural barriers that hinder women’s access to international human rights bodies but also highlights opportunities for reform. It equips advocates, policymakers, and civil society actors with the knowledge needed to push for transparent, inclusive, and equitable selection processes.

4. Strengthening Representation for Women from the Global South and Underrepresented Groups

Diversity matters. Yet women from the Global South and historically underrepresented groups remain significantly underrepresented in key decision-making spaces. The GQUAL Toolkit serves as a comprehensive, centralized resource, through which we hope to make information more easily accessible to a wider and more diverse group of women than those more usually accessing these spaces. To reach a wider and more diverse group of women, the toolkit is currently available in Spanish and English, with more translations coming soon.

The Path Forward

Change is possible—but only if we work together to make it happen. By increasing awareness, accessibility, and discussion around selection processes, we can break down barriers and advance gender parity in international decision-making spaces.

Explore the GQUAL Toolkit and help us share it! Together, we can make international human rights leadership more inclusive, transparent, and equitable.