COMMUNITY

In October 2024, the CEDAW Committee adopted General Recommendation No. 40 (GR40), clarifying what States’ obligations under CEDAW require for women’s equal and inclusive representation in decision-making. Its central message is clear: 50:50 parity between women and men, in all their diversity, with equal access and equal power.

Two years on, GQUAL is launching a month-long campaign and collaborating with partners to explore this framework, share how it is being used, and connect those working to put it into practice. We begin with its essential ideas and resources that show its potential across different institutions and agendas.

Four ideas to understand GR40

• Parity is a permanent standard. GR40 defines equality in representation as 50:50 parity. It treats parity as an enduring legal principle and feature of governance, supported by permanent measures and, where needed, temporary special measures to accelerate equality.
• Equal representation means equal power. Access to a position must come with the ability to shape agendas, equal conditions to exercise authority and influence decisions. This requires dismantling structural barriers and addressing the intersecting forms of discrimination that exclude women in all their diversity.
• International decision-making is central. Building on Article 8 of CEDAW, GR40 sets out measures for parity in diplomacy, international delegations, multilateral institutions and international courts and human rights bodies. Calls for transparent and parity-based and nomination and selection procedures and on data to track progress and keep institutions accountable. 

Implementation requires institutional change. GR40 provides a common framework for reforming laws and practices, mobilizing resources, monitoring progress and demanding accountability. States, institutions and civil society each have a role in advancing that work.

Overall, gender parity is an international obligation. 

Read GR40

Explore its potential for international representation

• The vision behind GR40. Revisit our conversation with Former CEDAW Member Nicole Ameline, who chaired its drafting group, on the shift GR40 represents and its potential to transform women’s participation in decision-making. Watch the interview.
• The legal foundations of equal international representation. GQUAL’s Co-Founder, Claudia Martin examined Article 8 of CEDAW and the Committee’s reporting practices, exploring how this treaty obligation can be used to advance women’s equal participation in international organizations and decision-making bodies. Explore the research. 
• A framework across agendas. Our symposium with Opinio Juris brings together perspectives from over XX experts on how GR40 can advance parity in international justice, peace operations, climate governance, the selection of the next UN Secretary General, trade, investment arbitration and foreign policy. The contributions connect its legal framework to specific opportunities for change. Explore the symposium.

Tools for putting parity into practice

Colleagues are developing practical resources that draw on GR40 and build on longstanding work for equality:

• Legislative reform in the Americas. The Inter-American Commission of Women’s Model Law on Parity draws explicitly on GR40 and offers a framework for reform, including parity in diplomacy and transparent, parity-based nominations to international bodies. Explore CIM’s Model Law.
• A roadmap for political institutions. OSCE/ODIHR’s Gender Parity Roadmap sets out seven steps to help governments, parliaments and political parties advance equal and meaningful representation. Explore the roadmap.
• Parliamentary action. The Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Plan of action for gender parity in parliaments brings a parliamentary perspective to GR40, connecting equal representation with equal power and inclusive parliamentary cultures. Explore the IPU plan.

These tools show how a shared standard can inform concrete reforms. Their value will also depend on how they are used, implemented and sustained.

The conversation continues

Over the coming month, GQUAL and allies will share experiences, examine emerging progress and discuss the challenges ahead. What is GR40 helping change? Where does exclusion persist? Which reforms should come next?

We invite you to contribute your own examples, resources and reflections. Join the campaign, tag GQUAL and use #GR40 to connect our work and strengthen collective action for equal power.