COMMUNITY

International justice institutions shape global norms, accountability frameworks, and the rule of law. Yet women remain significantly underrepresented in senior decision-making roles across international courts, UN treaty bodies, and other International Law bodies and mechanisms.

The report Voices from the Bench: Women Shaping International Justice, launched in March 2026 by GQUAL and UN Women, provides qualitative and institutional evidence that women’s participation in international justice is not only a matter of equality, but one of legitimacy, institutional credibility, and quality of decision-making.

Drawing on interviews with 23 women serving across international and regional systems — including the International Criminal Court, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, UN Treaty Bodies, regional human rights courts, and UN Special Procedures — the report demonstrates that: 1) Women remain underrepresented in key international judicial bodies; 2) parity requires concerted action by States during nomination and election processes; 3) women’s participation has measurably strengthened jurisprudence, institutional culture, and gender-sensitive interpretation of international law; and that 4) intersectionality must be central to parity efforts to avoid “elite parity”.

Women shaping international Justice in The Hague

As home to major international courts, The Hague provides a symbolically and politically powerful setting to convene a discussion around a forward-looking agenda that embeds gender parity and gender competency as a structural standard in international justice.  This discussion is especially timely in a year that will see key judicial elections at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), International Criminal Court (ICC), the Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and the election of the International Law Commission (ICL) in 2027.

To further this discussion, on 21 May 2026 the GQUAL Campaign, together with the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), the Gender Champions of The Hague, and the Government of Canada held a high level event to: 1)present key findings of the report; 2) Reaffirm States’ legal obligations under international treaties and CEDAW General Recommendation No. 40 to ensure 50:50 parity in international decision-making; 3) Highlight good practices in nomination and election processes, including through transparent, national nomination and voting procedures that take gender parity and gender competency into account; 4)Position The Hague as a hub for gender-equal international justice leadership.

The event convened a panel of eminent international jurists and a State representative, and was attended by numerous State representatives, staff from the international courts and organizations headquartered in The Hague, colleagues from civil society, and academia.

The discussion was introduced by Fabricio Guariglia, Director of the Hague Office at IDLO, and Alejandra Vicente from GQUAL’s Secretariat. The panel was moderated by Alix Vuillemin, Executive Director of Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice.

The discussion

Asked about the impact of women judges at the ICJ and the importance of gender parity at the Court, ICJ Judge Hilary Charlesworth noted that the question shouldn’t be whether women will have a positive or negative impact:  the presence of women in international courts should be considered a matter of legal obligation. Indeed, Judge Charlesworth referred to CEDAW’s new General Recommendation 40, which addresses international courts and tribunals minimally, but clearly establishes parity as 50:50 representation between men and women.

Judge Charlesworth also remarked that, in her observation, women judges are interested in procedural rules, perhaps because this is a concrete way to achieve equality of access to judicial institutions. Judge Charlesworth noted that at the ICJ, she was involved in the revision of the Court’s rules of procedure to use inclusive language. Even if the Court’s Statute is harder to change, there is now a commitment to inclusive language throughout the rules.

Asked about the role of women judges and prosecutors and their impact in the field of accountability for international crimes, Michelle Jarvis, Executive Director of the Gender Justice Practitioner Hub, remarked that when women are absent from investigative spaces, the quality of justice delivered to victims suffers; women in these roles help ensure high-quality outcomes for those the process is meant to serve. Much of what is lost happens behind the scenes.

Michelle Jarvis gave a few examples, including the role of female judges in stopping proceedings in the Akayesu case to ask the prosecutor to consider whether to add rape charges after victims testified about rape which was not alleged in the indictment, eventually leading to one of the most emblematic cases on rape as a form of genocide  in international criminal law.

Michelle Jarvis recalled being tasked with researching rape as a potential form of genocide and how controversial it was at the time to interpret genocide through a gender lens because that had never been done before. The Akayesu case has set precedents that better reflect the reality of conflict for women and girls.

Former ICC and ASP President, Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, also referred to the work of individual judges in advancing international criminal law. The Lubanga case is an example: inspired by Akayesu, where a female judge attempted to expand the charges to include gender-based violence. While she did not succeed (the appeals chamber reversed on procedural grounds), the move established an important precedent by putting the court on notice regarding gender issues. Later, the first female ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, consolidated the cultural shift, with significant practical impact on subsequent cases.

The conversation continued with current ICC Vice-President, Judge Alapini-Gansou. She noted that Women’s issues are human issues — framing them otherwise treats women as incomplete participants. Judge Alapini-Gansou remarked how the Rome Statute requires that State parties vote considering gender balance representation and to ensure judges have gender competence. This has resulted in the ICC currently having 11 women on the bench; the goal is for this standard to apply equally across all international institutions.

Ambassador Hugh Adsett from Canada, was asked about Canada’s policies that have led to the country having gender parity in international positions. Ambassador Adsett noted that gender equality is a central pillar of Canadian foreign policy; it requires intentionality and system-wide coordination.

Ambassador Adsett explained that legitimacy matters: judicial bodies are seen as more legitimate when their composition reflects the societies they serve. Gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) is used across the Canadian government to identify systemic barriers when appointing or nominating candidates for international roles.

The pipeline also matters: Ambassador Adsett noted that only 10 of all ILC members are women; the ILC is a significant pathway to the ICJ and other bodies, so investments must be made earlier in careers.

He noted that multilateral backlash has been significant; the response must be to redouble efforts, not merely hold the line.

Asked about the practical barriers that still prevent women from accessing international positions, Judge Charlesworth pointed to the disparities that exist among countries in the level of resources they are able to devote to campaigning for a specific candidate. Judge Charlesworth suggested that a fund could be established to support candidates from Africa and other under-resourced regions; without the ability to meet and build relationships at the UN, candidates cannot compete — this is a concrete, solvable problem, in her view.

On the ICJ climate change advisory opinion, Judge Charlesworth noted that the voices of women from the Pacific — who initiated the case — were not prominent in the advisory opinion itself; intersectionality must be treated as central, not optional.

Asked about the need to address gendered structures in accountability processes and institutions, Michelle Jarvis referred to the work of the UN Syria mechanism (IIIM), as a good case study. The IIIM promoted from the outset an institutional commitment to gender equality. Implementing that goal required sustained commitment from leadership, constant messaging, and willingness to withstand internal resistance.

Michelle Jarvis noted a persistent challenge: each new UN mandate risks starting from scratch on building an equitable culture and the risk of regression is ever present.

Asked about the importance of professional networks for women to support each other, former ICC and ASP President, Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, noted how men have long built effective professional alliances that advance each other’s careers; women need to do the same, particularly given that they continue to occupy fewer positions of authority.

This means both mentoring women into roles and supporting them in performing effectively once there.

When she served as ICC President, Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi reached out directly to female leaders of the Lebanon Tribunal and the Kosovo Special Chambers to build those connections. She also worked with a network of female legal advisors, hosting a mentoring program — national and international engagement of this kind is essential.

Asked about what States could do ahead of the key judicial elections that are upcoming in 2026 and 2027, Ambassador Adsett mentioned the need for multilateral commitments and the need to perhaps encourage parity pledges in some cases. Multilateral commitments can be leveraged to frame parity as a shared, objective goal rather than a political one. Ambassador Adsett also remarked that merit-based, transparent processes produce the most legitimate and highest-quality candidates, and are the most defensible. Finally, referring to the upcoming election of the next UN Secretary General, Ambassador Adsett noted the election as a concrete opportunity, where regional groups could consider gender in the deliberations and candidate support.

In keeping with the rationale behind our new publication, Voices from the Bench, the discussion certainly showed the impact of gender parity in ensuring strong and efficient international judicial institutions. It also explored existing obstacles for women to access these spaces, and potential solutions. In a year of consequential elections in key international judicial institutions, the discussion compelled those in the audience and beyond to work together towards a more inclusive international justice model, for the benefit of all.