Government of Sweden pledges USD 9.6 million to enhance women’s access to justice in Asia Pacific
Date:
[Press release]
Bangkok, Thailand — The Government of Sweden has committed USD 9.6 million to UN Women’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific to carry out a five-year project aimed at enhancing access to justice for women in Asia and the Pacific. The project “Enhancing Access to Justice for Women in Asia and the Pacific: Bridging the gap between formal and informal systems through women’s empowerment” will be carried out jointly with Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). It will have a specific focus on Indonesia, Philippines, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and the Pacific Island countries.
The agreement was signed on 8 May, by UN Women Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Ms. Anna-Karin Jatfors, and Ms. Anne-Charlotte Malm, Counsellor Head of Regional Development Cooperation in Asia and the Pacific.
“Across the Asia-Pacific region, laws that are explicitly discriminatory towards women, as well as gaps in legal frameworks and biased legal interpretations, continue to hold back progress on gender equality,” said Ms. Jatfors. “Together with our partners, we look forward to collectively confronting these issues to expand the rule of law and ensure equal access to justice for all.”
Emphasizing the Government of Sweden’s strong commitment to advancing gender equality and women’s rights in the region, Ms. Malm of Sweden said “Access to justice for women is crucial to improve women’s human rights and assure accountability for violations of those rights. The justice sector actors play a key role in securing alignment to international human rights standards, ending impunity and in bringing justice to women. They are also important in seeking to influence gender-responsive policy development and in changing social norms where there are discriminatory gaps. Sweden is looking forward to this exciting and constructive collaboration among the three partners: UN Women, ICJ and OHCHR.”
The programme will work to ensure that domestic laws and court decisions are consistent with international human rights standards, that gender discriminatory attitudes and biases by justice providers are addressed, and that grassroots women’s organizations are empowered and well-positioned to facilitate women’s access to justice in the region.
For more information
Gaelle Demolis
Governance, Peace and Security Programme Specialist
UN Women
Email: gaelle.demolis@unwomen.org