CEDAW and the Pursuit of Gender Equality: Evolution, Impact, and the Groundbreaking General Recommendation No. 40 on the Equal and Inclusive Representation of Women in Decision-Making Systems

This presentation traces the origins, evolution, and impact of the CEDAW Convention, established to confront persistent and systemic discrimination against women. It highlights the transformative General Recommendation No. 40 (2024) on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems, illustrating how gender parity is both a right and a governance tool essential for building just, resilient, and inclusive societies.

Speaker:

Céline Georgi is a jurist specialising in international law, with a focus on women’s human rights and gender equality. Since 2013, Céline has worked with the United Nations, with a focus on women’s human rights at both the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UN Women.

At OHCHR, Céline has contributed significantly to the Human Rights Treaties Branch, supporting various treaty bodies, especially the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Her work with CEDAW has included supporting country reviews, inquiry procedures, and general recommendations — such as general recommendation No. 35 on the elimination of gender-based violence against women, updating general recommendation No. 19 and, most recently, general recommendation No. 40 on women’s equal and inclusive representation in decision-making systems.

We invite you to register on this link.

This lecture is part of the Gender Lecture Series 2025 - The Building Blocks of Gender Studies: Practical Pathways to Equality, co-organised by Prof. Elisa Fornalé (World Trade Institute, University of Bern) and Dr Federica Cristani (Institute of International Relations Prague), HRJust Intersect Observatory Co-directors.

This lecture series builds on the Gender Lecture Series 2024 on The Building Blocks of Gender Studies:
Foundational Concepts to Navigate a Complex Field of Study with a special focus on practical
implications of gender studies in some of key areas like gender-based violence, intersectional
inequalities, climate justice and gender approach to climate studies, the involvement of civil society in
gender studies, as well as the implications of the landmark CEDAW General Recommendation No. 40.
In this sense, the two Gender Lecture Series complement each other, offering a broad set of tools for
navigating the complexity of gender studies.

The full programme and the recordings of the lectures are available at the HRJust Intersect Observatory website.