Themes

[Gustavo Prieto works for the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) and is Senior Fellow and Lecturer at the Law Faculty of Ghent University, Belgium] Blockchain technology, with its decentralized and global reach, is transforming how rules, authority, and accountability are understood. Far from being confined to cryptocurrency payments, blockchain is rapidly shaping key arenas such as digital identities, supply chains, and the...

[Valeria Ruiz-Perez is a Research Associate at the Centre for Applied Human Rights (University of York) and a Visiting Fellow at LSE Law School. She is a main researcher of the Rethinking accountability from the bottom: Setting a research agenda on traditional grassroots justice mechanisms (TGJMs) project.  Piergiuseppe Parisi is a lecturer in international human rights law at the Centre for...

[Jorge Peniche is an international lawyer specializing in transitional justice and accountability, with a focus on emerging settings. He is the Associate in Mexico at G37 Centre and an Associate Professor at Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico), where he teaches on transitional justice, organized crime and security. He holds a Master of Laws from New York University.] Preludium: “I Want Consequences…” “I want consequences,”...

[Ben Grama is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Human Rights Centre of Ghent University. He is part of the inter-institutional multidisciplinary iBOF project “Future-proofing human rights: Developing thicker forms of accountability”, a collaboration between the Universities of Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, and Hasselt. His work focuses on devising a thick conception of accountability drawing on the overall research findings of...

[María Noel Leoni is Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) and Director and Founding Member of GQUAL’s Secretariat  Alejandra Vicente is Head of Law at REDRESS and Founding Member of GQUAL’s Secretariat] This symposium has brought together experts from key international fields to foster reflections on the transformative potential of CEDAW’s General Recommendation 40, which calls for the...

The adoption of General Recommendation 40 by the CEDAW Committee in October 2024 represents a significant milestone in the push for greater representation of women in international decision-making spaces.   This post will focus on an area that General Recommendation 40 will have an impact: the leadership of women from the Asian region in international justice and accountability. This long-overdue discussion is...

[Alejandra Mora is Executive Secretary of the CIM Jurist, feminist, researcher, Costa Rican politician, and women’s rights activist Marta Martínez is a political scientist and CIM Specialist since 2011, specializing in democracy and parity] General Recommendation No. 40 (GR40) is a crucial tool in today’s challenging and evolving landscape. The advancements in AI, digital economies, and circular green economies, alongside the challenges...

[Claudia Fuentes Julio (PhD, International Relations) is the Ambassador of Chile to the United Nations and Other International Organisations in Geneva  Solange Dufourcq del Canto is a Lawyer, Chilean Diplomat, Gender Focal Point at the Permanent Mission of Chile to the United Nations and Other International Organisations in Geneva] The General Recommendation No. 40 of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against...

[Leticia Born is Associate Director of Programs for Latin America/Global at Co-Impact and holds a Master’s in International Development Studies from the University of Amsterdam with a focus on gender] Close your eyes and picture this: you are a Black Brazilian woman, standing center stage as you receive your law degree from a reputable university. You hold your breath when you...

[Mairée Uran Bidegain is an independent arbitrator and recognized expert in international investment law and dispute resolution] The adoption of CEDAW’s General Recommendation 40 on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems (“GR40” or the “Recommendation”) marks a transformative step toward gender parity in international governance and adjudicatory bodies. Rooted in the principles of the Convention on the...

[Anoush der Boghossian is the Head of the Trade and Gender Office in the World Trade Organization (WTO). She is also the Founder and Chair of the WTO Gender Research Hub, recognized trainer and researcher on trade policy and gender equality.] What is leadership? Is it about influence and impact? Is it about efficiency and power? Or is it something else?  Leadership...

[Mamta Borgoyary is an Executive Director at SHE Changes Climate] I believe that 2025 will mark the beginning of a paradigm shift in social transformation, guiding us towards a world that is rooted in justice, compassion and equity. The adoption of the  General Recommendation 40 (GR40) by CEDAW, represents a pivotal step toward elevating women’s participation in historically underrepresented critical spaces,...