Watch the Webinar here.
On April 24, 2025, the GQUAL Campaign and the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) co-hosted a powerful webinar spotlighting the newly launched GQUAL Toolkit, an interactive resource designed to demystify the selection processes for international decision-making bodies. The session brought together advocates, judges, and legal professionals worldwide to explore how transparency, access to information, and systemic reform can create pathways for more women, mainly from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, to occupy leadership positions in global governance.
Maria Leoni, GQUAL Campaign Director, opened the event by outlining the Toolkit’s purpose: to serve as a step-by-step guide to the appointment procedures of international human rights mechanisms such as the UN Special Procedures and the Inter-American Human Rights system. “Our goal is to make these processes more transparent and accessible,” she explained, “so women are informed and equipped to lead.”
The webinar featured an inspiring keynote conversation with Ms. Laura Nyirinkindi, Chair of the UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls. Drawing from her journey, Laura recounted the challenges she faced in navigating opaque application procedures and building the digital footprint required for consideration. Despite these hurdles, she emphasized the importance of mentoring, preparation, and proactive visibility. “If I could do it, so can many others,” she stated, encouraging more women to aspire to these roles confidently.
Laura highlighted key structural barriers: the voluntary and unpaid nature of mandate-holder roles, limited state outreach, and the lack of gender parity among nominating panels. Yet, she affirmed that once appointed, the UN system offers firm support and values the independence and expertise of women experts.
Throughout the session, sobering statistics were shared: 21 out of 54 international organizations have never been led by a woman, and seven UN Special Procedure mandates have never been held by women. While the proportion of women among Special Procedure mandate-holders has risen from 30% to 64% since GQUAL’s founding in 2015, parity in high-level judicial roles remains elusive, especially within political and state-controlled international courts.
The Toolkit aims to address this gap by offering clear, accessible information and actionable recommendations. Available in English and Spanish, it will soon expand to cover additional UN treaty bodies and regional mechanisms.
The event concluded with a call to action: legal professionals, especially members of the IAWJ, are encouraged to engage with the Toolkit, disseminate opportunities, and build support systems that ensure women can participate fully—and equally—in shaping the international legal order.