‘Avoid gender tokenism to achieve
substantive equality’, say UN business and human rights experts
GENEVA (26 June 2019) - A group of
United Nations experts* have urged governments and businesses to take
transformative measures to eliminate discrimination against women and girls and
achieve substantive gender equality in the context of business-related activities.
In a new report to the UN’s Human Rights Council, the experts propose a gender
framework and guidance which all states and businesses should consider in
implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
“In all world regions, women and
girls not only experience adverse impacts of business activities differently
and disproportionally but also face additional barriers in seeking effective
remedies to redress such impacts,” said the Chair of the Working Group on
Business and Human Rights, Surya Deva. “However, both states and businesses are
mostly ignoring these gender-differentiated impacts. This must change in favour
of a gender-responsive approach.”
The experts highlighted
business-related challenges faced by women: they are underrepresented in senior
management positions and are impacted more by climate change. Women handle most
care work, face pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination, and experience
sexual harassment in all spheres of life. Marketing of products and services
perpetuates gender stereotypes and objectifies women’s bodies. Women human
rights defenders face additional risks in challenging business-related human
rights abuses. New technologies might also impact women and girls more
adversely.
“While there are some positive
developments in mainstreaming gender in the business and human rights field,
Governments and business enterprises must go beyond ‘gender tokenism’ and take
concrete measures to ensure systematic changes to discriminatory power structures,
social norms and hostile environments that are barriers to equal enjoyment of
human rights by women and girls in all spheres.”
The report by the Working Group –
which has a mandate to promote the dissemination and implementation of the UN
Guiding Principles – provides specific gender guidance for each of the 31
Principles. The report also lists steps that governments and businesses should
take to integrate a gender perspective in implementing their respective human
rights obligations and responsibilities under the Guiding Principles.
The Working Group report emphasises
that governments and business should ensure meaningful participation of women
and women’s organisations in their efforts to accomplish an equal enjoyment of
human rights by women and girls.
“States and businesses should also
recognise that women and girls are not a homogenous group, as they suffer from
intersecting and multiple forms of discrimination,” Deva said.
“Addressing discrimination against
women and girls in a business context is not only an integral part of States’
obligations under international human rights law, it is also imperative in the
context of the 2030 Agenda and its commitment to leave no one behind. Moreover,
businesses cannot respect human rights of women and girls unless they
contribute to achieving substantive gender equality.”
The UN Working Group’s report
follows a two-year engagement process with a range of stakeholders around the
world. The Working Group is also compiling good practice examples of how States
and businesses are addressing gender discrimination in the business and human
rights field.
ENDS
* The UN Working Group on human rights andtransnational corporations and other business enterprises (known as the Working
Group on Business and Human Rights) was established by the UN Human Rights
Council in June 2011 to promote worldwide dissemination and implementation of
the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Working Group is
composed of five independent experts, of balanced geographical representation.
Its current members are: Mr. Surya Deva (Chairperson), Ms. Elżbieta Karska
(Vice-Chairperson), Mr. Githu Muigai, Mr. Dante Pesce, and Ms. Anita
Ramasastry.
The UN Guiding Principles on Business andHuman Rights, unanimously endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011
(resolution 17/4), provide the authoritative global standard for action to
safeguard human rights in a business context, clarifying what is expected by
governments and companies to prevent and address impacts on human rights
arising from business activity.
The Working Group and Special Rapporteurs are
part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council.
Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human
Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and
monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or
thematic issues in all parts of the world.
For further information and media requests,
please write to wg-business@ohchr.org.
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@UN_SPExperts @UNHumanRights
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