You are here

Home › English

English

Mobilizing Institutional, Legal and Cultural Resources to Achieve Gender Equality

The central role of girls and women in the development of families, communities and nations has been clearly established: women are the first educators of the next generation; their education has a tremendous impact on the family’s physical, social and economic well-being; their economic participation increases productivity and drives economic progress; their presence in public life has been associated with better governance and lower levels of corruption. No country, however, has yet achieved a full measure of gender equality.

Situation of the Baha'is in Egypt

As the purpose of item 4 is to address human rights situations that require the attention of the Human Rights Council, the Baha'i International Community would like to evoke the unacceptable situation of the Baha'is in Egypt.

Integrating gender perspectives into the work of the Human Rights Council

First of all, the Baha'i International Community would like to commend the Council for organizing this discussion and for looking at targeted initiatives to ensure that the gender perspective is systematically integrated into its work. We congratulate the distinguished panelists for their excellent presentation and look forward to the debate that is being initiated here and will no doubt continue beyond this session.

Initiatives for the Global Dialogue for Promotion of a Culture of Tolerance and Peace based on Respect for Human Rights and Religious Diversity

The Baha'i International Community welcomes the invitation of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to put forward its contributions with regards to initiatives that promote a culture of peace based on respect for human rights and religious diversity.

Situation of the Baha'i minority in Egypt

In April last year, an Egyptian Administrative Court adopted a landmark ruling in favour of Baha'i plaintiffs, upholding their right to obtain identity cards that did not misrepresent their religious affiliation. It ordered the Civil Registry to issue new documents that properly identified them as Baha'is, citing precedents and Islamic jurisprudence that allow for the right of non-Muslims to live in Muslim lands “without any of them being forced to change what they believe in.”

Situation of the Baha'is in Iran

Just about a year ago, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief released a statement to express her grave concern about a letter that had been sent by the Command Headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Ministry of Information, the Revolutionary Guard, the Police and the Army, among others – instructing them to identify people who adhere to the Baha'i Faith and to monitor their activities. The letter had been prepared under the guidance of the Iranian Supreme Leader.

Transforming Values to Empower the Girl Child

Declaration

The Baha'i International Community welcomes the consideration of  “the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child” as the priority theme of the 51st session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

We also welcome the Secretary General’s Study on Violence Against Children, which we hope will bring attention to this critical issue and facilitate strategizing at all levels of society.

Full Employment and Decent Work

The Baha'i International Community is pleased with the Commission’s focus this year on “Full Employment and Decent Work for All”, and we noted with appreciation the interventions of the various Member-States, the Under-Secretary General, the International Labor Organization, and Non-governmental Organizations.

Although, the Baha'i International Community will not speak to specific policy recommendations to add to the already rich pool of suggestions, we would like to make a comment on the framework in which work is addressed.

Beyond Legal Reforms: Culture and Capacity in the Eradication of Violence Against Women and Girls

By many measures, the status of women and girls has improved significantly over the last 50 years. They have achieved higher rates of literacy and education, increased their per capita income, and risen to prominent roles in professional and political spheres. Moreover, extensive local, national and global networks of women have succeeded in putting women's concerns on the global agenda and catalyzed the creation of legal and institutional mechanisms to address these concerns.

Pages

Subscribe to English
-A +A