The United Nations
Entity for Gender
Equality and the
Empowerment of
Women (UN Women)
Background Guide Topic:

Developing a Cohesive System to Promote Gender Parity

Director’s Note
Dear Delegates,
It is with sincere pleasure to welcome you to the Japan Metropolitan Model United
Nations World Conference on Women! My name is Shiori Kurokawa and I will serve as the
director of the Advanced committee for the duration of this conference.
As a highschool delegate I understand that this conference is rather a challenging one,with aspiring delegates from all around the world. During the conference there may be times
when you may feel overwhelmed by their expertise; however, I can assure you that they feel thesame way about you. Even after four years of MUN experience, I still feel pressured at big
conferences, and that hasn’t changed since my first one, which was Global Classrooms
International Model United Nations 2019. I can still recall the feeling of tension in the large
conference room, and I would say that I was rather nervous than excited. In spite of that, I
reminded myself that it was all about experience—what’s the whole point of participating if I
don’t have fun, right? With all the courage I had, I started talking to people during mini breaks,
making as many friends as possible. By lunch I already had a group of new friends. These newly
made friends were the key to a successful conference. As we cooperated with each other, mydelegation succeeded in delivering speeches, writing resolutions, and eventually receiving
Honorable Mention! If I hadn’t challenged myself to socialize and interact with others, I
wouldn’t have been able to achieve this reward. Thus, although as scary as it may sound, I
strongly suggest that you break the ice, make friends and get out there to have some fun!
Over the course of two days this committee will be debating on the topic of women’s
justice and empowerment, which I assume all of us are somewhat familiar with. Nevertheless, I
am eager to see your active participation and deep understanding of this issue, as well as someheated debates amongst delegates. Although our committee is held online, we are all looking
forward to seeing you! Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Shiori Kurokawa
Director of The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
Senzoku Gakuen Model United Nations Club1

Japan Metropolitan Model United Nations

Dear Delegates,
Welcome to the World Conference on Women at Japan Metropolitan Model United
Nations 2023! My name is Yuri Ikeda and I am beyond pleased to be your director for this Marchconference.
Despite recent advancement of technology and complication of the transitive society, ourworld remains far from progressed regarding women empowerment. Women and girls are often
being denied justice, protection, and support, facing barriers in their careers and daily lives. We
cannot afford to wait another few centuries for women to gain equal rights as men; in order tobreak down such an unjust environment surrounding women, nations must work jointly todevelop international measures, while at the same time focusing on women’s conditions andevaluating effective methods to achieve gender parity within each nation.
Through this conference, I hope delegates will envision and discuss with each othersolutions and plans to develop a sustainable system to support women over the world, and willfurther acquire problem-solving skills and negotiation skills, which are essential in thisuntransparent and globalized world.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or inquires about theconference or this background guide. I look forward to seeing you in March!
Sincerely,
Yuri Ikeda
Director of The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
Senzoku Gakuen Model United Nations ClubJapan Metropolitan Model United Nation2

Introduction of theCommittee
The first World Conference on Women washeld in Mexico in 1975, marking the firstmajor international conference dedicated toformulating a plan of action to address
issues women face around the globe. Amongthe many objectives identified in the World
Plan of Action was that necessary resources
should be dedicated to ensure theparticipation of women in political life, as
well as a call to eliminate violations ofhuman rights committed against women.
This includes violations such as rape,
prostitution, child marriage, forced
marriage, and marriage as a commercial
transaction.1 The conference itself was notwithout controversy and challenges.
Delegates from different global regions
attended the sessions with widely different
worldviews. In addition to divergent levelsof conservatism into what constituted
women’s rights, there were disparities alongcultural lines between “First World” and“Third World” nations. So-called “Third
World” nations perceived their counterparts
as having overlooked post-colonial issues

1

UN General Assembly, World Conference of theInternational Women’s Year, 15 December 1975,
A/RES/3520

that underlie many gender questions.2 In
addition, women from socialist countries
present at Mexico City were keen to stresscapitalistic exploitation as a cause of
women’s suffering and frame theiremancipation through the lens of grassroot
activism.3 For their part, the United Statesand other Western countries feared the
instrumental politicization of women’sissues for anti-Western purposes.4 Many ofthe prevailing geopolitical tensions wererepresented in the issue of gender equality.
Nevertheless, the conference marked amajor step towards global action against
gender discrimination and the problems
women faced, establishing the United
Nations Decade for Women, and later
holding the second and third World
Conferences on Women in Copenhagen in
1980 and Nairobi in 1985. In 1995, theFourth World Conference on Women washeld in Beijing with more than 50,000
participants, making it the largest conferencein the history of the United Nations. The
conference drew 5,000 delegates from 189
2

Valladares, G., 2020. The 1975 Mexico City World
Conference on Women | Origins. [online]
3
Bonfiglioli, Chiara. (2016). The first UN worldconference on women (1975) as a cold war encounter:
Recovering anti-imperialist, non-aligned and socialist
genealogies.
4
Ghodsee, Kristen (2014), “Research note: The
historiographical challenges of exploring Second World –Third World alliances in the international women’s
movement”, Global Social Policy, 14 (2): 244-264

3

countries in order to create the Platform for
Action (PFA); the central document thatcatalogued the actions to eliminate
discrimination against women. The PFA isconsidered an improvement on previous
efforts to put action into writing, making
strong statements on human rights andrecognizing that women sharedecision-making power at every level ofsociety. The Beijing Conference was seen as
an ambitious project, drawing resistancefrom conservative nations who werealerted to the possibility that internationallaw would interfere with the domestic
policies of their nations.5 Despite
reactionary resistance, the conference wasable to secure an agreement to advancehuman rights in twelve critical areas. For the
purposes of our conference committee, thefollowing summary will focus on primaryareas of concern, although delegates areencouraged to read the entire PFA.
The platform lists lack of income, healthservices, education, and housing as causes
and effects of poverty, contributing to thelack of participation in political decision

making.6 Further strategic suggestions
featured in the PFA include revisingadministrative practices to give women
access to economic resources, fullparticipation of women in educational policy
and decision-making – including career
education programs – and the promotion ofcooperation within households between thegenders. Also included are provisions
related to the right to reproductive health,control over sexuality, and the removal ofstructures hostile to women. Women mustalso participate to the same extent inbusiness-related policy making, and ininstitutions, trade relations, and industry 8.
Since the Beijing Conference, the PLA has
been assessed by the UN Commission on the
Status of Women (CSW) every five years.
Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development
Goals stands as a commitment to the agenda.
In addition, since Beijing, newer forms ofgender-based discrimination has been
identified, including intimate partner
violence in 2019,7 and the absence ofconsent in rape cases. While the past 25
years have witnessed positive changes inwomen’s rights,

6

5Roberts, Barbara. “The Beijing Fourth World Conferenceon Women.” The Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers
Canadiens de Sociologie 21, no. 2 (1996): 237–44

Cook, Rebecca J. “Effectiveness of the Beijing
Conference Advancing International Law Regarding
Women.” Proceedings of the Annual Meeting (American
Society of International Law) 91 (1997): 310–17.
7
Dubravka Šimonovic, Intimate partner violence against
women is an essential factor in the determination of childcustody, say women’s rights experts. OHCHR May, 2019.

4

persistent and systemic problems continue tomanifest in the normalized cultures aroundthe world.8 Despite the best efforts of theUnited Nations and millions around theworld, significant work remains unfinished.

Key Terms
Gender Quotas
Political gender quotas are measures taken
by governments or parties designed toaccelerate women’s representation in thelegislature. International Institute for
Democracy and Electoral Assistance(International IDEA) categorizes gender
quota into three main types: reserved seats,
legal candidate quotas, and political party
quotas.9 Reserved seats are legal quotas
mandated in a country’s constitution or law
that allocate a certain number or percentageof parliamentary seats for women;10 In thiscase, the seats are reserved for women andother groups are ineligible to contest. On theother hand, the latter two clearly indicate aminimum for the proportion of women inchambers. The difference between the two is
8

Shreeves, Rosamund. Women’s Rights: 25-Year Reviewof the Beijing Platform for Action. European Parliament,
2021. Print.

that while legal candidate quotas are
specified in national constitution, laws, or in
the inner-party laws, political party quotas
have no legal responsibility, adopted
voluntarily by political parties. Countries
have adopted some kind of gender quotas asof, and there exist various successful cases
over the past few decades that resulted in theincrease of women’s presence in politics.
UN Women estimates that out of 27
countries that have achieved 40 percent ormore women in parliament, over two-thirdsof them have applied certain types of gender
quotas.11 However, not all countries agree tothe implementation of gender quotas,
arguing that quotas are against theperception of equality under law and liberal
democracy.
Femicide
Femicide is the deliberate murder of women.
The word ‘femicide’ is an umbrella term fordeeds such as intimate femicide, honor
killing, dowry related femicide, andnon-intimate femicide.12 Considering
together the definition of intentional
homicide provided in the The International

911https://www.idea.int/data-tools/data/gender-quotas/quotas#what

https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/leadership-and-political-participation/facts-and-figures#_edn1010

https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamen
tary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1
314/ElectoralQuotas#_Toc372193117

12“Femicide.” World Health Organization (WHO), 2012.
Accessed 26 December 2022.

5

Classification of Crime for Statistical
Purposes (ICCS), United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime (UNODC) suggests
defining Femicide with the following
characteristics:13
i. the killing of a woman by anotherperson (objective criterion);
ii. the intent of the perpetrator to killor seriously injure the victim (subjective
criterion);
iii. the unlawfulness of the killing(legal criterion);
iv. the gender-related motivation of
the killing
Intimate femicide
Intimate femicide is murder carried out by apresent or former husband or boyfriend. A
study conducted by the World HealthOrganization and the London School ofHygiene and Tropical Medicine showed that
more than 35 percent of worldwide murdersof women are reportedly committed by an
intimate partner.14
Dowry related femicide
A prominent cultural practice in India,
dowry is the amount of assets a woman’sparents give to a partner they see fit for their13

https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/
statistics/Statistical_framework_femicide_2022.pdf
14

Stöckl H et al. The global prevalence of intimate partner
homicide: a systematic review. (Forthcoming.)daughter.15 Dowry related femicide often
involves newly-wed women being murderedby in-laws on account of dowry-associateddisputes. According to India’s National
Crime Records Bureau16 (2016),
approximately 7,600 deaths were reported.
However, it is difficult to find exact numbers
as many go unreported.
Honor killing
Honor killing17 is the murder of a woman orgirl by male family members, typicallyjustified by claiming that the victim hasbrought dishonor upon the family. Victimsof honor killings are alleged to haveengaged in “sexually immoral” actions,which can vary from an open conversation
with unrelated men to having sex outside ofmarriage, that of which includes rape orsexual assault. A woman can be targeted forhonor killings with the mere suspicion that
she has damaged the family name. The
United Nations Office of the HighCommissioner of Human Rights estimates

15“DOWRY | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary.”
Cambridge Dictionary, 21 December 2022, Accessed 26
December 2022.
16“National Crime Records Bureau, India - NCRB |Data and Statistics - knoema.com.” Knoema, 2006,
Accessed 26 December 2022.
17"honor killing | sociology - Britannica." 8 Dec.
2022,
https://www.britannica.com/topic/honor-killing.
Accessed 27 Dec. 2022.

6

that as many as 5,000 women are victims ofhonor killing annually.18
Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights(SRHR)
Considered basic human rights, Sexual
Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) are
a combination of sexual health, sexual
rights, reproductive health and reproductive
rights. The 1994 International Conference
on Population and Development held in
Cairo, Egypt is considered to be the originof the modern SRHR movement.19

Current Situation
Women and Poverty: Focal Point on
Education and Economy
Women and girls are more likely to be thevictims of poverty. UN Women estimatesthat 388 million women and girls will live
under extreme poverty in 2022, compared to
372 million men and boys; in a high-damage
scenario, this number could reach 446

18"Gender-Related Killings of Women and Girls OHCHR."
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/I
ssues/Women/WRGS/OnePagers/Gender_motivated_killings.pdf. Accessed 27 Dec. 2022.
19"SRHR（セクシュアル・リプロダクティブ・ヘルス＆ライツ）とは." https://srhr.jp/srhr/. Accessed 27 Dec.
2022.

million.20 Few of the factors of feminizationof poverty are:- lack of access to education and job
training- lack of economic opportunities andautonomy such as economic
resources, including credit, landownership and inheritance- gender wage gap/ female
underrepresentation in high-wage
occupations- women’s disproportionate
responsibility for unpaid work
It should be noted that the situation womenface differs considerably from county tocountry. Although women experience ahigher rate of poverty in almost all
ethnicities, 83.7% of the world’s extremely
poor women and girls are concentrated in
Sub-Saharan Africa and Central andSouthern Asia. The regional female poverty
rate as of November 2022 were found to be
the following: 41.2 percent in the
Sub-Saharan Africa, 34.0 percent in
Oceania, 30.4 percent in Latin America and20

Poverty deepens for women and girls, according to latest
projections (2022) UN Women Data Hub. (Accessed:
December 24, 2022).

7

the Caribbean, 22.6 percent in Northern
Africa and Western Asia, 20.7 percent inCentral and Southern Asia, and 14.0 in
Europe and Northern America.
However, poverty is not an insurmountableissue, since it is estimated that 150 million
women and girls will be out of poverty by
2030 with government intervention andeffective policies, including investments ineconomics, enhancement of the educational
system, and protection of women.
There exists a reciprocal influence between
poverty and education; to put it differently,
ensurement of quality education isindispensable to break the negative cycle ofpoverty. Today, 49 percent of countries haveachieved gender parity in primary education;with regard to upper-secondary education,
the number plunges to 24 percent. In theworld, 15 million girls of primary-school
age will never even get the chance to learn
to read or write in primary school. The
causes of gender disparity – such as social
norms, child marriage, gender-based
violence, and household responsibilities –vary from country to country. Nevertheless,poverty is a major barrier that segregateschildren from education. Despite the factthat the number of out-of-school children at
primary and lower secondary levels has
nearly halved since 1995, 32 million girls of
primary age are still out of school. In termsof gender gap, while two-thirds of all thecountries have achieved equal primaryschool enrollment rate, completion rate
remains lower for girls, particularly in
low-income countries.21 Girls are more than
twice as likely to be unable to attend school
than boys, as there are 5.5 million more
out-of-school girls currently.
Women’s economic empowerment is also
vital to realizing women’s rights and gender
parity in the workplace is a paramount issue
that requires prompt attention andmeasurements. While 94% of men aged
25-54 were part of the global workforce in
2018, only 63% of women were, a rate
which has changed very little over the past
20 years. Furthermore, women make up a
disproportionate percentage of workers in
the informal sector, such as street vendors,
domestic workers, subsistence farmers, andseasonal agricultural workers. Working inthis informal, or “gray economy”, it is
impossible to receive social benefits such aspension, health insurance or paid sick leave.
UN Women indicates that 80% of theworld’s 67 million domestic workers are
women, with 90% of them lacking economic
protection. Because of this, COVID-19 has
also disproportionately affected women,
21

Poverty deepens for women and girls, according to latest
projections (2022) UN Women Data Hub. (Accessed:
December 24, 2022).

8

pushing 47 million women and girls into
extreme poverty. Women often face lack ofaccess to social protection or safety nets,
since they make up a large portion of
informal workers and smallholder producers
that have been hit the hardest by the
economic fallout of the COVID-19. The
pandemic is even said to have reversed theprogress made towards gender equality inthe last several decades.
Furthermore, gender pay gaps exist all over
the world, including most of the developed
countries. The International Labor
Organization (ILO) indicated in September
2022 that on average, women globally arepaid about 20 percent less than men.22 The
wage gap was approximately 37% in 2019
and the income gap remained close at 51%.23
Women in Power and Decision-Making
Women remain severely underrepresented inpolitics and leadership positions in every
region of the world. As of August 2022, 13
countries had a woman Head of State and 26
percent of all national parliamentarians werefemale, indicating a lack of equity in thenumber of men and women in national
governments. Although this proportion rosefrom 15.3 percent in 1995, at the current rateof progress, it is estimated that it will takeanother 140 years for women to be
represented equally in positions of power
and leadership in the workplace, and at least
40 years to achieve equal representation innational parliaments. In fact, only three
countries - Rwanda, Cuba, and United ArabEmirates - have achieved more than 50%
women in the chamber so far.24
There is a persistent lack of women in
leadership positions, with women
representing just 27% of all manager posts.25
The average of G20 countries and guest
countries stands below 30 percent, and noneof the countries with available data reaches
the SDG target of 50 percent of women insenior and middle management positions.
Even though most countries have madeprogress in increasing the proportion of
women in managerial positions over theyears, there are few countries where the rate
has decreased, such as France, which
experienced an 11% decline from 2010 to
2019.

22

International Equal Pay Day. United Nations. United
Nations. (Accessed: December 24, 2022)
23
Here's what we know about the 1 million women andchildren who have already fled Ukraine (no date) World
Economic Forum. (Accessed: December 24, 2022).

24

263 million children and youth are out of school (2017)
UNESCO UIS. (Accessed: December 24, 2022).
25
International Equal Pay Day (no date) United Nations.
United Nations. (Accessed: December 24, 2022).

9the rate of child marriage has declined from
one in four to one in five. However, 650
million women alive in the world today are
married before their 18th birthday. 27

Case Studies
Subtopic I: Women Economic
Barriers: Ukraine
Women and Health / Sexual Exploitationof Women
Access to healthcare and education in regard
to healthcare still remains a major obstacle,
especially in less privileged areas around theworld. 190 million women of reproductiveage (15 to 49) worldwide who wanted to
avoid pregnancy did not use any
contraceptive method in 2019. 26
Access to healthcare and the participation of
women in the economy are intrinsicallyinterlinked, with substantial evidence toback this up. Increasing access to things
such as family planning helps girls flourish
in their education, resulting in more womenin the workplace. Furthermore, by
preventing unwanted pregnancies, it
supports women’s labor force participation.
Child marriage also remains to be a serious
issue in developing countries. Since 1995,
26

Contraceptive Use by Method 2019. United Nations.
United Nations. (Accessed 13 February 2023.)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused apernicious damage to the economy of
Ukraine, as the Ukrainian central bankannounced that its economy will shrink byalmost 32% by the end of 2022.28 Nearlyfive million jobs have been lost in Ukraine
according to ILO, and as of July 2022, 61
percent of the registered unemployed in
Ukraine are women. With regard to its
history of women’s empowerment, Ukraine
has made considerable efforts to narrowgender gaps over the past few years. Ever
since the Maidan Revolution, or the
Revolution of Dignity, which took place in2014 and resulted in the victory of citizens
over an authoritarian regime supported by
the Kremlin,29 women in Ukraine have
27
28

Ljunggren, D. (2022) Ukraine economy to shrink byalmost 32% in 2022 - central bank, Reuters. Thomson
Reuters. (Accessed: December 24, 2022).
29
Onyshko, Olha. ““Women of Maidan”: when women'sunity overcame a regime backed by Kremlin.” The
Ukrainian Weekly, 24 March 2017,https://www.ukrweekly.com/uwwp/women-of-maidan-whe
n-womens-unity-overcame-a-regime-backed-by-kremlin/.
Accessed 24 December 2022.

10

become increasingly engaged politically,
economically, and socially. Yet, there exists
a persistent gender gap within the nation, as
represented in its 22% gender pay gap and
32% pension gap.30 The outbreak of theRussia-Ukraine war greatly hindered thecountry’s past efforts, worsening women’s
positions in society and economics. The
invasion proves how women are more
vulnerable to and disproportionately affectedby humanitarian crises.

Subtopic II: Women in Politics:
RwandaRwanda, a country that holds the highest
proportion of women in politics today,
showed unprecedented advance in women’s
representation in politics since the late 20th
century. This was mainly due to Rwandan
Genocide in 1994, which resulted in thedeaths of more than 800,000 people within
100 days.31 After the tragedy, the populationof Rwanda became 70 percent female,inevitably positioning women as heads ofhouseholds, as economic providers and as
major actors in society, further pushing
women to get more actively involved inpolitics and legislation. President Paul
Kagame, who served as a president of
Rwanda after the genocide, had contributed
greatly in this process, passing a constitution
in 2003 that mandated 30 percent ofparliamentary seats to be reserved for
women. Thanks to the efforts, women held
48% of the parliament in 2003, which roseto 56% in 2008 election,32 marking Rwanda
as the first nation in the world to have alegislature with a female majority. The
proportion further reached 63.8 percent in2015, then slightly slumped 61.25 percent in
2021; nevertheless, Rwanda continues to be
the country with the highest number offemale parliamentarians in today’s world.
Rwanda’s commitment to the promotion ofgender equality has also been reflected in its
development of institutional machinery, as
the government established four essential
institutions, which are the The Ministry of
Gender and Family Promotion(MIGEPROF), the Gender Monitoring
Office (GMO), the National Women’s
Council (NWC) and the Rwanda Women
Parliamentary Forum (FFRP). These
institutions work in collaboration while
focusing on the individual purpose andcommission.

30

Here's what we know about the 1 million women andchildren who have already fled Ukraine (no date) World
Economic Forum. (Accessed: December 24, 2022).
31
Jennie E. Burnet, “Gender Balance and the Meanings of
Women in Governance in Post-Genocide Rwanda,”(2008)
African Affairs 107.428 : 361-386.

32“Proportion of seats held by women in national
parliaments (%) - Rwanda | Data.” World Bank Data, 2021,
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SG.GEN.PARL.ZS?locations=RW. Accessed 24 December 2022.

11

Subtopic III: Ban on Women
Education: Afghanistan
In December 2022, the Taliban officiallyinstituted a total ban on the education of
Afghanistan females, closing universities towomen and banning girls from attending
elementary school. Ever since the Taliban
seized power in August 2021, women in
Afghanistan faced various clamp downs on
their rights and were eradicated from public
and professional jobs. Promptly after the
takeover, Taliban closed all schools in the
country, which reopened eventually except
for girls. Although the Taliban originallypromised to open school to both girls andboys after the new Afghan year in March,
they prevented girls from returning toschool, ordering shut down of girls schools
once again.33 The Taliban’s decision on
education of women have shown great
upheavals and contradictions over the pastfew months; the former minister of higher
education Abdul Baqi Haqqani once allowed
women to attend universities under strict
conditions and segregation, yet, Nida
Mohammad Nadim, who replaced Haqqani

in October 2022, expressed his opposition to
women receiving an education.34

Subtopic IV: Women’s Sexual
Safety: Women in India
Formed in 2006, the Gulabi Gang is a groupof women who fight for their rights in
Banda, India.35 The city, being one of thepoorest 200 districts in India, faces a long
history of patriarchy, abuse and corruption.36
Low-caste women are vulnerable of violent
crimes, and 90% of India’s rape victims are
Dalit women, who are at the lowest ofIndia’s caste system.37 The “gang” members,
who all wear a pink sari (a traditional Indian
garment) that signify womanhood and theirunderstated strength, learn to use a lathi (atraditional Indian stick) in self defense.38
There have been cases of the gang storming
into police stations, particularly when
34

Hadid, Diaa. “Taliban begins to enforce education ban,leaving Afghan women with tears and anger.” NPR, 21
December 2022, Accessed 24 December 2022.
35
Subrahmanyam, Sanjay. “Banda | India | Britannica.”
Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 December 2022, Accessed 30
December 2022.
36
Biswas, Soutik. “BBC NEWS | World | South Asia |India's 'pink' vigilante women.” BBC News, 26 November
2007, Accessed 24 December 2022.
37
Nagaraj, Anuradha. “India's low-caste women raped tokeep them 'in their place.'” Reuters, 24 November 2020,
Accessed 24 December 2022.
38
GULABI GANG :: Women Empowerment India.
Accessed December 2022.

33

Popalzai, Ehsan, and Ivana Kottasová. “Taliban suspend
university education for women in Afghanistan.” CNN, 20
December 2022, (Accessed 24 December 2022.)

12

officers refused to register complaints ofabuse against women, as well as cases ofattacks towards men that have abused theirwives.39 Despite the argument of whether or
not the gang is justifiable, Sampat Pal Devi,
leader of the Gulabi Gang, was named as
one of the 10 most influential women in theworld by The Guardian newspaper in 2011.
40

Past Actions
Legislation and International
Organizations
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality
and the Empowerment of Women, or UN
women, is a United Nations organizationcommitted to gender equality and theempowerment of women.41 UN Women wasestablished in June 2010 to meet the needsof women and girls around the world. It
coordinates and promotes the UN system’s
work in advancing gender equality.

39

Saner, Emine. “Sampat Pal Devi | Women.” The
Guardian, 7 March 2011,https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/08/sampat-pal-devi-100-women. Accessed 24 December 2022.
40
Walters, Ashley. “Sampat Pal's Gulabi Gang fights forgender revolution in India.” CBC, 25 January 2015,
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/sampat-pal-s-gulabi-gang-f
ights-for-gender-revolution-in-india-1.2926690. Accessed
24 December 2022.
41

Convention on the Elimination of all formsof Discrimination Against Women(CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN
General Assembly, is the most widely
ratified fundamental human rights treaty
today that assesses the women's right toequality. The Convention codifies not only
rights of women, but also responsibilities ofthe states towards fulfilling the agenda, as
the States parties are expected to submit anational report at least every four years,
indicating the measures they have taken.
The convention divides the current concerns
regarding female rights into three categories:
civil rights, legal status, and cultural/social
aspect of discrimination. In terms of civilrights, since CEDAW remains to be the onlyinternational treaty apart from declarations
and documents that guarantees the
reproductive rights of women, theconvention demands for more maternity
protection. The legal rights issue isdiscussed in a wide range of fields,
expressing criticism of discriminatory
policies. Cultural factors focus on“stereotypes, customs and norms which giverise to the multitude of legal, political andeconomic constraints on the advancement of
women”.
UN Women and UN Global Compact haveestablished The Women’s Empowerment
Principles (WEPs), which offers “guidance13

to business on how to promote genderequality and women’s empowerment in theworkplace, marketplace and community.”
The central achievement of the WEPs is thatit has put forward the idea that companies
and businesses have a responsibility for
women’s social advancement and also alarge influence on its promotion. Over 1,000
CEOs from around the world have signed
this principle and agreed to carry out
necessary measures that include “equal pay
for work of equal value, gender-responsive
supply chain practices and zero tolerance
against sexual harassment in the workplace.”
Joint Programme on Empowering
Adolescent Girls and Young Women
through Education is a collaborative project
by UNESCO, UN Women and UNFPA.
With collective commitment of the three UN
agencies, the programme approaches issues
regarding girl’s education and empowerment
from different spectrums, further aiming at
the achievement of 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development.
UNESCO Convention against
Discrimination in Education, a first legallybinded international compact on the right toeducation, prohibits any kind of
discrimination in the education sector,
including the basis of sex. Signatories are
required to execute legal and policy

measures for the ensurement of equal accessto and high quality of education.

Questions to Consider
While the conference’s main target is todevelop a “cohesive” measurements totackle gender disparity, since the current
situation regarding gender parity greatly
differs from one country to another, it issuggested that you consider how yourcountry can make contributions for theempowerment of women, based on the
country’s current economic situation,
women’s social positions, traditions, andcultural norms. Here are questions whichshould be addressed in working papers or
resolutions:● What can nations do to tackle thefeminization of poverty?
● What kind of legislation should be
implemented by countries to improve
gender equality in the workplace /the working condition of women?
● How can governments elevate theeducation level of women,
particularly in developing countries?

14

● How can current gender parity laws
be enforced more effectively?
● WWWWhat measures should be
implemented to increase therepresentation of women inpolitics/leadership positions?

Guidelines for Position
PapersPosition papers must clearly articulate thecurrent situation of your country, briefly
explain the past actions it has taken, andfurther denote possible solutions. Papers
may also include international resolutions
and strategies to combat the issue discussed
in your committee; however, the main focus
must be on your country. When developing
your position papers, please focus on
information that directly relates to the topic.
General information about your country,
such as its geographical location, major
cities, or major trade exports, should not be
included to lengthen your report. Rememberthat delegates and chairs do not have a lot oftime during the conference to read theposition papers. If you want to successfullypress the case of your country, you wantyour position papers to get to the point
quickly and persuasively.

Closing Remarks
Please keep in mind that gender inequality is
a complex issue that cannot be solved
simply by focusing on one aspect of society;since the status of women deeply relateswith each nation’s history, culture, religion,and traditional norms, tackling gender gap
requires multidimensional measures, and issomething that cannot be achieved
overnight. Thus, it is important for countries
to consider the sustainability and feasibilityof its measurements or current legislation.
The fifth goal of the Sustainable
Development Goals is stated as thedevelopment of gender equality. The
problems facing our planet are complex andmultifaceted, as the SDG’s make clear in
their 17 goals, with some 241 indicators.
What has been clearly established is therelationship between goals - making direct
progress in meeting one goal will indirectly
move us closer to achieving all 17.
While the challenges facing the progress
towards equality between the genders seemat times to be innumerable andinsurmountable, by implementing gradualand realistic policies targeted at specificissues, we can achieve a better and more
equitable world. Our committee during the2023 Japan Metropolitan Model United

15

Nations is designed to pull three important
issues into sharp focus. We are looking
forward to delegates bringing novel andaccurately represented solutions andobjections so that we might better illuminate
the path forward for our generation.

movement”, Global Social Policy, 14 (2):244-264

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