Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development
Call for inputs for the Study:

Women’s active, free and meaningful participation in development, withemphasis on decision-making
By Liliana Valiña

Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but also a necessary foundation for apeaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.

Gender diversity and women’s empowerment are good business and bring social andmacroeconomic benefits.

The Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development (EMRTD) is seeking input for its study
on the Women’s active, free and meaningful participation in Development, with emphasis on
decision-making. The areas for which information is required are set out in the “GuidanceQuestions” section at the end of this document.
In addition, the EMRTD seeks the support of and welcomes those volunteer to act as advisors tothe study. The views and observations of the advisory group will be sought during the preparationof the study.

• Background:
The Human Rights Council established the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development
through resolution 42/23 of 27 September 2019. The Expert Mechanism is composed of fiveindependent experts and provides the Human Rights Council (HRC) with thematic expertise on theright to development.
The HRC, in its resolution 45/6 of 6 October 2020, welcomed the first report of the Expert
Mechanism (A/HRC/45/29), and requested the EMRTD to implement the recommendations
contained in its report, including the preparation and submission of one to two thematic studies per
year and the conduct of country visits to provide thematic expertise to the HRC on the right todevelopment, in seeking, identifying and sharing best practices with Member States.

The EMRTD is seeking input for its study on women’s active, free and meaningful participation indevelopment from the perspective of the right to development. The UN Declaration on the Right toDevelopment affirms the right to development without any distinction, including by sex (Article 4),
and promotes women’s participation by requiring that effective measures should be undertaken toensure that women have an active role in the development process (Article 8).

• Objective:
From a general perspective, the study aims to contribute to the strengthening of knowledge andawareness related to the Declaration on the Right to Development; to make visible valuable national

and international experiences related to women’s active, free and meaningful participation; and topromote the right to development in all its dimensions by strengthening women’s participation andinclusion in all stages of the development process, particularly in decision-making processes.

• Additional information on this study
Equal opportunities for women’s active, free and meaningful participation in the development
process, including in decision-making, remains a transformation to be achieved worldwide. In
accordance with the Agenda 2030, gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but also anecessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. As several studies haveshown, including those by global and regional economic and financial institutions, the gender
diversity and the inclusion of women is good business and brings social and macroeconomic
benefits.
This study aims to analyse:- Implications of women’s active, free and meaningful participation in development, particularly
in decision-making processes;- The impact of discrimination against women and gender gaps on the realization of the right todevelopment for all; and- How the good practices and relevant changes have affected indicators related to the realization of
the right to development of women and in the whole country.
It will be based on the consideration of three relevant aspects: inequalities, discrimination and theHuman Development Index. It will therefore examine how women in their diversity, including
young women and girls, are entitled to participate in, contribute to, and enjoy economic, social,cultural, political and environmental development. The study will take into account the diversity ofwomen and girls and the impact of the intersectional discrimination.
In this study, in order to identify good practices for women’s participation in development and theconsideration of national and global experiences and challenges, participatory and inclusive
processes for designing public policies for women’s empowerment, governance and leadership will
be considered particularly relevant and useful.
Indicators related to the level, degree and capacity of women’s participation in decision-making
processes, especially in the political, economic and social spheres, will also be essential to assess
women’s empowerment and participation in development.
Access to active, free and meaningful participation in the economic, political and social spheres,including equal representation and decision-making, depends on the following factors:
Capabilities: related to issues such as access to education, information, health and a safe
environment;
Opportunities: related to real options and mechanisms for removing barriers to access to business,
employment, autonomy and leadership positions; andFreedom: legal and practical access to basic rights, especially through adequate legal frameworks
and mechanisms to prevent and protect against discrimination and violence.

• Methodology:

To carry out this study, a documentary review will be conducted taking into account relevantinternational instruments, doctrine and jurisprudence.
An exchange will also be sought with States, UN partners, civil society and women’s organizations,and other relevant stakeholders, to identify key information, data and good practices, ensuring abroad perspective and a plurality of viewpoints.
Field work:
In accordance with its mandate, the EMRTD may, to the extent possible, conduct some relevant
study visits and interviews to include specific perspectives and situations on the ground tocomplement the written/paper contributions.

• Areas for contributions:
The EMRTD invites Member States, civil society, women’s organizations and representatives, andother stakeholders to cooperate with the study by submitting relevant information following some
guiding questions.
Based on the aforementioned focus, the relevant information and data will be particularly linked tothese three key elements:
Inequalities. Information on the potential impact of inequalities affecting specific populationgroups, with a particular focus on women, on their access to the right to development and on thecountry’s development outcomes.
Gender gaps. Global information on gender gaps and country data is another relevant entry point
for the analysis and identification of factors, barriers and opportunities for the realization of
women’s right to development and the overall realization of the right to development in the country.
Human Development Index. The Human Development Index and its respective indicators provide
valuable additional information for assessing national conditions for the realization of the right todevelopment by focusing, for the purposes of this study, on the specific situation of women and its
close relationship to country’s performance.
From this inspiring umbrella, the study will address public policies, programs, experiences andinstruments aimed at enhancing women’s active, free and meaningful participation in development,
focusing on decision-making, governance, autonomy and leadership, and analyzing some relevant
parameters:a. The existence of inclusive and participatory processes to design, monitor and evaluate genderequality and participation, including women and girls in conditions of greater disadvantage oraffected by intersectoral discrimination;b. Transparency, accountability, and up-to-date information, including indicators and data;c. The level and extent of women’s leadership and representation in their diversity in public,
economic and social life.
Special attention will be paid to women’s access to education, employment, health, and protection
against discrimination and violence, as well as the existence of comprehensive care systems, inorder to ensure adequate conditions for active, free and meaningful participation, and particularly
the real access to decision making processes.

• Guiding questions
Accordingly, the EMRTD requests Member States, UN entities, civil society and women’sorganizations, National Human Rights Institutions, academic, economic, financial and businessinstitutions, and other stakeholders for information, studies and assessments on the following
guiding questions:
Kindly submit your contributions to OHCHR-emrtd@un.org, preferably in English orSpanish, in MS Word or compatible format by 26 April 2024.
1. Women’s participation in development and gender equality, including women’s access toeducation, employment, health, comprehensive care systems, and protection against
discrimination and violence, showing data, preferably disaggregated taking into account thediversity of women, e.g., by sex, gender, age, disability, social conditions, ethnic, religious,
national or cultural origin, etc.
2. National and local institutional framework for women’s rights and gender equality, including
civic space and the level of women’s participation in this framework.
3. Data and examples about national and local leadership and level of women’s representation in
public life, especially in government and other public institutions, as well as in the private
sector.
4. Studies/reports and impact assessments of national experiences of women’s empowerment including the adoption of temporary affirmative actions and corrective measures - on women’saccess to development and on the correlative evolution of the country’s development outcomes.
5. Examples of relevant indicators and procedures designed and applied at the national and/orlocal level to systematically measure and evaluate women’s participation in development,
including decision-making, and in the enjoyment of development benefits.
6. Public policies, diagnostics, assessments, evaluations and data, including action plans andpriority groups and areas, at the national and/or local level, to identify and overcome challenges
to women’s and girls’ access to equal opportunities and participation in decision-making
processes.
7. International cooperation projects (including impact assessment of their implementation) toempower women, including young women and girls and those affected by intersectional
discrimination, to prevent, remedy and overcome inequalities and discrimination that affectthem.
8. Civil society initiatives to overcome challenges and assess opportunities and progress inwomen’s active, free and meaningful participation.
9. Public-private initiatives, including those with local, rural and indigenous institutions andcommunities, to empower women and promote their active, free and meaningful participation indevelopment, including in decision-making.

10. Monitoring, evaluation and follow-up mechanisms to systematically measure the situation of
women in their diversity in terms of their participation in development, including genderequality, discrimination and potential barriers, as well as impact evaluations of these efforts.
11. Innovative measures, policies, methods and strategies to accelerate gender equality andwomen’s active, free and meaningful participation in development, including those linked to thecare economy.
12. Systems, methods and strategies to facilitate, generate opportunities, measure and guarantee theactive, free and meaningful participation of women, in their diversity, in decision-making
processes at national, regional or international levels.

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