Legal Frameworks on Women’s Rights
SDC's commitment to gender equality is based on national and international guidelines and Switzerland's obligations to ratified international standards.
Federal Constitution of Switzerland: the Swiss Constitution guarantees gender equality de jure and de facto and prohibits discrimination based on gender.
CEDAW: The International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) of 1979 is the most important international human rights standard concerning the rights of women and girls. Switzerland has ratified CEDAW (1997) as well as CEDAW's optional protocol and in doing so has committed to undertake a series of measures to implement CEDAW.
CSW: The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), a commission of the UN since 1946, meets every year to review achievements and challenges in terms of gender equality.
BDPA: At the Fourth World Conference of Women in Beijing, 189 states adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action (BDPA) with goals in 12 critical areas of concerns. The 59th session of the CSW in March 2015 reviewed achievements and challenges in the implementation of the BDPA 20 years after its adoption (Beijing+20).
Gender in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
In September 2015 the general assembly of the UN adopted the new sustainable development goals framework that replaces the expiring Millennium Development Goals and the Rio+20 agenda. In the whole post-2015 process, Switzerland had a strong stand on integrating gender equality into the new framework by advocating for a stand-alone goal on gender equality as well as the transversal integration of gender-specific targets and indicators into all other goals.
Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sutainable Development (Sept 2015)
Swiss Position on a Framework for Sustainable Development post-2015
Swiss Position on Gender Equality in the post-2015 Agenda (Jan 2014)
Swiss Website on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
UN Women Website on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Outcome document of the 3rd International Conference on Financing for Development: Addis Ababa Action Agenda (2015)
Addis Ababa Action Plan for Transformative Financing for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (2015)
Women, Peace and Security
The UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, adopted in 2000, aims at preventing and protecting women and girls from gender-based violence in conflicts and strengthens women's participation and the integration of gender-related aspects into local peace, transformation and statebuilding processes. Switzerland has adopted a National Action Plan 1325 to implement UNSCR 1325 into its peace and development policies and programmes.
UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security
Swiss National Action Plan 2013 - 2016
