09:00 to 16:00 CEST 
Hybrid (at IPU Headquarters in Geneva for invited parliaments and on Zoom for other interested parliaments)

The parliamentary roundtable is organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the occasion of the year-long Human Rights 75 Initiative leading up to the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

It will focus on the role of parliament in advancing women’s rights to political participation, decent work and education on an equal basis with men.

Roundtable participants will be invited to endorse concrete transformative pledges and recommendations that will feed into the December 2023 Human Rights 75 Initiative High-Level Event.

In addition, the 2023 edition of the Handbook for Parliamentarians on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), will be launched at the closing session.

Simultaneous interpretation will be available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.

Programme                     

09:00 - 09:45          Opening statements

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10:00 - 11:00         Session 1: UDHR and the role of parliament in eliminating barriers to women’s full and equal participation in political decision-making at all levels

11:00 - 12:00         Session 2: UDHR and the role of parliament in ensuring women’s equal access to                        decent work

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13:00 - 14:00         Session 3: UDHR and the role of parliament in promoting gender equality in and through education     

14:00 - 15:00         Wrap-up, adoption of pledges, and closing remarks

15:00 – 16:00         Launch of the 2023 OHCHR-IPU Handbook for Parliamentarians on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women