Description:
Join the City Bar Association’s United Nations Committee for the Second Annual International Law Conference on the Status of Women. The Conference will commemorate International Women’s Day and will be held in the lead up to the 65th Regular Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The Conference will consist of two panels, which will focus on separate legal and policy issues confronting women around the world. The first panel will analyze the disproportionate impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had upon women. The impacts of the pandemic have manifested in a variety of ways, including but not limited to increased levels of domestic violence, women and girls being more susceptible to becoming victims of human trafficking and other forms of exploitation, and decreased participation in the work force by women due to the need to provide childcare for their families. The second panel will explore efforts to eliminate violence against women, which is essential to permit their full and effective participation and decision-making in public life. Eliminating violence against women is also crucial to achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls. The panelists will explore the harmful impacts of violence against women, and how these impacts hinder the realization of gender equality and women’s involvement in public life, which harms society as a whole. 

The objective of the Conference is to have an honest conversation about the current situation of women and girls around the world, with a focus on how laws and policies have contributed to the situation. The panelists will provide their insights and expertise as to how the legal profession can address the situation in order to promote a more equitable and less discriminatory environment for women and girls. Furthermore, the panelists will highlight their efforts, and the efforts of their respective organizations, to promote gender equality and empower women and girls. 

Second Panel: Eliminating violence against women in order to allow for women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life

• Pramila Patten, United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict
• Akila Radhakrishnan, President of the Global Justice Center
• Dubravka Šimonovic, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women
• Moderator: Chanya Sainvilus, Member of the UN Committee

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President Biden and Vice President Harris recently announced the formation of a White House Gender Policy Council, which will protect and uplift the rights of people of all genders both here in the U.S. and abroad. This panel of experts discussed the creation of this new Council, its significance to U.S. domestic and foreign affairs, and which issues it should tackle first.

Speakers:

• Emily Prey, Senior Analyst, Newlines Institute
• Akila Radhakrishnan, President, Global Justice Center
• Latanya Mapp Frett, President, Global Fund for Women
• Kimberly Inez McGuire, Executive Director, URGE

The situation of the Rohingya community in Myanmar and Bangladesh is under intense scrutiny by the international community. Currently, a case is pending before the International Court of Justice concerning Myanmar’s alleged responsibility for genocide, an investigation is on-going at the International Criminal Court and several fact-finding mechanisms are working on gathering evidence of the events. This panel will address whether and how international dispute settlement can assist in solving the numerous, complex issues raised by the events in Rakhine State (Myanmar).

Speakers:

• Michael A. Becker, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Trinity College Dublin
• Miriam Cohen, Professeure Adjointe, University of Montreal
• Akila Radhakrishnan, President, Global Justice Centre
• Yasmin Ullah, Human Rights Activist, Member of the Rohingya community

Description:

The Biden-Harris administration has promised to "build back better," but what does that mean for US policy on human rights? Moderated by author Jill Filipovic, this conversation dives deep into the possibilities presented by the incoming administration to advance global reproductive health and rights.

Panelists include:

• Akila Radhakrishnan, President, Global Justice Center
• Serra Sippel, President, Center for Health and Gender Equity
• Anu Kumar, Presdient, Ipas

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