WORKING PAPER
Committee: United Nations Women
Subject: Ensuring Gender Equality by Alleviating Discrimination Against Women
Submitted by: The French Republic, The Argentine Republic, The Federal Republic
of Germany, The Republic of Indonesia, The Republic of Türkiye, The People's
Democratic Republic of Algeria, Canada, The Republic of the Union of Myanmar, The
State of Kuwait, The Kingdom of Thailand, The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
The Kingdom of Belgium, The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, The Republic
of Lithuania, The Plurinational State of Bolivia, The Republic of El Salvador, The
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, The Sultanate of Oman,
UNITED NATIONS WOMEN,
Noting with grave concern that over 3 billion women worldwide receive low-quality
scores for gender equality, indicating pervasive gender-based discrimination,
Recalling the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW), adopted on 18 December 1979,
Recognizing that cultural norms, stereotypes, and gender bias persist as barriers to
gender equality, hindering women's access to education, employment, and political
participation,
Concerned that 104 countries have yet to abolish discriminatory family laws
regarding inheritance, marriage, and divorce,
Deeply concerned by the disproportionate vulnerability of displaced women and girls
to gender-based violence, exploitation, and exclusion from essential services,
Alarmed by the digital divide denying 54% of women worldwide internet access,
limiting their participation in the digital economy and perpetuating exclusion,
Reaffirming the critical importance of achieving gender parity for Sustainable
Development Goal (SDG) 5 and broader global development,
Recalling that 71% of trafficking victims are women and girls, and gender-based
violence persists in conflicts and beyond,
Emphasizing the United Nations' commitment to global gender equality and member
states' responsibility to address discriminatory practices,
Hereby resolves,
1. Encourages member states to reform discriminatory family laws, ensuring equal
rights for women in marriage, inheritance, and divorce;
2. Requests governments to integrate gender studies into national education
curricula, with emphasis on:
a. Promoting gender equality awareness from an early age by incorporating
gender-sensitive content in schools;
b. Developing teacher training programs to address gender stereotypes in
educational settings;
3. Calls upon communities to combat harmful cultural practices, such as early
marriage and FGM;
4. Demands legal protection and support for women in conflict zones, ensuring
access to:
a. Immediate healthcare, psychosocial support, and safe spaces for women
experiencing gender-based violence;
b. Special legal services for women to report abuses and seek justice,
particularly in refugee and internally displaced camps;
5. Encourages member states to collaborate with financial institutions to develop
microloan programs by:
a. Ensuring women in marginalized and rural communities can access affordable
loans to start businesses;
b. Providing financial literacy programs to equip women with the skills necessary
to manage their businesses;
c. Promoting public-private partnerships that support women entrepreneurs
through mentoring and capital access;
6. Condemns any act of violence or discrimination against women by urging:
a. The enforcement of national laws that criminalize gender-based violence and
discrimination;
b. The establishment of victim support centers that offer medical, legal, and
psychological support;
c. Cooperation with international bodies to strengthen global monitoring of
gender-based violence;
7. Recommends the establishment of entrepreneurship training programs for
women, focusing on:
a. Providing training in financial management, marketing, digital literacy, and
networking;
b. Encouraging women-led small businesses by offering grants and technical
support;
c. Facilitating access to markets through government-backed programs that
promote women entrepreneurs;
8. Urges member states to promote mobile banking services and establish
community-based financial cooperatives;
9. Insists on the creation of standardized data collection mechanisms to track
gender-based violence, recommending:
a. Improved data collection methods that track the incidence and prevalence of
gender-based violence;
b. Coordination between national governments and international organizations to
aggregate and normalize data;
c. Establishment of a global database to share best practices and strategies for
preventing violence against women;
10. Calls for investments in digital infrastructure and literacy programs specifically
targeting women, to:
a. Enable women in rural and underserved areas to access technology for
education, employment, and entrepreneurship;
b. Provide women with the necessary digital skills to participate in the modern
economy;
c. Support women in STEM fields through scholarships and mentorship
programs to close the gender gap in technology;
11. Encourages gender-sensitive banking reforms to provide women with easier
access to credit, loans, and financial services, by:
a. Promoting specialized loan programs for women entrepreneurs and small
business owners;
b. Working with international financial organizations to create gender-sensitive
banking policies;
c. Ensuring that financial services are accessible to marginalized women,
particularly in rural areas;
12. Recommends governments develop legal frameworks that criminalize cyber
harassment and online abuse against women;
13. Promotes the creation of NGOs connected to governments to support women’s
empowerment through:
a. Developing community-based programs that focus on skill-building and
employment for women;
b. Offering support and resources for victims of gender-based violence and
harmful cultural practices;
14. Supports the development of empowerment programs that focus on skill
generation and increasing employment opportunities for women by:
a. Partnering with businesses and educational institutions to offer vocational
training to women;
15. Urges the establishment of monitoring and accountability bodies to track progress
on gender equality within institutions by:
a. Creating oversight mechanisms to ensure gender equality policies are
effectively implemented;
b. Reporting regularly on the progress of gender equality initiatives at national
and international levels.
