The report on the seminar \u201cGender Justice and Universal Jurisdiction: Strengthening Access to Justice for Women and Girls\u201d, held on 17 March 2026 in New York as part of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), is now available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event, organised by the Baltasar Garz\u00f3n International Foundation (FIBGAR) in conjunction with the Guatemalan Women\u2019s Association (AMG), DEMOS Law Firm in Human Rights, Partners in Justice International (PJI) and UN Women, brought together international experts, representatives of multilateral organisations, civil society and legal professionals, with the aim of reflecting on the challenges and opportunities in the effective incorporation of a gender perspective into mechanisms for accountability for international crimes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In this regard, the event and the publication of this report constitute a key step in the process promoted by FIBGAR to strengthen the application of universal jurisdiction with a gender perspective<\/strong>, within the framework of updating and reviewing the application of the Madrid\u2013Buenos Aires Principles on Universal Jurisdiction. Throughout the day, the persistent disconnect between debates on gender justice and developments in the field of universal jurisdiction was highlighted. In this regard, the seminar provided an opportunity to discuss the need for coordination between these two areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The presentations highlighted both the progress made in recent decades\u2014particularly in the recognition of crimes of sexual and gender-based violence in international criminal law\u2014and the persistent challenges <\/strong>in their prevention, investigation, prosecution, punishment and reparation. Among these, particular emphasis was placed on the unequal application of evidentiary standards, the existence of structural biases within justice systems, and the difficulties in ensuring the effective and safe participation of victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n