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Gender and Education for All
THE LEAP TO EQUALITY |
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| Box 1.1. The ‘gender commitment’ instruments | |
There are two types of instrument that indicate international commitment to gender equality in education: international treaties, which are intended for ratification by individual countries giving them legal weight, and ‘political promises’, developed by international consensus to be a further stimulus to promote ‘action’. The following instruments (in chronological order) demonstrate the evolution of specific gender commitments in education. Appendix 1 provides more detail for each of them.
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International treaties
-International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
Adopted – 1966; came into force – 1976; Number of countries which have ratified – 144
This instrument, the ICCPR (below), and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, have together been proclaimed by the United Nations to constitute the International Bill of Human Rights. This particular instrument has six entries in Appendix 1. Its commitment to non-discrimination is affirmed. It commits states to economic measures for free primary education and financial support, educational and other forms of support for families, and support for teachers.
-International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
Adopted – 1966; came into force – 1976; Number of countries which have ratified – 148
One of the three instruments to make up the International Bill of Human Rights, this international treaty has limited coverage of gender and education.
- Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
Adopted – 1979; came into force – 1981; Number of countries which have ratified – 173
Unlike the two previous treaties, CEDAW was developed specifically with gender in mind. Its eleven entries in Appendix 1 indicate an emphasis on rights to education with provisions covering primary, secondary, higher education, non-formal education, sports education, and family planning information.
- Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
Adopted – 1989; came into force – 1990; Number of countries which have ratified – 190
The CRC ensures the rights of the child and includes provisions to guarantee rights to education. The CRC has twelve entries in Appendix 1. Like its predecessors, it reaffirms human rights in a context that does not discriminate based on sex. It contains a strong emphasis on measures to promote free primary education and financial support, human rights education, sex education and reproductive health information, educational counselling, and a gender-aware curriculum.
| | Political promises
- Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action – 1993
The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action was drafted at the World Conference of Human Rights as a reaffirmation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There are eleven entries in Appendix 1 spanning all relevant areas. The Vienna instrument places a strong emphasis on the state’s obligations to promote gender equality, including in education.
- International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) – 1994
The International Conference on Population and Development was held in order to assess progress in reaching the objectives of the 1974 World Population Plan of Action, to increase awareness of population issues within the international agenda, and to adopt a set of recommendations for the next decade. The nineteen entries span all areas of Appendix 1, demonstrating an increasing level of awareness of gender issues.
- Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action – 1995
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action reaffirms the fundamental principle set forth in the Vienna Declaration, that the human rights of women and of the girl child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights. As an agenda for action, the Platform seeks to promote and protect the full enjoyment of all human rights and the fundamental freedoms of all women throughout their life cycle. There are twenty-two entries related to gender and education, which span most relevant areas.
- World Summit for Social Development – Copenhagen 1995
The World Summit for Social Development represented a new consensus on the need to put people at the centre of development. Among the decisions made were ten commitments, two of which affect gender in education. These are: (a) to achieve equality and equity between women and men; and (b) to attain universal and equitable access to education and primary health care. The instrument results in nine entries in Appendix 1, reflecting that this instrument does not only address gender and education but social development in a much broader context.
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