During a UN meeting in February 2020, the State of Qatar proposed the establishment of an international day dedicated to women judges. One year later, the initiative was adopted in a UN General Assembly resolution and the International Day of Women Judges was instituted on the 10th of March each year.

Women’s participation in all institutions and facets of public life is essential to creating a more equal and just society – this is especially true for the judicial field. An increased number of women in senior judicial leadership positions helps to ensure that courts fully represent their societies and reassures citizens in need of justice that their courts are open and accessible to them.

The International Day of Women Judges enables countries around the world to come together and recognise the importance of women’s involvement in the judiciary and promotes efforts to increase their participation in legal systems internationally. Qatar is proud to have proposed this initiative, another demonstrable achievement in the country’s efforts to promote women’s participation in public life with widespread support from other Arab nations and globally.

Qatar’s first female judge, Dr Hissa Al Sulaiti, was appointed by Amiri Decree in 2010. Since then, the state has seen the percentage of women involved in the judiciary grow to 20%. Now, as part of Qatar National Vision 2030, the country aims to increase this further to 30%.

The importance of women’s involvement in the judicial field for our shared future has been recognised by Her Excellency the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Sheikha Alya bint Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani. Speaking at a conference organised by the International Center for Human Sciences (under the auspices of UNESCO) in cooperation with Qatar University, Her Excellency noted how women’s involvement in the judiciary was inseparable from the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, highlighting how equality in participation, inclusive institutions and gender justice are pillars of the agenda which can only be achieved through women’s full involvement in the judiciary.

As the International Day of Women Judges sees its fourth observance this year, the State of Qatar continues to affirm the need for a representative justice system with the full participation of women in the judicial system, and further afield.