Gqual Campaign

GQUAL: A Global Campaign for Gender Parity in International Representation GQUAL is a global, multi-stakeholder initiative working to achieve gender parity in international justice and global governance. Around the world, women remain vastly underrepresented in the international bodies that shape law, human rights, peace and security, and multilateral decision-making. From international courts and treaty bodies to special procedures and UN leadership roles, the promise of equality continues to fall short. Across these institutions, candidates are nominated and elected predominantly by States—yet most processes lack clear, transparent selection criteria, let alone requirements for gender balance or broader diversity. This structural gap has real consequences: how can institutions tasked with protecting women’s rights, guaranteeing justice, and resolving global challenges do so effectively when women remain excluded from the spaces where decisions are made? GQUAL addresses this systemic inequality by advancing concrete reforms to ensure that international bodies reflect the diversity of the world they serve. Through advocacy, research, norm-setting, strategic partnerships, and public campaigning, the initiative promotes binding parity rules, transparent and merit-based selection processes, data-driven accountability, and opportunities for women to access leadership positions. Because better representation leads to better decisions, stronger legitimacy, and more just outcomes, GQUAL works to dismantle the persistent barriers that keep women—especially those from the Global South and marginalized groups—out of international leadership.