Guiding Principles

These are the major documents, protocols, conventions, reference materials and resources which provide the basis for our work in promoting gender equality and mainstreaming women’s issues in the UN.

Guiding Principles

The Charter of the United Nations, 1945

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948

The Geneva Convention of 1949

The 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol

International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights, 1976

Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions 1949 (Protocol I), 1977

Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions 1949 (Protocol II), 1977

International Covenants on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1976

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), 1979

Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), 1989

World Conference on Human Rights Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, 1993

Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 1995

Beijing Optional Protocol, 1999

CEDAW Optional Protocol, 1999

Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (2000) including Security Council Resolution 1820 (2008), Resolution 1888 (2009), Resolution 1889 (2009), Resolution 1960 (2010), Resolution 2106 (2013), Resolution 2122 (2013) and Resolution 2242 (2015).

CRC Optional Protocols, 2000

Convention on Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols, 2003

Protocol additional to the Geneva Conventions 1949 (Protocol III), 2005

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2008

Istanbul Convention (Council of Europe 2011)

UN Sustainable Development Goals, 2015

Other useful sources of information on women’s rights issues:

Women’s Human Rights Documents Database

Women’s UN Report Network

NGO CSW New York

NGO CSW Geneva