International Association of Women Judges

10/23/2026

🎙️ English: IAWJ Statement in Defense of Judicial Independence and Against Sanctions Targeting the International Criminal Court
🎙️ Español: Declaración de la IAWJ en defensa de la independencia judicial y en contra de las sanciones dirigidas a la Corte Penal Internacional
🎙️ Français : Déclaration de l’IAWJ pour la défense de l’indépendance judiciaire et contre les sanctions visant la Cour pénale internationale

➡️https://www.iawj.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=882224&item_id=141388&

10/21/2026

🎙️ What changes when women shape international justice?

Women judges and legal experts have played a decisive role in the development of international law: expanding the recognition of human rights violations, bringing overlooked experiences into judicial reasoning, and helping transform the institutions responsible for delivering justice.

Now, we want to hear directly from them 🎙️.

We are excited to share that GQUAL and the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) are joining forces to take this conversation further through a special six-episode series of IAWJ’s Justice Beyond the Bench podcast.
The series builds on GQUAL’s Voices from the Bench report, developed with UN Women and drawing on interviews with 23 women who have helped shape international justice.

Across six conversations with distinguished women judges, and international legal experts from different regions, the series will explore their contributions to international law, the challenges they have confronted, and their visions for the future of justice.

🌍 In English and Spanish, their stories will take us across countries, institutions and perspectives on why who shapes international justice matters.
🎙️ Stay tuned for Voices from the Bench: Women Shaping International Justice.

First episode coming soon
Six remarkable voices. A shared commitment to transforming justice.
It’s time to go beyond the bench.

10/21/2026

🎙️ ¿Cómo transforman las mujeres la justicia internacional?

Las juezas y expertas en derecho internacional han desempeñado un papel fundamental en su desarrollo: han contribuido a ampliar el reconocimiento de las violaciones de derechos humanos, incorporar experiencias y perspectivas históricamente ignoradas en las decisiones judiciales y transformar las instituciones encargadas de impartir justicia.

Ahora queremos conocer estas historias de sus propias voces. 🎙️

Nos entusiasma anunciar que unimos esfuerzos con la Asociación Internacional de Mujeres Juezas (IAWJ) para llevar esta conversación más lejos, a través de una serie especial de seis episodios del podcast Justice Beyond the Bench.

La serie busca dar continuidad al informe Voices from the Bench de GQUAL, desarrollado junto con ONU Mujeres a partir de entrevistas con 23 mujeres que han contribuido a transformar la justicia internacional.
A través de seis conversaciones con destacadas juezas y expertas en derecho internacional de distintas regiones del mundo, conoceremos sus contribuciones, los desafíos que han enfrentado a lo largo de sus trayectorias y sus visiones sobre el futuro de la justicia internacional.

🌍 Con episodios en inglés y español, recorreremos distintos países, instituciones y experiencias para reflexionar sobre la importancia de que las mujeres participen de manera sustantiva y paritaria en la toma de decisiones en la justicia internacional.
🎙️ Muy pronto: Voices from the Bench: Women Shaping International Justice.

¡Próximamente, el primer episodio!
Seis voces extraordinarias. Un compromiso compartido con la transformación de la justicia.
Es momento de ir más allá de los tribunales.

10/09/2026

🏆 Congratulations to IAWJ member Judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay on receiving the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize!

The International Association of Women Judges is incredibly proud to celebrate this extraordinary recognition of her longstanding contributions to international justice, human rights, and peace.

Judge Pillay has been an active member of the IAWJ community, and we were honored to recognize her leadership and global impact last year with the Arline Patch Global Vision Award at our Biennial Conference.

Her journey and dedication are a powerful reminder of what women judges can contribute to a more just and peaceful world. Women judges are catalysts for peace, justice, and reconciliation, and Judge Pillay’s work reflects the importance of this role.

Congratulations, Judge Pillay, on this well-deserved recognition! We are proud to have you as part of our IAWJ community. ⚖️🌍

🎙️Read IAWJ Statement here: https://www.iawj.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=882224&item_id=140996&action=view&al=y&actr=3

10/07/2026

What do the numbers tell us about women’s representation in judicial leadership? ⚖️

On September 17, IAWJ and United Nations Development Programme - UNDP convened a sensitization webinar on the UNDP Women in the Judiciary Dashboard, a tool that brings together data from more than 120 jurisdictions to make women’s representation across different levels of the judiciary more visible and comparable.

While women’s participation may be strong at entry levels, representation often declines as we look at senior and leadership positions. Understanding these gaps is an important step toward identifying the barriers that persist and creating more inclusive pathways to judicial leadership.

In our latest blog, Lauren Stamper, IAWJ Intern, reflects on the webinar and the importance of using data to better understand where progress has been made, where gaps remain, and where further action is needed.

📝Read the full article: https://www.iawj.org/content.aspx?page_id=2507&club_id=882224&item_id=6460&pst=32959&pm=1&actr=3

IAWJ and UNDP explore how the Women in the Judiciary Dashboard can reveal gender gaps, strengthen women’s judicial leadership, and support institutional reform worldwide.

10/06/2026

IAWJ Regional Director Justice Lana Krogan and IAWJ Deputy Director Jane Charles-Voltaire, attended the launch of the 2026 Gender Snapshot at the United Nations General Assembly, where we were proud to bring the voices and experiences of women judges into this important global conversation on accelerating progress toward gender equality. ⚖️

Earlier that day, IAWJ Regional Director Justice Krogan also participated in the UNGA81 side event, “Equality in Law for Women and Girls by 2030: Renewing Global Leadership,” sponsored by UN Women Equality Now, the The Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

💬The conversations throughout the day were a powerful reminder of the work that remains, particularly in advancing women’s representation and leadership across justice systems. We’re grateful for the opportunity to contribute to these discussions and to highlight the importance of diverse and representative judiciaries.

171 years is a long time to wait for gender equality. Let’s continue building on what works and moving this work forward together.

📝Read IAWJ blog here:https://www.iawj.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=882224&item_id=140825&action=view&al=y&actr=3
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09/30/2026

🎙️ Celebrating International Podcast Day!
Podcasts create space for stories, ideas, and voices to be heard — and Justice Beyond the Bench brings the voices of women shaping justice to listeners around the world.

Through honest conversations and powerful stories, we’re creating a platform to share experiences, challenge perspectives, and highlight the many ways women are advancing justice. ⚖️

Today, we celebrate the power of listening — and the importance of making space for every voice.
🎧 Listen to Justice Beyond the Bench and hear the voices behind the work.
➡️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6tfhZ4Yi58k47brzlzPPlX?si=9b1f7fd30e754f34
➡️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWVczMqXJe84yJyazRR-bAj8J_61ZnJ9Q&si=2i94RM1cB0jFgsrY
Amie Lewis Jane Charles-Voltaire, Esq. (She/Her)

09/29/2026

Sarah Turberville, Executive Director, and Amie Lewis, Director, Gender Equality in Justice Systems, represented the International Association of Women Judges at Co-Impact’s Women in Leadership Community of Practice convening in Mombasa, Kenya. ⚖️

💬 The four-day convening brought together partners working across different contexts to examine the practical challenges of and collective solutions for advancing institutional change. Sessions focused on political economy and institutional power, shifting norms and mindsets, effective mentoring and sponsorship, moving recommendations into lasting practice, learning, monitoring, and evaluation, leveraging data, and fundraising for sustainability.

For IAWJ’s Women in Leadership in Law (WILIL) initiative, it was an opportunity to share lessons from working with women judges’ associations and justice institutions, and to learn from organizations applying similar approaches to institutional change in other contexts. 🌍

The conversations reinforced a central lesson for WILIL: progress cannot be measured only by who is leading today, but by whether institutions are changing in ways that make that leadership possible and sustainable tomorrow.

09/24/2026

We want WeWIL’s conversations to reflect the questions, challenges and aspirations that matter most to women law students today. And who better to help shape them than the students themselves?

We are delighted to introduce the 2026 WeWIL Student Advisory Committee - bringing together participants from previous editions of Empowering Women in International Law (WeWIL) to help shape and strengthen this year’s program.

Drawing on their own experience with WeWIL, Committee members will help identify the issues students want to discuss, the questions they want to ask, and how to make exchanges with women judges and leading international law professionals as relevant and meaningful as possible. They will also help connect WeWIL with students across different countries and regions. 🌏

The Committee adds another dimension to WeWIL’s commitment to intergenerational mentoring: creating connections not only between students and women already shaping international law, but also among students and alumni navigating their own paths in the field.

We are very happy to welcome the 2026 WeWIL Student Advisory Committee — and excited to have their voices help shape this year’s edition. 💜

09/22/2026

🇺🇿 Welcoming the Association of Women Judges of Uzbekistan to the IAWJ community! ⚖️🌍

Established in 2026, the Association brings together more than 250 women judges across Uzbekistan, with a focus on professional exchange, mentorship, and strengthening women’s leadership in the judiciary.

Its work also includes initiatives to promote legal literacy, access to justice, and awareness around family violence.
We look forward to connecting, learning, and growing together as part of our global community of women judges.

👉 Read more about their work and vision: https://www.iawj.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=882224&item_id=139848&