The conference on Promoting Equal and Inclusive Representation of Women in Decision-Making Systems held on 23 February 2024 at the World Trade Institute in Bern, Switzerland, brought together international organizations, policy makers, experts and civil society to address key challenges faced by women in political leadership roles and the commitments of States especially under the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

The conference was organized by WP leaders Prof. Elisa Fornalé from the World Trade Institute of the University of Bern (UBERN, WP6 and WP7), Dr Federica Cristani from the Institute of International Relations in Prague (IIR, WP6 and WP7) together with GQUAL.

The conference was a unique opportunity to reflect on the topics of gender, democratic participation, international obligations of states, and more generally on how to channel a gender and more broadly an intersectionality perspective in different areas of law, with a special emphasis on democratic participation and economic empowerment. The conference also provided a great opportunity to present, gather feedback and build a network of relevant stakeholders for the forthcoming Intersect Observatory (WP7).