News of the UIA Women's Committee

The UIA Women’s Committee held its last working session for 2025 on Thursday 30 October during the 69th UIA congress which took place in Guadalajara (Mexico) from 29 October till 2 November 2025, an amazing and outstanding congress perfectly organised, with wonderful social events highlighting the Mexican spirit and traditions in their profound meanings and particular charm.

The working session, moderated by the President of the Committee Elisabeth Zakharia Sioufi and Jerry Roth President of Honor of the UIA and Counsellor to the Committee, tackled “Women and sustainable development”.

The main subject to discuss was “Can sustainable development be fully realized without the participation of women, respect for inclusion, parity and non-discrimination?”. This issue is directly related to one of the Committee's major priorities which is ending all forms of violence against women.

As we pointed out in the Charter of Fundamental Principles on Access to Justice for Women Victims of Violence proclaimed in Paris on the 8th of March 2022, discrimination is one of the most insidious forms of violence against women because it is often masked but has devastating effects on them, just as much as physical violence.

This discrimination caused by unfounded stereotypes and prejudices creates, mainly in the workplace, barriers and obstacles to women's access to leadership positions and consequently refrains the possibility of achieving sustainable development.

Therefore, it is urgent to change mindsets and behaviors, and to strengthen the protection of women's rights through adequate legislation effectively enforced and practical steps implemented within law firms.

With our speakers, Carlo Mastellone (Florence,Italy), Marie-Aimée Peyron (Paris, France), James Grennan (Dublin, Ireland), Fanny Coton (Liège, Belgium), Sébastien Goulet (Marseille, France), Eliana Silva de Moraes (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Marco Imperiale (Milan, Italy) and Jenifer Valeria Alfaro Borges (Montevideo, Uruguay).
 
We examined in diversified and multidimensional approaches the challenges the issue raises particularly in the legal profession, the best practices to address them to achieve this specific objective of sustainable development, and the responsibility and contribution of Bar Associations and Associations of Lawyers as well as the UIA in implementing the process required in this regard.

The session attracted participants from different countries among them law students, and at the end of the congress many colleagues, men and women,  joined our Committee to actively participate in our programs aiming at promoting women’s rights and ending violence against them.

In this context, we are delighted that new Bar Associations and Associations of Lawyers are adhering to the Charter and thus join the Bars which already signed it in combating violence and discrimination against women.

The Committee is proud to announce that “L’Ordre des Avocats Vaudois (OAV) Switzerland”, “L’Ordre des Barreaux Francophones et Germanophone de Belgique (AVOCATS.BE) Belgium”, “Ordine degli Avvocati di Siena-Comitato Pari Opportunità (Italy)”, “L’Ordre des Avocats du Barreau de Martinique (France)”, “Ordine degli Avvocati di Torino-Comitato Pari Opportunità (Italy)”, “L’Ordre des Avocats du Barreau de Guyane (France) », « L’Ordre des Avocats du Barreau de Nantes (France) », recently signed the Charter. The list of signatories is available on the UIA website.

Many of you participated regularly in our activities throughout 2025. We thank you for your support and invite you all to our events in 2026:

• The webinar scheduled on March 10, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Paris time), on the occasion of International Women's Day.
• The 7th  edition of the Women Leaders of the Bar Day, which will take place during a webinar we will host on September 9, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Paris time).
• And, of course, our working session during the 70th UIA congress which will take place in Marrakesh (Morocco) from 28 October till 1st November 2026, at the congress center of the hotel Movenpick Marrakech.

At the end of 2025, we express to all our colleagues, our best wishes for 2026. We hope that this new year will be for all of you a year full of prosperity, success and happiness, and that peace will reign throughout the world.

Lawyer Elisabeth Zakharia Sioufi
President of the UIA Women’s Committee