Report: Global justice still run by men from rich countries

In her foreword to the report, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, former president of the United Nations General Assembly, said: “It matters profoundly who holds power in the justice sector and how decisions are made. Institutions may aspire to neutrality, yet they are rooted in history and culture. When inequality exists within systems designed to deliver justice, their legitimacy and the trust they depend on are called into question.

“The findings highlight how global justice is disproportionately shaped by a small segment of the world. Greater inclusion of leadership and ideas from the global majority are essential to ensure justice that is both participatory and universal.”

The report found almost a third of the highest offices in the legal world are held by men from the US and UK. One in five are held by US or UK women but only nine per cent are held by women from low- and middle-income countries. Representation from other major jurisdictions, such as the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), is almost absent.

Global 50/50’s research provides analysis of 171 global law and justice organisations. It goes beyond other monitors to assess leadership demographics as well as organisational commitments and policies to guide fairness and equity in law and justice bodies.

The report’s authors warn that without stronger commitments to equality, data transparency, and accountability, justice institutions risk falling further behind the values they are meant to uphold, particularly given that just 18 per cent of organisations commit to collecting and reporting the gender-related data needed to track progress.

While overall, women are getting close to equal representation to men, holding 43 per cent of senior roles and 40 per cent of the top offices, the traditional hubs of power and prestige lag behind:

• Women occupy only 29 per cent of top roles in international courts.
• Women account for 30 per cent of top roles in global bar associations.
• Only 20 per cent of global law firms are led by women.
• Only 2 per cent of 655 senior leaders across 22 international courts are women from low-income countries.
• 77 per cent of leaders of global law firms are men from high-income countries.

The report presents evidence suggesting that when women serve as judges and legal decision-makers, outcomes “more effectively address gender justice”. Women judges, for example, may impose harsher sentences when it comes to crimes that affect women and girls differently based on their gender – women jurists on panels at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia imposed more severe sentences on defendants who committed sexual violence against women than did their male colleagues.

At present, few organisations track who the justice system serves when it comes to gender – just 18 per cent of organisations commit to collecting this data. The majority (71 per cent) of global law firms have no policy or commitment to reporting sex-disaggregated data and most bar associations, funders and courts do not systematically collect or report on it.

Govindi Deerasinghe, head of Global 50/50’s justice research, said: “Organisations across the global law and justice sector must embody the principles of fairness and accountability they exist to uphold. Embedding gender justice within governance is not only right; it is essential to legitimacy, public trust and understanding who is left behind.

“Our research shows that while 40 per cent of senior roles in global justice are held by women, in several parts of the sector, the upper echelons of power do not extend to women from low- and middle-income countries.

“We need to see more than incremental improvements. A fundamental shift in how institutions confront power, accountability, and inclusion is required. Progress is possible, but we need bold action: adopting and publishing robust gender equality, fairness and equity policies, investing in disaggregated data, and putting commitments into practice.”

Mark Ellis, executive director of the International Bar Association and member of Global 50/50’s Advisory Council, said: “Justice systems are strongest when they reflect the societies they serve. Expanding women’s leadership across law and justice, from all regions of the world, supports better decision-making, fairer outcomes, and public confidence. By combining leadership data with analysis of institutional policies, the inaugural Global Justice 50/50 report shines a light on both progress and remaining disparities, providing a constructive basis for collective action.”