International Declaration on Gender Apartheid and Its Destructive Consequences

Authors

• Georges Abi-Saab
• Belquis Ahmadi
• Hala Alkarib
• Waheeda Amien
• Penelope Andrews
• Zainah Anwar
• Marzia Babakarkhail
• Cecilia Bailliet
• Manizha Bakhtari
• Karima Bennoune, University of Michigan Law SchoolFollow
• Laurence Boisson de Chazournes
• Roya Boroumand
• Terry Boullata
• Charlotte Bunch
• Rebecca J. Cook
• Roberta Clarke
• Radhika Coomaraswamy
• Suraya Dalil
• Wesahl Domingo
• Shirin Ebadi
• Yakin Ertük
• Alda Facio
• Stephanie Farrior
• Hannah Garry
• James Thuo Gathii
• Richard Goldstone
• Pablo de Greiff
• Mozn Hassan
• Yoko Hayashi
• Helena Kennedy
• Sisi Khampepe
• Fawzia Koofi
• Viviana Krsticevic
• Joanna Lewis
• Marina Mahathir
• Haanya Malik
• Elham Manea
• Gay J. McDougall
• Juan E. Méndez
• Davood Moradian
• Denis Mukwege
• Nadia Murad
• Elizabeth Odio Benito
• Thandi Orleyn
• Mikiko Otani
• Tamana Zaryab Paryani
• Pragna Patel
• Fausto Pocar
• Javaid Rehman
• Mary Robinson
• Kenneth Roth
• Albie Sachs
• Mariam Safi
• Gita Sahgal
• Sima Samar
• Habiba Sarabi
• Fatou Sou
• Leigh Toomey
• Melanne Verveer
• Zarqa Yaftali
• Ganna Yudkivska

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

The Declaration is the result of an 18-month process of global consultation with leading experts, including a series of virtual consultations with women human rights defenders (WHRDs) from Afghanistan in spring 2025 and an in-person convening of United Nations (UN) experts, Afghan and South African WHRDs, civil society representatives, and international law experts at the University of Michigan Law School in September 2025.

This effort builds on the precedent of other experts’ declarations, signed on to by leading international legal and human rights experts, which were very influential in developing a human rights jurisprudence on a range of issues, and have been cited by UN bodies and experts, by governments and national policies and even by some courts. Its methodology has aimed to foreground the leadership of those most affected, and to build partnership between frontline defenders, especially Afghans, and their international allies.

Comments

All signatures are in an individual’s personal capacity. Titles are listed for identification purposes only.

©2026 Declaration on Gender Apartheid. All rights reserved.

Recommended Citation

Abi-Saab, Georges; Ahmadi, Belquis; Alkarib, Hala; Amien, Waheeda; Andrews, Penelope; Anwar, Zainah; Babakarkhail, Marzia; Bailliet, Cecilia; Bakhtari, Manizha; Bennoune, Karima; Boisson de Chazournes, Laurence; Boroumand, Roya; Boullata, Terry; Bunch, Charlotte; Cook, Rebecca J.; Clarke, Roberta; Coomaraswamy, Radhika; Dalil, Suraya; Domingo, Wesahl; Ebadi, Shirin; Ertük, Yakin; Facio, Alda; Farrior, Stephanie; Garry, Hannah; Thuo Gathii, James; Goldstone, Richard; de Greiff, Pablo; Hassan, Mozn; Hayashi, Yoko; Kennedy, Helena; Khampepe, Sisi; Koofi, Fawzia; Krsticevic, Viviana; Lewis, Joanna; Mahathir, Marina; Malik, Haanya; Manea, Elham; McDougall, Gay J.; Méndez, Juan E.; Moradian, Davood; Mukwege, Denis; Murad, Nadia; Odio Benito, Elizabeth; Orleyn, Thandi; Otani, Mikiko; Zaryab Paryani, Tamana; Patel, Pragna; Pocar, Fausto; Rehman, Javaid; Robinson, Mary; Roth, Kenneth; Sachs, Albie; Safi, Mariam; Sahgal, Gita; Samar, Sima; Sarabi, Habiba; Sou, Fatou; Toomey, Leigh; Verveer, Melanne; Yaftali, Zarqa; and Yudkivska, Ganna, "International Declaration on Gender Apartheid and Its Destructive Consequences" (2026). Other Publications. 296.
https://repository.law.umich.edu/other/296