You are warmly invited to attend an international conference of human rights experts on ‘Women and Poverty: A Human Rights Perspective’ taking place on 28th-30th April 2014, Kigali, Rwanda.

While the feminization of poverty has long been a recognized phenomenon, gender inequality and poverty are often conceptualized as two separate problems. Poverty is often addressed from a gender neutral standpoint rather than a comprehensive, integrated and holistic gendered perspective. This fails to capture the many inter-locking human rights violations experienced by impoverished women. This invisibility is compounded by the misconception that economic prosperity or an increase in human development corresponds to an increase in gender equality and empowerment. With the post-2015 Development Goals prominent on the international and national agenda, it is a key moment to pause and shine the spotlight on human rights responses to gendered poverty. This conference aims to bring together a diverse group of participants to explore current developments, to analyse existing weaknesses and to attempt to point towards future improvements in the ways in which human rights frameworks can address these problems.

The conference is being organised by the University of Oxford Law Faculty in partnership with the University of Cape Town, and the University of Rwanda, with the support Chief Justice Sam Rugege, Chief Justice of Rwanda.  It is an exciting opportunity for us to create a network of researchers, which we hope will continue to interact in the coming years.

Conference sessions

Women and Poverty: A human rights approach

Gender, Poverty and Internally Displaced Persons: A Human Rights Approach

Gender Equality and the Right to Development

The Challenge of Poverty and Intersectional Identities

Women and Economic Development: The Promise of Corporate Social Responsibility

Women and Work: Labour and Social Security

The Interaction of Women, Poverty and Customary Law

Exploring the Potential of Socio-economic Rights to Remedy Women’s Poverty

Future Developments in Research into the Role of Human Rights Law in relation to Women and Poverty

List of key speakers 

The conference will bring together over 24 speakers drawing on the expertise of world renowned international delegates from academia, policy making and NGOs as well as doctoral students from each of the participating countries. We have among our confirmed speakers:

Hon. Professor Sam Rugege the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (Rwanda);

Justice Kate O’Regan, former Justice of the Constitutional Court (South Africa);

Dr Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, Dean of the Law Faculty of the University of Rwanda;

Professor Timothy Endicott the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Oxford University;

Professor Olivier de Schutter , United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food;

Commissioner Winfred Osimbo Lichuma, Chairperson of the National Gender and Equality Commission Kenya;

Dr Chaloka Beyani, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Internally Displaced Persons;

Professor Rutwina, the Dean of the Law School, University of Dar es Salaam;

Dr. Rose Mukankomeje,Director General of Rwanda Environmental Management Authority;

Dr. Esther Dungumaro, Coordinator at Institute of Development Studies (University of Dar es Salaam);

Dr. Jeni Klugman, Sector Director-Gender and Development, Poverty Reduction & Economic Management Network, World Bank;

Professor Chris Maina Peter, Member of the International Law Commission.

We also have a number of other eminent persons from Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa and Nigeria.

The conference will examine the human rights approach to women in poverty and how it can be used to improve the socio-economic conditions of women. It will take place at Hotel Le Mingo and the Opening Ceremony will be in the morning of 28th April, 2014, from 8.30 am to 10.30 am. Here are links for: Registration & Further Information