ADB’s Law and Policy Reform Program and UNDP Partner to Support Women’s Judicial Leadership
Bangkok and Manila, 10 March 2026—On the International Day of Women Judges, ADB's Law and Policy Reform Program and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced a new regional partnership to support the establishment of Asia-Pacific Women Judges Network (APWJN) aimed at strengthening women’s leadership in the judiciary and advancing inclusive and people-centered justice systems across Asia and the Pacific.
The partnership comes at a pivotal moment for the region. While countries across Asia and the Pacific have seen historic progress in women’s representation in the judiciary in recent years, the most recent data from the Global Progress Report on SDG 16 indicate that women remain underrepresented in judicial leadership positions across Asia, reflecting persistent structural barriers, gender bias, and unequal access to leadership pathways.
“Having a network for women judges will be useful to learn from each other, develop effective leadership strategies and strengthen solidarity and collective voice across the region,” said Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla of the Supreme Court of Nepal. “This is particularly relevant when many countries are regressing in terms of gender equality.”
Recent consultations on barriers to women’s advancement in the judiciary in the region, supported by the Global Gender Justice Platform, highlight that women judges face higher risks of workplace harassment, online abuse, and threats, alongside disproportionate care responsibilities—factors that contribute to higher attrition and slower career progression. These challenges are compounded for women from marginalized groups, underscoring the importance of an intersectional approach.
"I believe that strengthening women’s leadership in the judiciary is about more than representation; it is about building justice systems that truly understand people’s lives and deliver just outcomes for women and girls. I would like to thank ADB for this partnership. UNDP looks forward to working together to promote gender justice across the region.” Said Ms. Beate Trankmann, Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, UNDP.
Under the partnership, UNDP and ADB will support women judges to establish the APWJN, deliver tailored capacity development, and strengthen judicial data collection and dissemination to support evidence-based analysis of gender dynamics within judiciaries. The initiative will also work with national actors to improve disaggregated and comparable data on women’s representation across judicial levels, supporting progress tracking under SDG indicator 16.7.1(c) on representation in decision-making.
“The judiciary plays a unique role in shaping and upholding the rights of individuals and businesses, and in enforcing accountability. It must therefore be credible and representative. ADB's Law and Policy Program is proud to work with UNDP to support leadership opportunities for women judges—an important and growing segment of our judiciaries. The substantive participation of women judges in decision‑making and leadership is pivotal to building inclusive institutions, strengthening governance, and ultimately upholding the rule of law.” said ADB Deputy General Counsel, Damien J. Eastman
This partnership builds on UNDP’s experience through its Shifts Underway: Women in Justice regional initiative aimed at promoting women’s judicial leadership as a core pillar of people-centered justice and is linked to the theme of this year’s Commission Status of Women (CSW 70). It further leverages ADB’s long-standing commitment and relationships with its member countries' judiciaries and reflects UNDP and ADB’s shared commitment to support women judicial leaders with the tools, data, and a regional network to strengthen peer-support and drive reform for more inclusive and gender-responsive justice institutions.
ADB’s support comes under a dedicated Technical Assistance—TA 59007‑001: Supporting the Asia and the Pacific Women Judges Network.
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