The CEDAW convention obliges States Parties to eliminate de iure and de facto discrimination and empower women. The CEDAW Committee is responsible for making the convention a dynamic and effective instrument – in all areas of life and in all 189 ratifying countries. The Committee deals with gender equality topics such as violation against women in its various forms, women’s economic role, women’s rights in the family, their participation in decision-making, sexual and reproductive rights and health, women’s challenges in the digitalized world – to mention a few.
Who I am
I am a lawyer, an experienced consultant and co-director of Ximpulse Ltd, a Swiss consultancy firm specialised in the areas of human rights and governance. I have extensive experience in analysing, advising, supporting and building the capacity of state and non-state actors in the areas of women's rights, access to justice, and state organisation in various countries all over the world, including in conflict and post-conflict situations.
My commitment against all forms of discrimination
Gender equality is a personal concern to me. I dedicated a great part of my career to the promotion of human rights, and in particular to the promotion of women's rights and gender equality. I am committed to combat all forms of discrimination, strengthen gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Establishing formal rights and obligations is an important start but will not be enough to achieve de facto gender equality: Adequate institutions, additional resources, reforms of work processes, change in behaviours and attitudes are needed for systemic transformation to occur.
My legal expertise
I am a lawyer who possesses extensive legal expertise on the CEDAW Convention and the international human rights mechanisms. I co-edited the first German-language commentary on the CEDAW Convention and its implementation in Switzerland and Austria in 2015. I also contributed several times to the preparation of the Swiss report for the CEDAW Committee and took part in the development of an online tool to facilitate the use of the CEDAW Convention by lawyers in Switzerland. I have a wealth of knowledge that will enable me to help consolidate and further develop the work of the CEDAW Committee.
My practical experience from many contexts
My numerous mandates have taken me to many different parts of the world and a great variety of contexts. I have developed my experience both in support of civil society and on behalf of state actors. My academic, political and legal expertise complement each other, ensuring a broad understanding of the challenges of implementation of the rights covered by CEDAW. Through my working experience with governments and many types of institutions (at the local, national and international levels), I have an understanding of the perspectives of both states as duty-bearers and of human beings as rights-holders. I've also learned that to grasp reality, you need to understand the diversity of perspectives and interests involved. I'm able to communicate, listen and understand, and interact with people from different social and cultural backgrounds. I'm fluent in English, French and Spanish, my mother tongue being German.
My priorities for my CEDAW work
Together with my 22 colleagues from all over the world, I do my best to ensure that the CEDAW Committee can work as effectively as possible. The Committee has a variety of instruments that it is using: the “constructive dialogue” with State parties based on reports, individual communications, General Recommendations on specific topics, investigations on specific Countries, and statements.
My personal focus is particularly on:
1strengthening the legal work and proceedings of the Committee;
2Contributing to increase the visibility and impact of the CEDAW Convention, as a universal reference instrument for fighting discrimination in the most critical areas of life, and address the specific challenges experienced by vulnerable groups;
3Emphasizing cooperation and synergies with other international bodies and actors that play an important role in combating discrimination against women.
Key experiences
2024
Election to the CEDAW Committee, proposed by Switzerland, for 2025 - 2028
1999 - present
Various consultancy mandates as an expert, including:
- Various independent evaluations and multiple contributions to and support for development programmes involving the gender dimension in various countries, mandated by Switzerland in the field of development cooperation.
- Design and development of an online tool for lawyers to use the CEDAW Convention in practice for the Swiss Federal Commission for Women’s Issues.
- Participation as an expert in the preparation and drafting of several periodic reports of Switzerland for the CEDAW Committee as well as Switzerland’s first report on the implementation of the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence for the GREVIO Committee.
- Key advice, design and implementation of the strategy for the establishment of a national human rights institution in Switzerland.
- Support for monitoring of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs’ Strategy on Gender Equality and Women’s Rights.
- Co-design and contribution to several training courses and workshops on CEDAW, human rights and development in the field of development cooperation.
1998
Doctorate in law, doctoral thesis on human rights in development cooperation.
1989 - 1994
Legal adviser at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, responsible for various issues related to Swiss human rights policy, including vis-à-vis the UN, the Council of Europe and the OSCE.
1985
Admission to the bar in Bern
Recent publications
Erika Schläppi, Common goals – different universes: Gender equality in human rights, the CEDAW Convention and the transformative agenda for sustainable development (in German), in : Université de Linz / Institut für Legal Gender Studies, Linz 2022, pp. 4-33.
Erika Schläppi, From voting rights to effective political participation: formal and substantive equality – and the need for positive measures (in German), in : Juristinnen Schweiz (eds.), Recht und Geschlecht, Herausforderungen der Gleichstellung, Zurich/Saint-Gall, 2021, pp. 47-70.
Judith Wyttenbach, Erika Schläppi, Women’s rights and children’s rights: Which international complaint procedure ? (In german), in : FamPra.ch 2018/2, pp. 429-465.
Erika Schläppi, Silvia Ulrich, Judith Wyttenbach, Commentary on the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women CEDAW (in German), Berne/Vienna, (Stämpfli/Manz) 2015 (1380 p.)
Erika Schläppi, Jeanne DuBois, Overcoming discrimination against women in family law: approaches and possibilities (in german), in : FamPra.ch 2012/3, pp. 601-626.