App designed to promote women’s human rights

Women (and men) with smartphones and tablets will be able to access a range of information about women's human rights Keystone

The Swiss foreign ministry and the Swiss Centre of Expertise in Human Rights (SCHR) have developed an app for smartphones and tablets which will give users access to a database of documents relating to women’s human rights.

The app, introduced on Tuesday, brings together the texts of international agreements, United Nations resolutions, conventions and declarations on a variety of topics, ranging from early marriage to sexual violence to the economic empowerment of women.

An alphabetical list of more than 100 search terms enables users to locate the most current versions and agreed language of documents negotiated by the international community.

According to a statement from the foreign ministry, “Besides its archival function, this feature also makes it easier to prepare negotiations on UN resolutions and documents, to draft and propose new resolutions and to draft statements, presentations and speeches on women’s human rights and gender issues.”

Benno Bättig, general secretary of the foreign ministry, said he foresees the app being used by “member states in international organisations, diplomats engaged in multilateral negotiations and NGOs active in the field of women’s human rights as they go about their daily work”.

Among other organisations which could potentially use the app is the UN Commission on the Status of Women, to which Switzerland has been elected a voting member for the 2013-2017 term.