Mongolia’s gender equality law largely in line with OSCE commitments, though certain aspects could benefit from review, says ODIHR opinion

Mongolia’s law on promoting gender equality largely complies with international human rights standards and OSCE commitments, but certain aspects of the legislation could benefit from further clarification and review, concludes a legal opinion prepared by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The opinion, published on 8 October 2013, is the first review ODIHR has carried out of Mongolia’s legislation since the country became the OSCE’s 57th participating State in November 2012, taking upon itself all existing OSCE commitments, including those related to gender equality. The opinion was prepared in response to a request from the National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia.

The opinion notes positively the wide scope of the law that covers public and private spheres, and the special measures introduced by the legislation to foster gender balance in many aspects of daily life. Detailed provisions aimed at guaranteeing gender equality in employment and labour relations, education and culture, and health care were also viewed as positive.

At the same time, the opinion recommends clarifying certain articles of the law, including the definition of sexual harassment. It adds that the system of varying gender quotas in different parts and levels of the public sector should be re-considered to ensure that gender equality is promoted at all levels of public administration. The court and other procedures leading to sanctions for violations of the law should also be spelled out in a more specific way.