Women’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Tunisia

This policy paper, developed by NOVACT with the support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the Barcelona City Council, aims to promote women’s economic, social and cultural rights in Tunisia through a cross-cutting and three-pronged approach that centrally integrates a gender-sensitive environmental justice perspective.

First, it provides a comprehensive analysis of the legal framework, including existing legislation and ratified international conventions, with a particular focus on assessing the effectiveness of their implementation, especially in contexts where environmental justice and women’s rights intersect.

Second, it identifies and analyses the key actors that support — or could potentially play a significant role in — the protection and strengthening of women’s economic, social and cultural rights. Third, it puts forward concrete and actionable recommendations, structured around five strategic areas.

The paper approaches this issue from a three-dimensional perspective. On the one hand, it examines the incorporation of women’s economic, social and cultural rights into Tunisian legislation. On the other, it analyses the gap between the legal framework and its effective implementation, when such rights are formally recognised. Finally, it highlights the need to adopt a holistic understanding of women’s rights, acknowledging their organic and indivisible interconnection.

This policy paper was produced within the framework of the HARAKA project, a feminist initiative implemented by the NOVACT Institute for Nonviolence, the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD) and the Joussour Citizenship Association.

Available documents:

Full report (EN) · Executive summary (EN) · Executive summary (AR)