UN Women and AECID promote dialogue on access to justice and the right to care in Panama
Date:
Elena González (Director of the Cultural Center of Spain in Panama), Aracelly de León de Bernal (Director of the Institute for Women at the University of Panama), Niurka del Carmen Palacio Urriola (Minister of Women of Panama), Bibiana Aido (UN Women Regional Director for the Americas and the Caribbean), and Ariadne García (Justice of the Supreme Court of Justice of Panama), at the opening of the meeting “Access to Justice and the Right to Care: Towards More Equal Societies” at Casa del Soldado, on March 16, 2026, in Panama. UN Women / Guadalupe Valdés.
Panama City, Panama
In the framework of the commemoration of International Women’s Day, UN Women and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) held the event “Access to justice and the right to care: towards more equal societies”, a dialogue space that brought together representatives of the feminist movement, public institutions, international organizations, the diplomatic corps and civil society at the Spanish Cultural Center (AECID).
The event focused on analysis and the exchange of ideas on the relationship between access to justice and the right to care as key elements for advancing more equal societies.
Photo: UN Women/Guadalupe Valdés.
Bibiana Aido (UN Women Regional Director for the Americas and the Caribbean), Niurka del Carmen Palacio Urriola (Minister of Women), Aracelly de León de Bernal (Director of the Women’s Institute at the University of Panama) and Ariadne García (Justice of the Supreme Court) engaged with participants on the importance of access to justice as an enabling right that allows women to claim other fundamental rights, including the right to care, social protection and reparation in cases of violence.
Photo: UN Women/Guadalupe Valdés.
The event was closed by Guzmán Palacios Fernández, Ambassador of Spain in Panama, who highlighted the importance of raising awareness about the distribution of care and gender-based violence, which requires education in co-responsibility and the elimination of stereotypes. During the event, progress in the development of Panama’s National Care System was presented, including territorial initiatives promoted within the framework of the “Territories that Care” strategy and the regional project “Transforming Economies: towards the reduction, recognition and redistribution of unpaid domestic and care work in Latin America and the Caribbean”, implemented by UN Women with funding from AECID through its Cooperation Office in Panama.
This dialogue takes place in an international context marked by the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), which places at the center of the global debate the importance of ensuring effective access to justice for all women and girls. The event also marked the opening of the seminar “Connected and resilient: a feminist perspective”, organized by the Spanish Cultural Center in Panama, which will run until November 2026. The seminar consists of conferences addressing key issues such as public policy, the environment, the redefinition of care, motherhood, culture, and urban planning, from feminist perspectives that place women’s experiences, realities, and rights at the center.
Partnerships among institutional actors, civil society, and international cooperation are essential to continue advancing the consolidation of public policies that promote gender equality, shared responsibility in care, and effective access to justice for all women and girls.
About UN Women
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. It works with governments, civil society, and strategic partners to eliminate discrimination against women and girls and to ensure their access to rights, resources, and opportunities.
About AECID
The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) is the state agency attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation, responsible for promoting, planning, coordinating, managing, and implementing Spain’s public policies on sustainable development cooperation, humanitarian action, and education for sustainable development and global citizenship. In Panama, it operates through two units: the Cooperation Office (Clayton) and the Spanish Cultural Center–Casa del Soldado (Casco Antiguo).
Press Contact
UN Women Panama – Communications
panama.coordinacion@unwomen.org
AECID Panama
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Cooperation Office
oce.panama@aecid.es