EWL Newsflash August 2008

 

Editorial

 

Commission proposes comprehensive anti-discrimination directive-but without increased protection against se-base discrimination

 

The European Women’s Lobby very much welcomes the European Commission’s initiative for a European Directive to protect against discrimination outside of employment on the grounds of religion, age, disability and sexual orientation. The proposal aims to prohibit discrimination in the public and private sector with regards to social protection including social security and health care, social advantages, education, and in access to and supply of goods and services including housing. The proposed new legislation does not cover discrimination on the ground of sex.  There is already EU legislation regarding equality between women and men in the area of employment and in relation to goods and services. If this new Directive is adopted, there will be a gap between on the one hand European legislation on the grounds of race (directive from 2000), religion/belief, disability, age, sexual orientation (new directive if adopted) and on the other hand European gender equality legislation. The EWL is calling for this gap to be filled.

 

On the other hand, the proposed Directive contains a number of exceptions which are left for decisions by Member States, for example the organisation of school systems (in relation to education), the relationship between state/church, and matters related to marital and family status, including adoption and reproductive rights. This means for example that each Member State is free to institute/recognise legally registered partnerships. There is a risk that reproductive health services are also excluded from the scope of the Directive. These matters therefore must be clarified. When the Directive is adopted, sex will be the least protected ground for discrimination in European legislation, with gaps in the areas of education, healthcare, social advantages and social security. For EWL these gaps must be filled, and therefore gender mainstreaming must be firmly integrated in the proposal; multiple discrimination must be sufficiently addressed and defined in order to ensure an effective level of protection for all forms of discrimination, including sex discrimination. EWL urges the EC and Member States to clarify the material scope of the Directive 2004/113 on equal treatment between women and men on access to and supply of goods and services with regards to social protection including social security and health care and social advantages, and to commit to a precise calendar to level up and complement the existing European gender equality legislation by 2010 at the latest, in order to ensure that the protection against sex discrimination is on an equal footing with other forms of discrimination in the EU. See the Commission’s proposal here.

 

EWL News

 

 

EWL Campaign and Lobbying Kit on Parity Democracy - In 2009, European voters will elect the new European Parliament (EP) and the new European Commission (EC) will be nominated. This presents a real opportunity to reach parity democracy: the equal representation of women and men, within the European Union Institutions. In the context of its Campaign “No Modern European Democracy without Gender Equality”, the EWL has produced a Lobbying Kit. The Kit comprises two sections. The first is an Action Kit, which includes all the steps you can take with EWL to improve the presence of women in European decision-making. The second section provides in-depth information and clarifies certain myths in relation to parity democracy and quotas. The aim of the Kit is to assist women’s non-governmental organisations and other interested actors to put pressure on political parties and decision-makers to introduce measures to advance parity in view of the EP elections and the nominations to be made for EU top jobs in 2009. The Kit is available in English and French.

 

EWL Briefing on proposed New Anti-Discrimination Directive - This briefing addresses the context and content of this proposal, and raises concerns about gaps with respect to family and marital status; reproductive rights; and the fact that discrimination on the ground of sex would be the least protected ground in EU anti-discrimination legislation when this directive is adopted. The briefing is available in English and in French.

 

EWL Briefing on Human Rights - This briefing provides an update on the EU human rights policies and structures, with information on relevant legislation, policy and the institutional context. The briefing focuses on recent developments such as the establishment of the Fundamental Rights Agency; the increased focus on fundamental rights within the EU; the Lisbon Treaty; and the relationship between EU legislation and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights. The Briefing is available in English and in French.

 

The EWL is now available on Wikipedia - see here.

 

The EWL is part of the Steering Committee for research on positive actions - A group of researchers led by the Centre for Inclusion and Diversity, University of Bradford, are conducting a European Commission funded ‘Positive Action Measures in the European Union, Canada, United States & South Africa’ (PAMECUS) research study to better understand the role that positive action measures can play in practice in preventing or redressing discrimination.  Part of the research is based on a survey, available online in English, French and German, please click here to participate.

 

The Executive Committee of the European Women’s Lobby met on 29 September 2008 in Brussels.

 

EWL Representation

 

·          Myria Vassiliadou, EWL General Secretary met with Sietske Steneker, Director of the UNFPA, on 14 July in Brussels.

 

·          Thérèse Murphy, EWL Vice President, and Mary Collins, will represent the EWL in a workshop on Engendering RECWOWE organised by Central Economic Committee, Belgium on 28-29 August at UCL Louvain.

 

 

·          Cécile Gréboval, was invited as a speaker in a workshop during the European Greens Summer University on 30 August in Frankfurt/Oder (Germany).

 

EWL  Civil Society Representation

 

 

Platform of European Social NGOs - The EWL is an active member of the Platform of European social NGOs and is represented within its Management Committee and most working groups. A delegation of the Social Platform attended the informal meeting of Employment and Social Affairs Ministers 10-11 July in Chantilly (France) on the theme of the renewed social agenda. In its contribution, to which EWL contributed, the Social Platform called for a Social Pact, alongside the Gender and Youth Pact as a means of restoring the balance between social rights and economic rights in the EU.

 

EU Civil Society Contact Group - EWL is member of the EU Civil Society Contact Group that brings together seven large rights and value based NGO sectors - environment, social, development, women, culture, human rights and public health. More information: Act 4 Europe.  

Registration of lobbyists - The EU Civil Society Contact Group expressed it disappointment with the voluntary lobby register launched by the European Commission as part of its initiative to increase transparency. The Civil Society Contact Group, while welcoming an initiative that would provide more public scrutiny, criticises the way in which the register raises more questions than answers as it should provide information on how many lobbyists are there in Brussels?, who do they work for?, and who is paying them? The Civil Society Contact Group press release can be downloaded here and the register here.

 

EESC Liaison Group with Organised Civil Society - EWL is member of the NGO Liaison group of the European Economic and Social Committee. More information: NGO Liaison.

 

EWL is member of the NGO Platform on EU Migration and Asylum Policy initiated by the UNHCR to discuss and exchange information on the development of immigration policies and legislations at European level.

 

European and International News in Brief 

 

European News

 

The European Commission adopted the Renewed Social Agenda on 3 July, a package of 19 proposals including the proposed Directive on discrimination (see editorial). The Renewed Social Agenda aims to respond to the economic and social challenges, includes other initiatives such as a Communication on strengthening the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) for Social Protection and Social Inclusion and a proposal for a Directive on cross border healthcare and patients rights. The Renewed Social Agenda can be downloaded here. 

 

European Commission acts on implementation of gender equality legislation implementation. The EC has sent reasoned opinions to the Czech Republic, Greece and Poland for non-transposition of the EU directive prohibiting discrimination in the access to and supply of goods and services (Directive 2004/113/EC). The directive prohibits direct and indirect discrimination based on sex in the area of goods and services offered to the public, outside the area of private and family life, such as transport, housing, banking and insurance. The opinions, sent on 26 June, allow Member States two months to respond. In case of lack of or unsatisfactory reply, the EC can then decide to bring the case to the European Court of Justice.

 

Sex-based discrimination in the insurance sector - The Belgian consumers’ organisation TestAchats has made a complaint to the European Commission and the Belgian Constitutional court regarding the EC Directive 2004/113 implementing the principle of equal treatment between men and women in the access to and supply of goods and services. According to the implementation measures insurance companies in Belgium may not use the criteria sex to determine insurance fees. However, derogation is possible for life insurance, allowing sex-based discrimination. TestAchats calls for an annulment of this derogation, with reference to the Belgian constitution’s provisions on equality between women and men as an absolute principle in relation to Directive 2004/113. For more information click  here.

 

Launch of a new EU-level network of women in power to promote women in decision-making positions in politics and the economy across Europe. The inaugural meeting was opened by Equal Opportunities Commissioner Vladimír Špidla and by Zita Gurmai, Vice-Chairwoman of the European Parliament's Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality. More information can be found here.

 

Campaign for Romani survivors of coerced sterilisations - The Ostrava-based Group of Women Harmed by Sterilisation, the European Roma Rights Centre and the Peacework Development Fund has launched a global campaign seeking support for Romani women victims of coerced sterilisation practices in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. The campaign calls on the respective governments to recognise the human rights violations perpetrated and to obtain an apology and compensation for the survivors. Documents and info available on the ERRC  website. Join the online list of supporters by writing to compensation.now@errc.org.

 

Worst EU Lobbying Awards 2008 - Nominations are open for the Worst EU Lobbying Awards 2008. The idea behind the Worst EU Lobbying Awards is to discourage controversial lobbying practices by exposing them to the public. The Worst EU Lobbying Awards is organised by Corporate Europe Observatory, Friends of the Earth Europe, Lobby Control and Spinwatch. Nominations can be submitted online until 12 September 2008.

 

International News

 

The UN Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) has recently posted on its website a description of the communications procedure of the Commission on the Status of Women.  The Division has also created an e-mail account for such communications (appeals, petitions, urgent actions, alerts, etc).  It is hoped that this development will make the communications procedure of the Commission on the Status of Women a more accessible procedure to use for individuals and organisations that are engaged in advocacy work on women's human rights and gender equality issues. Link to the communications procedure of the Commission on the Status of Women:        http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/communications_procedure.html

 

The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee was inaugurated 4-15 August 2008 in Geneva. The HRC Advisory Committee replaces the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. It will provide expertise and advice, and conduct research and studies on thematic issues of interest to the HRC. More information is available here.

 

The UNGASS AIDS Forum brought together delegates from the Global South prior to a meeting on advancements on sexual and reproductive health and rights and HIV/AIDS. A demand for inclusion of sexual and reproductive health and rights was included into the HIV/AIDS response. You find more information here. A document entitled "Women Demand Action and Accountability Now!" was presented to participating governments.

 

Support to women in Afghanistan - At a donors’ conference in Paris, French President Sarkozy, Afghan President Karzai, and UN Secretary-General Ki-moon issued a joint declaration committing to support the implementation of the Afghan Action Plan for Women. Afghan women parliamentarians had, before the conference, called on the international community and the Afghan government to implement measures to safeguard women’s rights, and to promote women’s equal participation in the efforts to build peace in Afghanistan. For more information: ziad.sheikh@unifem.org.

 

News from the European Parliament

 

Priorities of the French presidency - France took over the European presidency from Slovenia on 1 July 2008. The priorities of the Presidency were shared with different committees of the European Parliament at the beginning of July. The priorities of the French Presidency can be found here. Priorities regarding women include actions and guidelines on violence against women in armed conflict and domestic violence.

 

The Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality meeting in 15-16 July included an exchange of views with Valérie Létard, French Secretary of State for Solidarity, on the actions regarding  gender equality in the work programme of the French presidency. The French Presidency supports initiatives to amend  the Directive 92/85 of 19 October 1992 on maternity leave, Directive 96/34 of 3 June 1996 on parental leave, and Directive 86/613 on equal treatment between men and women engaged in an activity, including agriculture, in a self-employed capacity. A conference and a meeting of Ministers on the topic of fessional equality between women and men will take place 13-14 November 2008. The Presidency will support initiatives aimed at the promotion of full recognition of the rights of women in Europe.

 

The draft report on Equality between women and men - 2008 (Rapporteur: Iratxe García Pérez (PSE/ES) was adopted in FEMM 16 July, and will be voted on in plenary 1 September. The report addresses the gender pay gap; the proportion of company directors who are women and women in politics; reconciliation of private and professional life; women's participation in decision-making; and violence against women. The report calls on the Commission and the Council to establish a clear legal basis for the EU to combat all forms of violence against women, including trafficking; to combat organised crime; and to take new measures to discourage demand for prostitution. Read the report here.

 

A hearing on the Commission’s proposal for a directive providing for sanctions against employers of illegally staying third-country nationals took place 16 July at the Civil Liberties Committee, with representatives from business associations and trade unions debating the proposed text. MEPs will be considering the Commission’s proposal under the co-decision procedure in the autumn. The proposal received mixed responses, some favouring it while others found it too harsh; the problem in the Member States of making sure that labour laws are enforced for legally resident migrants too, was also emphasised.

 

Update on violence against women and human rights

 

UN: Navi Pillay appointed new High Commissioner for Human Rights (HCHR) - Navi Pillay, a well recognised international human rights judge and also a strong women’s rights defender, has been appointed to succeed Louise Arbour, who steps down after four years as the UNHCHR. Since 2003, Navi Pillay served as judge at the International Criminal Court and was elected Judge President of the ICT for Rwanda in 1999. There she was instrumental in the recognition of rape as a crime against humanity and genocide when it is used to destroy a targeted group. She was the first woman of colour in Natal province to start her own firm and becoming an advocate for women. She is also co-founder and board member of Equality Now. More information  here.

 

The UNIFEM ‘Say NO to Violence against Women’ campaign is ongoing, and on 23 June, Foreign Ministers and Prime Ministers from nine new countries and the European Commission signed the campaign. To show your support, and to help the campaign to reach the goal of one million people to join the campaign by 25 November 2008 - the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women - sign up here.

 

The US Trafficking in Persons report 2008 was released in June. It includes information about trafficking in persons, information about protection, prevention and punishment. More information  here.

 

UN General Assembly focused on human trafficking conclude that effective policy needs to be put into practice to fight sexual and labour exploitation; that closer partnership among all stakeholders is needed at local, national and international level; and that preventive measures are necessary. The problem must be tackled at its source by making it harder to trade human beings and by reducing demand for services of exploited people. Appropriate protection and assistance to victims is required. It was suggested that a global action plan should be developed, and that a regular review mechanism to monitor the implementation of the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols should be established. You find more information about the thematic debate here.

To read more about EWL activities in the field of regional cooperation and victim assistance, see the Nordic-Baltic pilot project, coordinated by the EWL. 

 

Violence against women and small arms - The International Action Network on Small Arms Women’s Network has developed a position paper about domestic violence and firearms possession, and laws and policies that separate perpetrators from guns. This has been used at the Third Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms 14-18 July 2008 at the UN Headquarters. For more information about IANSA Women’s Network click here.

 

The European Alliance for Reproductive Choice has been established by a group of 21 representatives of organisations and institutions from 10 countries from East Europe and Central Asia. It aims to protect reproductive rights of women by access to comprehensive safe abortion services. Its goals include safe motherhood and women’s right to choose. Please, click here to get more information.

 

A European Network for the Promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Health of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Europe and Beyond has been set up to improve the sexual and reproductive health of refugees and asylum seekers. For more information visit the website of the International Centre for Reproductive Health, Ghent University.

 

Conference on abortion in Lithuanian parliament - Following the recent backlash in family planning, the right to abortion is threatened in Lithuania through a possible restriction of the abortion law. On 11 June, the Family Planning and Sexual Health Association of Lithuania, together with Parliamentarian Group on Development, Reproductive Health and Rights, with Lithuanian Society of Gynecologists, Lithuanian Society of Contraceptology organised a conference on abortion in the  Parliament. For more information click  here. 

 

The Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) is part of the Every Human Has Rights Campaign through the Human Rights for Women ‹—› Human Rights for All: UDHR60 (Universal Declaration of Human Rights 60th Anniversary) Campaign. The CWGL campaign will conclude during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence in November/December 2008. You find more information here. You can sign the pledge of the Every Human Has Rights Campaign here.

 

US President Bush has announced that he will withhold funding from the United Nations Population Fund, which supports voluntary family planning and reproductive health programs in 154 countries, for the seventh year in a row. According to PlanetWire the United States is the only country to withhold UNFPA funding for political reasons. For more information click  here.

 

Publication “Intercultural Dialogue on Violence against Women” - The Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies [MIGS] has published the final results of the Euro-Mediterranean project on this theme. It includes a synthesis of the state-of-the-art reports on Violence against Women from all five partner countries [Cyprus, Morocco, Greece, Egypt, Spain]; information from the project, workshop and training sessions conducted as well as short-listed photographs from the project’s widely publicised photo competition and exhibition. Read more.

 

Publication about the Bulgarian law against domestic violence - The Advocates for Human Rights and the Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation have released a publication “Implementation of the Bulgarian Law on Protection against Domestic Violence: A Human Rights Report”, about the use and implementation of the Bulgarian law adopted in 2005.

 

The Stop Violence against Women website has been developed by Advocates for Human Rights, with the objective of fighting against violence against women. The website aims to be a forum for information, advocacy and change, as well as a tool for the promotion of women’s human rights in countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

 

End Internet Trafficking Coalition is hosting a live audio-visual presentation on how human trafficking has flourished on the Internet both worldwide and in the United States. The purpose of this presentation is to educate all interested persons about Internet-based forms of human trafficking including mail order brides, sex tour operations, recruitment techniques, and documented cases in the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Please, click here for more information.

 

India Manual for Training Police on Anti Human Trafficking. This manual will form a compulsory training material in all police training programmes. The manual was released at India Habitat Centre recently by Gary Lewis, representative of United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), regional office for South Asia. Please, click here to get the manual.

 

Events

  

28 August:  Seminar on Violence against women with disabilities - The GUE/NGL group of the European Parliament together with Coalition Against Trafficking in Women will organise a seminar at the European Parliament, Brussels. To register: eva-britt.svensson-assistant2@europarl.europa.eu.

 

1-3 September: The 2008 Social Forum of the Human Rights Council - more information click here.

 

2 September: "Bringing diversity into the newsroom" - The Fundamental Rights Agency will organise a seminar on the Diversity Toolkit for journalists, in Geneva, in cooperation with the European Broadcasting Union. It aims to sensitise and inform media representatives in regard to media coverage on immigrants and minorities as well as on cultural diversity. Please, click here for more information.

 

9 September: Official launch of the Black European Women’s Council (BEWC) on at the European Economic and Social Committee, Brussels. BEWC is an international, non-profit body to represent the concerns, needs, interests and empowerment of Black European Women.
The Association will act as an initiator, creating a platform for dialogue with national, European and international institutions. For more information click  here.

 

9 September: Eurocare is organising an evening reception on Alcohol and Pregnancy on Tuesday, from 19h00 in the European Parliament. To register, contact Emilie Rapley (emilie.rapley@eurocare.org)

 

8-11 September: The 1st World Conference of Women's Shelters - “Discovering the Common Core: Practical Frameworks for Change”, will take place on in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Please, click here for more information.

 

11-13 September: The Third World Social Forum on Migration will take place in Madrid -  more information click here.

 

16 September: Press conference – launch of the European Women’s Lobby Parity Campaign, Brussels. Information: greboval@womenlobby.org.

 

17 September: Conference “Bridging the Gap – Gender Budgeting as a Management Instrument for Gender Equality at Universities”, in Brussels, more information and registration: Erbe@frauenakademie.de.

 

18-21 September - Brussels’ Women Film Festival - Botanique - This first « Elles tournent » festival is a space dedicated to women film directors; where they question the society in which they live with humour, originality and insolence. 40 films will be shown, including classics, previews, dramas, romances, and comedies. More information: www.ellestournent.be. 

 

19 September: A seminar "Multi-level protection of fundamental rights" will be hosted by FRA and Committee of the Regions in Reggio Emilia, Italy. It aims to explore the roles of different levels of government in implementing fundamental rights, focussing on local authorities. Please, click here for more information.

 

19-20 September: A European Conference - ‘The Right to Abortion: What is at stake for women in Europe?’ will be organised in Paris by the French Family Planning Movement. The conference, which will be on the official program of the French presidency, will focus on the right to abortion in EU Member States. More information: mfpf@planning-familial.org

 

9-11 October: The WIDE Annual Conference 2008, on the theme “Feminist visions for a just Europe” will take place in The Hague, the Netherlands. It will be hosted by the WO=MEN, a Dutch Gender Platform; and will gather at least 200 women’s rights activists from West, East and South. For more information click here or contact: wideconference2008@wo-men.nl.

 

27-28 October: the 1st International ‘Women and the Media’ Conference (CIMMCO), entitled “Violence against women, information or spectacle?” will gather media professionals and experts in gender violence in Valencia, Spain, to define proposals encouraging good practice in reporting violence against women. For more information and inscriptions click here.

 

30 October-2 November:  ILGA Annual Conference will take place in Vienna on. The theme of this year's conference is "Think globally, act locally" and reflects the work of ILGA-Europe and its members on advocating for international human rights standards and practices and their implementation at the local level. We hope that conference’s experienced panel speakers will not only outline current achievements, but also inspire a vision for the future of LGBT Europe. Please, click here for more information.

 

10-11 November: An International Conference on Rights and Realities in Promoting Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights will take place 2008 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. This conference is jointly organised by World Population Foundation and Youth Incentives, to gather community advocating for SRHR with the Rights Based Approach to discuss challenges and identify strategies to overcome obstacles. Youth organisations are welcome. For more information click  here.

 

11 November: The conference “A Global Contract Based on Climate Justice - The Need for a New Approach Concerning International Relations” will take place in the European Parliament, Brussels. For further information, contact: info@global-contract.eu.

 

15-16 December: The first session of the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues - more information, click here.

 

Publications - Web sites

  

Publications

 

The European Commission has published three documents relating to anti-discrimination and diversity. 1) “The fight against discrimination and the promotion of equality: how to measure progress done”, examines statistical data from international, European and national level, in order to develop further evaluation of the progress made in the equality and anti-discrimination field. 2) The Eurobarometer survey 296 on discrimination in the European Union - Perceptions, experiences and attitudes is an EU-wide survey over regarding discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation. 3) A training manual for diversity management. It provides concepts and practical tools to increase companies understanding about diversity management.

 

Issue No. 27 of the Siyanda Update: Gender mainstreaming, is available here. This issue includes a Quick Guide to Gender mainstreaming; a Country Focus on the Czech Republic; and news about the Experts' and Consultants' Database of published work from Siyanda Experts on gender mainstreaming. Click here to subscribe.

 

The Polish Federation for Women and Family Planning has released an English version of a report on the consequences of Polish anti-abortion law. The main findings of the report indicate that the existing anti-abortion law is stricter in the law than in practice. Abortion tourism and underground abortion are well developed and illegal abortion services easily available.

 

The guide “Transforming the National AIDS Response: Mainstreaming Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights into the ‘Three Ones” highlights approaches and presents case studies on how the incorporation of a gender equality perspective into HIV/AIDS policies and programmes can transform national responses to the AIDS pandemic. More information  here.

 

The CEE Bulletin on Sexual and Reproductive Rights No 7 (63) 2008 includes news about Astra’s petition to the European Parliament regarding sexuality education in the Member States. Other news covers SRR in Poland, Romania, Spain and Kyrgyzstan; UN developments; and new publications in the field of sexual and reproductive rights. To read the bulletin click here. For subscription contact: info@astra.org.pl. 

 

The Belgian organisation “Garance” has published the second edition of Echappez belle! Guide pratique de sécurité pour femmes, by Irene Zeilinger. It includes advice, possible actions, testimonies and addresses concerning self-defence for women. You find the guide here. Garance has also published a manual entitled «Non c'est non. Petit manuel d'autodéfense a l'usage de toutes les femmes qui en ont marre de se faire emmerder sans rien dire» on self-defence for women.

 

The Gender Responsive Budgeting Newsletter seeks to encourage knowledge sharing from gender budget initiatives around the world; share news on progress made in incorporating a gender perspective into budgeting; and inform practitioners of new resources and publications on gender-responsive budgeting. For more information click  here.

 

Women on the Frontline Series - a series of seven films on violence against women and girls and efforts to end it has been produced by UNIFEM together with UNFPA and the Austrian Government. It showcases experiences in Austria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, Mauritania, Morocco, Nepal and Turkey. For more information click  here.

 

The Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) Annual Report 2008 is now available. It covers information, events and developments related to racism and xenophobia in the EU 2007, and summarises findings of the Agency’s data collection in the Member States. Read the report here.

The FRA Bulletin Issue 4/2008 is available at the FRA website, providing information about a new report on homophobia; the cooperation agreement between FRA and the Council of Europe; news about future cooperation with civil society; and the FRA’s work on Roma.

 

Web sites

 

The project ALTER EGO invites youth to take part in a competition to create a 'double portrait': who would you be if you were born in another European country? Two winners per country gather in Denmark in November, where they are given the possibility to work with European artists. Winner’s contributions might be part of a European touring exhibition. The deadline is 5 September. EWL encourages the participation of girls and young women in this competition.

 

The Online International Museum of Women (I.M.O.W) publishes exhibitions capturing various women’s experiences. The current display is on the theme Women, Power and Politics.

UN-INSTRAW has initiated a project entitled “Building Networks: Latin American Women and Global Care Chains” in Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia and Spain, financed by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation.  As a result of the increasing demand for care and domestic labour (mainly in developed countries), new labour market opportunities have opened up for women because of the deficient response of public institutions to the so-called "care crisis."  Read more here.

Information about NGO participation in the UN Human Rights Council has been updated and is available here. A website has been created to provide enhanced guidelines for the submission of NGO written statements to Human Rights Council sessions.

 

The conclusions of the Citizens’ Agora on Climate change in June 2008 are available online.

 

 

Funding, Training, Calls, Jobs opportunities

 

 

Funding

 

The European Commission has launched a traineeship for women and men with disabilities for the period of 1 November 2008 to 31 March 2009. Applications are invited up to 15 September. The following link will direct you to the information note on the application process and the application form: http://ec.europa.eu/stages/index_en.htm.  Please disseminate as widely as possible.

 

Intensive International Postgraduate Programme 2009 of the Netherlands Research School of Women’s Studies (Utrecht University) - This 5-month programme (February – June) concentrates on Body Issues, Feminist Methodology for Research and Cultural Analysis. It is open to foreign PhD candidates and advanced MA students. Deadline for application: 15 September, 2008. For more information click here or contact the International Ph.D. coordinator: nov@let.uu.nl.

Training

The International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development calls for submissions to a special edition on Gender and Sustainable Development to be published in summer 2009. The call is for articles based on new quantitative research concerning the economic, social and environmental role of women, and the implications for government policies and business practices. Deadline for abstracts is 1 September 2008, and for full paper submission: 1 November 2008. More information  here.

Call for actions

The Women’s World Summit Foundation calls organisations to action for the World Rural Women’s Day the 15 October. You find more information and activities here.

Jobs opportunities

The Centre for Women’s Global Leadership is looking for a new Executive Director. It will be a tenured professor’s line in cooperation with Rutgers University. A job description is available here.

 

Amnesty International is looking for a Campaign director for a campaign on Ending Genital Female Mutilation in Europe. The deadline for sending applications is 29 August. Please, click here to get more information.

 

Donations to the EWL   Do you share the vision and commitment of the EWL? Do you want to support the achievement of equality between women and men and promote women’s human rights in Europe? You can make a difference by supporting the EWL financially. Every contribution, however small, is an encouragement to the EWL to continue fulfilling its mission. Please, click here for more information.