The European Women's Lobby

On the eve of the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) General Assembly, the EWL held a very successful public conference entitled “No Modern European Democracy without Gender Equality”, on 26 June 2009 in Brussels, Belgium. The conference analyzed the results of the recent European Parliament Elections from a gender equality perspective and discussed the EU “top jobs”, the representation of women in the future European Commission, the perspectives for women chairing the European Parliament and its Committees and experiences of the 50/50 Campaign.

The recent European elections led to a slight progress in the representation of women in the European Parliament (EP), which now reaches about 35% (compared to about 30% at the beginning of the 1999-2004 term) but still does not attain parity or even the 40% threshold agreed by Member States of the Council of Europe.

Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission and strong supporter of the 50/50 Campaign, was a speaker during the conference, and stated: “The European Parliament elections are now behind us, but the work is not yet over. I know some people think quotas should only be applied to fishing and whales, but I don't agree. I think the only way to restore what is today a de facto discrimination against women, is by introducing gender quotas across Europe."

From June 2009, the focus of the 50/50 Campaign will be on actions to improve the representation of women in internal decision-making posts within the European Parliament: (President, Vice-Presidents, Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Parliamentary Committees) and in the European Commission (the designation of Commissioners). To ensure a 50/50 representation in the European Commission, the EWL is calling for an improved system of nomination and would like each Member State to propose a woman and a man as nominate Commissioners. The EC President would then choose from among the nominees with a view to achieve an equal representation of women and men in the new Commission.

You are invited to join the current EWL “EU Top Jobs” lobbying actions to call for gender parity in top decision-making posts in these European institutions. Further information along with model lobbying letters can be found below under Update on the EWL 50/50 Campaign.

European Women’s Lobby General Assembly 27-29 June 2009: Up to 100 delegates gathered in Brussels for the annual General Assembly at which along with the statutory business, the World Wide Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts – Europe Region (WAGGGS) was voted in to full membership. WAGGGS comprises of all Girl Guide and Girl Scout Associations across 39 countries in Europe, representing over 1.1 million girls and young women between the ages of 5 and 19 years, with the mission to empower girls and young women to develop their fullest potential as well as leadership and life skills. Four Issue Groups also took place during the General Assembly: 1) Women and Social Exclusion; 2) The Gender Pay Gap; 3) Sexual and Reproductive Rights and Religion; and 4) Roma Women, the conclusions of which will be integrated in to EWL’s 2010 Work Programme. Following a presentation on Women and the Financial Crisis, delegates called for a EWL Statement on this issue.

Many members of the European Women’s Lobby attended the two-day European Conference on Gender Equality on 15-16 June in Brussels, organised by the European Commission on the theme: “Equality between women and men in a time of change”. A wide range of topics were discussed such as the persistent gaps and barriers to women’s employment, the consequences of the current economic crisis in relation to the labour market and the European social model, strategies to improve the gender balance in economic and political decision-making processes, violence against women, and gender mainstreaming. EWL President Brigitte Triems contributed to the final session. The weblink to the videos of the different interventions can be found here.

News from EWL members

The BPW Europe is organising its 13^th European Congress in Munich from 4 to 6 September 2009 on the theme "Empowerment through Diversity of Knowledge". The Conference will be held in English. For more information: BPW Europe’s congress website.

The EWL 50/50 Campaign “No Modern European Democracy without Gender Equality” was launched on 16 September 2008. The Europe-wide campaign aims to increase the presence of women at the highest level of European politics and to encourage women to cast their votes in the next European elections. The Campaign has already been personally endorsed by a number of well known personalities from across Europe (see 50/50 website here).

The EWL 50/50 Campaign for Democracy is continuing with a lobbying action concerning the nominations for the new European Commission and those for other “EU Top Jobs”. The action, based on letters (see below) aims to increase the representation of women in internal decision-making posts within the European Parliament (first letter) and in the European Commission (second letter).

Please feel free to translate/adapt these letters and send them as soon as possible as decisions are being made right now that will effect the next five years!

1. The first letter, entitled “EWL Model Lobbying Letter European Parliament”, should be sent to the leaders of the main political parties in your country and can also be sent to the leaders of the European parties in the European Parliament (EP). The aim of this letter is to lobby for more women in decision-making posts in relation to the current (non-transparent) negotiations that are taking place regarding the nominations of the next European Parliament’s President as well as Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the Parliament’s Committees. The EWL is calling for a woman President and 50% women as Chairs and Vice-Chairs of EP committees. The letter is available in English here and in French here.

2. The second letter, entitled “EWL Model Lobbying Letter European Commission” is to be sent to your Head of State or Government. The aim of this letter is to lobby for the equal representation of women and men in relation to the nomination of European Commissioners. The letter is available in English here and in French here.

In the framework of the 50/50 Campaign, the EWL held a very successful public conference entitled “No Modern European Democracy without Gender Equality” on 26 June in Brussels, Belgium. At the conference, an analysis of the results of the European Parliament Elections of June 2009 from a gender equality perspective was presented, and discussions were held on the representation of women in the future European Commission and other EU “Top Jobs”. These topics were discussed by two panels of very prominent women politicians and of members of the EWL from across Europe who have been working towards parity democracy through the EWL 50/50 Campaign. Please click here to see the whole programme.

1 June 2009, Helsinki, Finland. A seminar organised by EWL member NYTKIS was held in Helsinki on the 2009 European elections and gender equality.

1 June 2009, Pirkanmaa, Finland. NYTKIS of Pirkanmaa held a truck visit in Tampere to discuss the upcoming European elections and gender equality issues. Members were present to introduce NYTKIS.

Supporter of the Month

Rodi Kratsa, Vice-President of the European Parliament: “The equal participation of women and men in politics is nothing less than an issue of democracy and of political efficiency. All women, voters, civil society actors and decision-makers, should merge their efforts and express their solidarity with this cause; only thus can we engage the entire society and turn the objective of women's political empowerment into a political reality. To this end, I applaud the EWL for its 50/50 campaign, which I wholeheartedly endorse.”

Don’t forget to sign the 50/50 Campaign petition! As part of the 50/50 Campaign we are collecting signatures to show that the equal representation of women and men in the highest levels of EU politics is an important issue for European citizens. The signatures will be used to enforce our messages to political decision-makers, and to show that the 50/50 Campaign has wide public support. We have also prepared a paper petition in English and in French. Please print some copies, circulate them widely, and send them back to us!

Other initiatives

The 5^th annual MEP Awards, hosted by The Parliament Magazine to recognise the hard work of MEPs, has now been launched on the MEP Awards website. Nominations are open until the 31 July. For more information on the awards and on how to propose your own candidate please visit the website. The short-listed candidates will be announced on 1 September when voting for the candidates will be open to all MEPs. The awards ceremony will take place on 3 November.

AtmosphEUROPA Young Leadership Contest: An announcement for all young women under 30 from a minority background and living in Europe – this talent contest could be for you! The AtmosphEUROPA contest for young leadership talent is being held in conjunction with the European elections this year. The deadline for written submissions is 18 July. Please visit the website here for more information.

iKNOW politics has published a document entitled “Consolidated Response on Best Practices Used by Political Parties to Promote Women in Politics”. This document highlights strategies and policies that may be used in addition to gender quotas by political parties to increase the number of women in politics. The strategies described include establishing women’s sections in political parties, providing women candidates with training and financial assistance to hold effective campaigns, creating a forum for women to lobby and discuss policy issues, and offering political parties incentives for promoting women in politics. Read the whole publication here.

The Social Europe Journal asks for your opinion on the European Parliamentary Election Results. Join the debate, voice your opinions and publish your analysis by visiting this website.

The Robert Schuman Foundation has launched a poll on women and parity in Europe after the European elections to have a better understanding of women in Europe. Take part through this link!

Platform of European Social NGOs – EWL is member of the Platform of European social NGOs of which EWL Secretary General Myria Vassiliadou is Vice-President. The bi-annual meeting with the Commission took place on 9 June with an exchange with Commissioner Spidla on issues of employment and social policies. More information on the Platform at: Social Platform.

NGO Steering Group 2010 European Year on Poverty and Social Exclusion: led by the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) the Steering Group comprising 9 European Networks (EWL, EAPN, AGE (older people), ATD 4th World, Caritas Europa, Social Platform Secretariat, Solidar, Eurochild, FEANTSA (homeless)) meets on a monthly basis to prepare and coordinate common actions and greater synergies between the Networks to ensure that the 2010 "European Year" has a decisive impact on Poverty and Social Exclusion. The Steering Committee met on 22 June and organised a meeting with a broader number of NGOs (Contact Group) on 29 June at which the European Commission officials working on the Year were invited to give an update on current developments regarding National Action Plans.

EU Civil Society Contact Group – EWL is member of the EU Civil Society Contact Group that brings together 7 large rights and value-based NGO sectors: environment, social, development, women, culture, human rights and public health. The EWL participated in the EP Exhibition Working Group on 24 May 2009, and in the Civil Dialogue Working Group of the CSCG on 23 May 2009. More information at: Act 4 Europe

EESC Liaison Group with Organised Civil Society – EWL attended a meeting on 5 June to discuss follow-up with the new Parliament in relation to Civil Dialogue. More information at: NGO Liaison.

EWL is member of the Migration and Asylum sub-groups initiated by the UNHCR to discuss and exchange information on the development of immigration policies and legislations at European level. An exchange with the Justice, Freedom and Security (JLS) Directorate General of the European Commission on the Stockholm Programme took place on 19 June.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) released a report on discrimination against Muslims in the EU. The results of the report suggest that Muslims are treated very differently depending on both their ethnic origin and their country of residence. The FRA calls on EU governments to tackle this problem by distributing better information on their rights and by allocating more resources to integration measures. See the full report here.

Czech Republic - Anti-Discrimination Act Finally Passed. More than 1 year after Czech President Klaus vetoed the Anti-Discrimination Act, the lower house has overturned his veto and passed it. The law bans unequal treatment on the basis of sex, age, disability, race, ethnic origin, nationality, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, faith or world-view.

Migrant women denounce abuse in Arizona jails. Human and civil rights organisations have denounced the mistreatment of women migrants in jails in Arizona. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) is currently under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department over alleged abuses of a section of immigration law that allows the federal government to deputise local police to enforce immigration law. Read more on the IPS website.

Women’s proposals rejected during constitutional reform process. Several of the proposals presented by members of the Dominican National Assembly, which are related to non-discrimination and protection of women’s rights, were rejected by the Revisory Assembly on 16 April 2009 as part of the ongoing constitutional reform process in the Dominican Republic. Read more on the INSTRAW website.

A step forward - but women in India still underrepresented in politics. Sonia Gandhi, Jayalalithaa Jayaraman and Mamata Bannerjee will be some of the most influential women in India after the elections. But women are still underrepresented and the criminalisation of politics in the country is highlighted as a deterrent to women’s participation. Read more on the INSTRAW website.

UNOG: Human Rights Council Adopts 8 Resolutions on the Promotion and Protection of all Human Rights. The Human Rights Council adopted 8 resolutions on the promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women; trafficking in persons, especially women and children; preventable maternal mortality; and morbidity and human rights. For more information please read the whole news item on ISRIA's website.

Latest Breaking News in Lubanga Case. As reported by the Coalition of NGOs for the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 8 June - the Legal Representatives of Victims in the Lubanga case have requested Trial Chamber 1 to consider a legal re-characterisation of the facts as inhuman and cruel treatment and sexual slavery. Please read more about this and other court cases from a gender equality perspective off the Legal Eye on the ICC, the monthly e-letter from the Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice with summaries and gender analyses of judicial decisions and other legal developments at the ICC.

The Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS) has partnered with Amnesty International Ireland for a campaign on Female Genital Mutilation. The END FGM- European Campaign seeks the adoption of a definitive strategy to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and to provide protection to women and girls who flee their countries for fear of being mutilated. Please see the list of organisations supporting the initiative here, and support the campaign by signing the declaration of intent! For more information please visit the Amnesty website or the Mediterranean Institute’s website.

A new report on “Legal Reform on Domestic Violence in Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union” can be downloaded here. The report has been prepared by Cheryl A. Thomas for the Expert Group Meeting on good practices in legislation on violence against women United Nations Office, Vienna, Austria.

Turkey’s Passive Response to Domestic Violence Against Women Violates the Right to Non-Discrimination. The Court reaffirmed the internationally recognised principle that the State’s failure, even if unintentional, to protect women against domestic violence breaches a woman’s right to the equal protection of the law. The Court concluded that domestic violence affected mainly women and that the general and discriminatory judicial passivity of the State created a climate that was conducive to domestic violence. To read the Equal Right’s Trust summary of the case please click here, and to read the full case click here.

The theme for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign for 2009 is “Commit ▪ Act ▪ Demand: We CAN End Violence Against Women!” Recognising that violence against women affects people from every country, race, class, culture, and religion, the 16 Days Campaign provides an opportunity for activists to work together in solidarity and draw upon this period of heightened international attention to gain support for their local efforts. For more information about the international Campaign, please visit the official website.

More information on Violence against women can be found on the EPAC VAW website: http://epacvaw.org

7 July 2009: International conference on violence against women in Frankfurt. The conference will discuss strategies to overcome violence against women using examples of domestic violence and female genital cutting in Germany, Kenya and Sierra Leone. The programme includes workshops and panels. Please visit the website for more information.

7-8 September 2009: The EuroNGOs’ Conference and AGM 2009 entitled “Investing in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Times of Economic Crisis” will take place in Riga, Latvia. The deadline for registration is 15 July 2009. For more information, a preliminary programme and to register for the conference and AGM, please visit the website.

5-6 November 2009: International Conference on increasing female labour participation Amsterdam, the Netherlands. This international conference will encourage the sharing of new approaches and instruments towards increasing female labour participation in research and practice. The conference is organised by a Taskforce aimed at increasing female labour participation, initiated in 2007 by the Dutch government and its social partners (employers’ associations and trade unions). For more information about the taskforce and the conference please send an e-mail to proposal@24ormore.org or visit www.24ormore.org.

WIDE blog “We care: feminist answers to the care crisis”. This blog developed for the WIDE annual conference 2009 provides videos (including interviews), comments, documents from the conference. In the context of the current financial, economic, social and environmental emergency, women demanded transformation of the market model, which gives preferences to capital growth and efficiency. The common sense of market citizenship should be changed to social citizenship, where issues of care provisioning and care economy are integrated. Visit the blog here.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has launched a Participatory Gender Audit. The participatory Gender Audit is a tool and a process based on a participatory methodology to promote organisational learning at the individual, work unit and organisational levels on how to practically and effectively mainstream gender. Please click here to read the whole publication.

A new study “Tracking Official Development Assistance for Reproductive Health in Conflict-Affected Countries” has been published online. This study provides evidence of inequity in disbursement of reproductive health Official Development Assistance (ODA) between conflict-affected countries and non-conflict-affected countries, and between different reproductive health activities. These findings and the study's recommendations seek to support initiatives to make aid financing more responsive to need in the context of armed conflict.

A new publication entitled “Gender & Security Sector Reform Training Resource Package” is now available. To order a free CD ROM copy of the Training Resource Package, please contact gender@dcaf.ch9 or visit the DCAF website for more information.

"Religion, Politics and Gender in Serbia: The re-traditionalisation of gender roles in the context of nation-state formation." This paper argues that the intersection of national and religious identities and ideologies in the context of nation-state formation in Serbia which started in the 1990s made religion an integral part of the political process.

"Religion, Politics and Gender Equality: Public Religions Revisited." The aim of this paper is to revisit the argument first presented in “Public Religions in the Modern World” (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994) in order to ascertain the extent to which the theoretical-analytical framework developed there needs to be critically revised and expanded in response to 2 main challenges. The first arises from the global imperative to develop comparative analytical frameworks which are applicable beyond Western Christian contexts. The second challenge derives from the equally urgent need to place the politics of gender equality and the related religious-secular debates to the centre of any discussion of "public religion".

Within the framework of the regional Euromed Gender Equality Programme (EGEP), a new Internet site has been launched to provide information on the project, its methods and its priority objectives. The EGEP especially aims at enhancing gender equality between men and women in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Click here to see the website in English, French or Arabic.

The Swedish Presidency of the European Union, which begins on the 1^st of July 2009, has published a website. The site includes information on the Presidency such as meetings and documents, news and contact information. The website also has a specific section on gender equality and non-discrimination.

Siyanda is an on-line database of gender and development materials from around the world. It is also an interactive space where gender practitioners can share ideas, experiences and resources. The June issue concentrates on "The European Union and Gender Equality" and includes a variety of publications, an experts and consultant’s database, information on gender responsible budgeting and news Please visit their website for a full overview.

ISIS produces a regular "Gender peace and security documents resource" update of gender and security in the EU. It is available in the Gender and Security section on their website. ISIS Europe's work on gender and security aims to ensure long-term consistency in the EU approach to gender sensitivity in responding to conflict; to review best practices; and to ensure that gender is not forgotten once it is "mainstreamed". For more information, articles and resources please visit their website.

New Palestinian women’s research and documentation website: The Palestinian Women's Research & Documentation Centre - UNESCO site aims to promote women's rights and an active role for Palestinian women in the economic, political, and cultural domains. Visit the Palestinian Women's Research & Documentation Center – UNESCO website.

The Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation (BGRF), in cooperation with the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) and the Network of East-West Women (NEWW), are announcing their Call for Applications for the Third Round of the Women’s Human Rights Training Institute (WHRTI), 2009-2011. For more information please visit the website.

Jobs / Internships

Visiting Fellowships at IDS this July - power, social change, masculinities, heteronormativity, sexuality. The Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK, is offering 6 visiting fellowships this summer on themes related to power, social change, masculinities, heteronormativity, sexuality, etc. For queries contact Stephen Wood at s.wood@ids.ac.uk or Andrea Cornwal a.cornwall@ids.ac.uk.

The Fundamental Rights Platform has published a call for expressions of interest for Contract Agents and two new vacancy notices for Temporary Agents. Please visit their website for more information.

Blog on Health and Human Rights seeks writers. The journal Health and Human Rights recently launched its newly designed blog "OpenForum" offering action-oriented dialogue about health and human rights. The editors invite occasional short essays or opinion pieces and multimedia submissions from scholars, health practitioners, activists, and others whose work advances health as a fundamental right. Also regular bloggers who are willing to write short news and opinion stories on particular topics are invited to participate. Interested persons may send a resume, a brief statement describing their personal approach to health and human rights including topics they wish to write about, and a 300-word writing sample to the journal team at hhrjournal@hsph.harvard.edu. Visit the blog at: www.hhropenforum.org.

The 2009 Call for Entries to the Population Institute's Global Media Awards has opened. The Population Institute's Global Media Awards are devoted to drawing attention to global population issues. This award honours those who have contributed to creating an awareness of population problems through their journalistic endeavours in a meritorious manner. Entries to the awards will be evaluated on their potential to educate and inform policymakers or the general public about issues related to population growth. For more information on the awards such as selection criteria and on how to submit please go to the Population Institute’s website.

News from EWL members

Update on the EWL 50/50 Campaign - www.5050democracy.eu

EWL Representation

European & International News in Brief

News from the European Parliament

Update on Violence against Women and Women’s Human Rights

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