EWL News

News typewritter Latest news from the European Women’s Lobby in Brussels

EWL News
EWL nominations to MEP Awards successful

Posted on 1 October 2010 |

The EWL is very pleased to report that three of its European Parliament nominees have won MEP Awards 2010, thus winning highly deserved recognition for their work promoting equality between women and men! Our congratulations go to the following winners:
Outstanding achievement:
Eva-Britt SVENSSON (European United Left - Nordic Green Left/ Sweden): Eva-Britt Svensson, since her election as chair of the FEMM committee as shown the strongest support for issues related to women’s rights and (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL Secretary General Myria Vassiliadou calls for new approach to conflict and conflict resolution

Report by Beatrix Campbell of the EU 10th anniversary celebrations of UNSCR 1325

Posted on 21 September 2010 |

The 10th anniversary celebration of the adoption of UN Resolution 1325 Ensuring Women’s Participation in Peace and Security in Brussels in September was a paradox: simultaneously a celebration and a critique.
The event was opened by Baroness Catherine Ashton, whose role as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs attracts a new level of confidence among women that a gender perspective will begin to be palpable. She said it was time to revisit the under-valued role of women in conflict and (...) Read more
EWL News
First woman EU Special Representative

Posted on 20 September 2010 |

[Brussels, 20 September 2010] The EWL has written a congratulatory letter to Dame Rosalind Marsden, who is the first ever female EU Special Representative out of the 11 EU Special Representatives. She will be in charge of Sudan. Please find more information here. Regarding the other EU ‘top jobs’, Commissioner Ashton released on 15 September the names of the 28 EU Ambassadors of the European External Action Service, out of whom only 6 are (...) Read more
EWL News
WILPF Statement on the UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals

EWL members’ news

Posted on 20 September 2010 |

WILPF Statement on the UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals
20 September 2010
With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on world leaders to attend a summit in New York on 20–22 September to accelerate progress towards the MDGs. The 2010 MDG Report, produced by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, notes that “unmet commitments, inadequate resources, lack of focus and (...) Read more
EWL News
Reding to unveil plans to push gender equality

EWL in European Voice, 16 September 2010

Posted on 16 September 2010 |

By Jennifer Rankin 16.09.2010 / 05:19 CET
Commission wants more women back into work and close the pay gap.
Viviane Reding, the European commissioner for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, will on Tuesday (21 September) outline the European Commission’s ideas for getting more women into work and closing the pay gap, as she unveils a five-year strategy to promote gender equality.
The 2010-15 plan will cover six areas: more and better-quality work for women; equal pay; women in (...) Read more
EWL News
The GEAR Campaign Enthusiastically Welcomes the New Under-Secretary-General, Michelle Bachelet, Former Chilean President

The EWL is an active member of the global Gender Equality Architecture Reform Campaign

Posted on 16 September 2010 |

PRESS RELEASE
(September 14, 2010) The Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) Campaign is thrilled that the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon has chosen Michelle Bachelet as the new Under-Secretary-General (USG) of UN Women. This appointment is essential to the effectiveness of the new entity and the campaign is pleased that the UN SG has selected a qualified and strong leader for this high level UN position that will envision and work for the future of women’s rights and (...) Read more
EWL News
European Parliament adopts report on social integration of ethnic minority women

Posted on 6 September 2010 |

The European Parliament adopted on 07.09.2010 the report drafted by Dr Antonyia Parvanova, on the Social integration of women belonging to ethnic minority groups to which EWL had contributed. Within the overall context of the role of integration policies at EU level, the report pays particular attention to the conditions and background factors affecting the process of social integration of women from ethnic minority groups with a specific focus on to access to education, healthcare, long (...) Read more
EWL News
Demonstration against stoning of Sakineh Ashtiani in Iran

EWL and members participate in demonstrations throughout Europe

Posted on 31 August 2010 |

[Brussels, 28 August 2010] Video of Brussels demonstration against the stoning to death of Sakineh Ashtiani for extra-marital relations. Read more
EWL News
Czech women resist all-male government

EWL member press coverage

Posted on 30 August 2010 |

By Pavol Stracansky, IPS
PRAGUE, Jul 7, 2010 (IPS) - Women’s rights campaigners say the Czech Republic’s new government has effectively told women they have no relevance to the country’s future after the new cabinet was formed – without a single female minister.
Despite a record number of women elected to parliament in elections in May and pre-election pledges by party leaders that they wanted more women in politics, women’s rights activists said they had been given a "slap in the face" after (...) Read more
EWL News
GEAR Campaign develops questions for candidates to head UN Women

Posted on 26 August 2010 |

[New York, 26 August 2010] In an effort to find the most qualified Under-Secretary-General (USG) of UN Women, the GEAR Campaign has invited USG candidates to respond to questions regarding their vision and goals for the new entity. The questions focus on the commitment that the USG candidate has to meeting gender equality goals and securing women’s human rights. The basis for the questions are from criteria that the GEAR Campaign set forth in October 2009 and is also included in the document (...) Read more