European & International News

International news globe All the latest news from the European Union, its member states, and beyond.

European & International News
EU appoints Special Representative for Human Rights

Posted on 27 July 2012 |

[Brussels, 27 July 2012] Greek foreign minister Stavros Lambrinidis was this Wednesday 25 July appointed as the EU’s new special representative for human rights (EUSR).
Mr. Lambrinidis is a former MEP and vice president of the European Parliament. His appointment has been welcomed by this body, which called for the creation of the post and for the new EUSR to have a proven track record in human rights.
The post is newly created and is designed to give a ‘voice’ to European human rights (...) Read more
European & International News
UN Chief and NGOs call for agreement on arms treaty

Posted on 27 July 2012 |

[Brussels, 27 July 2012] UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has issued an appeal to states to bridge differences ahead of today’s deadline for the draft of a new global agreement to control international arms sales.
Ban Ki-moon said that "very limited progress" had been made during 30 days of talks in New York.
The global arms trade is estimated to be worth between $60bn and $70bn per year. Some 750,000 people are killed by illicit weapons each year.
A number of countries have reservations (...) Read more
European & International News
Libya - Elections give women 17% of National Congress

Call for Women to Also Be Part of New Constitution Drafting in Libya

Posted on 23 July 2012 |

[WomensNews, Tripoli, 18 July 2012] Thirty-three women have been elected to serve in Libya’s General National Congress in the first free elections since a NATO-backed revolt last year toppled the regime and the death of Moammar Gadhafi.
Libya’s electoral commission unveiled results on Tuesday, ten days after the vote. The last time Libyans went to the polls was almost half a century ago under the late-monarch King Idriss, who Gadhafi toppled in a bloodless coup in 1969. The North African (...) Read more
European & International News
La revanche d’une athlète que l’on a humiliée

Posted on 19 July 2012 |

[CLEF, Paris, le 19 juillet 2012] Il faut féliciter l’Afrique du Sud d’avoir choisi Caster Semenya comme porte-drapeau de l’équipe olympique sud-africaine à l’occasion de la cérémonie d’ouverture des Jeux de Londres.
Belle revanche pour cette jeune femme qui, à la suite à sa victoire en sur le 800 m championnat de 2009, avait fait l’objet d’une humiliante enquête de féminité. Les conditions déplorables de l’annonce de cette enquête, motivée par la morphologie de l’athlète et par son niveau de performances (...) Read more
European & International News
Women hardest hit by financial crisis and austerity measures, experts tell MEPs

Posted on 18 July 2012 |

[Brussels, 18 July 2012] The Sub-Committee on Human Rights at the European Parliament organised last Thursday a hearing on the impact of the financial and economic crisis on human rights. All the speakers confirmed the bigger negative impact on women’s lives.
In Spain, 21% of women and 19% of men are poor, and one third of elder women are at risk of poverty. All around the world, women make up the majority of poor workers. The fact that violence against women hinders their ability to take (...) Read more
European & International News
“Women’s potential as agents of change needs to be recognised”, says Council of the EU

Posted on 12 July 2012 |

[Brussels, 12 July 2012] Ministers of Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) on 25 June adopted conclusions on the issue of “Gender equality and the environment: enhanced decision-making, qualifications and competitiveness in the field of climate change mitigation policy in the EU”.
Considering that women play a “vital role” in sustainable development and that their “potential as agents of change” needs to be recognised, the Council agreed on several measures aimed to (...) Read more
European & International News
Women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights under fire

Posted on 11 July 2012 |

[Brussels, 11 July 2012] The EWL and feminist activists worldwide are increasingly concerned that women’s rights are falling foul to conservative and religious pressures. In particular, the absence of agreed conclusions on reproductive and sexual rights in the Rio+20 outcome document reflects the lack of political will at the highest levels to protect and promote women’s rights throughout the world.
In Rio, the Vatican and other states like Russia, Syria and Egypt joined forces to remove (...) Read more
European & International News
Global recovery needs more women in workplace, says UN Women

Posted on 9 July 2012 |

[UN Women, New York, 05 July 2012] As the global economy struggles to recover from the impacts of the financial crisis, UN Women is calling for the urgent enforcement of policies and practices that ensure more women enter the labor market in jobs with decent working conditions and social protections. This call comes as the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is convening to discuss decent work for sustainable prosperity.
Under Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director Michelle (...) Read more
European & International News
Cyprus takes over EU Presidency with promise of action on violence against women, but silence on maternity leave Directive

Posted on 6 July 2012 |

[Brussels, 06 July 2012] Cyprus’ 6 month-programme gives priority to violence against women, but two crucial measures for women’s rights are still lacking.
Cyprus took over the rotating Presidency of the EU on 01 July and unveiled the priorities of its six-month turn at the head of Council of the EU. While the EWL welcomes the promise of the Cypriot Presidency to work on violence against women, we are deeply concerned with its silence on other fundamental rights’ issues.
The EWL was very (...) Read more
European & International News
European Parliament to consider Resolution on ‘Eliminating Gender Stereotypes in the EU’

Posted on 5 July 2012 |

[Brussels, 05 July 2012] The European Parliament Committee on Women’s Rights & Gender Equality will on 10 July consider a draft report/motion for a Resoltution on eliminating gender stereotypes in the EU. According to the newsletter of the so-called FEMM Committee: ‘In order to achieve gender equality, the issue of stereotypes needs to be addressed, and the Committee therefore decided to draft a report on the issue. The Rapporteur [Kartika Tamara Liotard, MEP] looks at gender (...) Read more