European & International News

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European & International News
Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Resolution on inequalities in the post-MDGs

Posted on 5 February 2014 |

[Strasbourg, 30 January 2014] On 30th January, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted unanimously a progressive resolution “Stepping up action against global inequalities: Europe’s contribution to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) process”.
The resolution 1975 (2014) represents the position of the entire European continent, the 47 Member States of the Council of Europe and is very supportive of gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights. The (...) Read more
European & International News
Women’s Rights MEPs vote to boost equality between men and women in the EU

Posted on 31 January 2014 |

[Press release of the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee in the European Parliament, 24 January 2014] Equal opportunities and health treatment should be granted to both men and women to fight gender segregation in labour market and to encourage progression of women’s careers, said the Women’s Rights Committee in the report on the equality between women and men adopted on Thursday. MEPs call for a better access of women to high job positions and to guarantee flexibility of work in (...) Read more
European & International News
CONCORD puts gender, development and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the spotlight at European Parliament

Posted on 30 January 2014 |

[Concord, Brussels, 29 Janaury 2014] The CONCORD Gender working group – which encompasses organizations working on gender-related issues in both development and humanitarian settings – as part of its monitoring and advocating for the inclusion of improved gender-focused actions within the development policies of the European Union and its Member States, is organising a series of gender and development lunches at the European Parliament.
In the context of the current discussions underway on (...) Read more
European & International News
Punish sex buyers to reduce prostitution, EP committee says

Posted on 23 January 2014 |

[Press release of the FEMM Committee, Brussels, 23 January 2014] Poverty and economic problems have led to an increasing number of women and girls being forced into prostitution, says the Women’s Rights Committee in a report adopted on Thursday. MEPs call for measures to reduce prostitution by criminalising sex buyers, Europe wide awareness raising campaigns and prevention strategies, especially for socially-excluded, vulnerable and poor persons.
“I am pleased the FEMM Committee has voted (...) Read more
European & International News
European Semester: More social and gender equality needed echoed at the European Parliamentary Week on Economic, Budgetary and Social matters

Posted on 23 January 2014 |

[Brussels, 23 January 2014] This week, on the 22nd-24th of January 2014, the European Parliamentary Week (EPW) was held in Brussels, where European and national parliamentarians from the EU met to discuss economic, budgetary and social issues, particularly in relation to the European Semester process. The event was co-organized by the Hellenic Parliament and the European Parliament. As a part of the EPW, the European Parliamentary committees on employment (EMPL), budgets (BUDG) and monetary (...) Read more
European & International News
Members of the European Parliament show their concern about the Spanish Draft Bill on Abortion Right

Posted on 17 January 2014 |

[Brussels, 17 January 2014] During this week, Members of the European Parliament (EP) from different political groups have stood up shown their concerns about the recent developments in Spain regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights.
On behalf of the S&D group, Iratxe Garcia (Spain) and Hannes Swoboda (Austria, President of the S&D group at the EP) participated in a press conference at the European Parliament in which they show its oposition against the Spanish (...) Read more
European & International News
Syrian Women Demand Voice at UN-brokered Talks

Press Release Associated Press - Published in the Washington Post

Posted on 17 January 2014 |

[Geneva, 13 January 2014] A group of Syrian women demanded Monday that the U.N. appoint a gender adviser and make other efforts to reflect their voices at Geneva peace talks aimed at ending the country’s civil war.
Participants said at the end of a two-day conference for Syrian women that the international peace conference for Syria planned to begin next week in Switzerland must include women’s representatives and push for constitutionally guaranteed equality between women and men, if there (...) Read more
European & International News
Morocco - Major Reform to Rape Law Result of Women’s Advocacy

Press Release Women’s Learning Partnership Morocco

Posted on 17 January 2014 |

[Rabat, January 9 2014] - Following significant advocacy by WLP Morocco/ADFM and other Moroccan women’s rights organizations, on January 8, 2014, the Moroccan Parliament finally adopted the draft law to amend article 475 of the Criminal /penal Code, which allowed rapists to escape prosecution if they married their victim. This article has mainly been used to justify the traditional practice of pressuring the victim to marry her rapist in the name of “preserving the honor of the girl’s (...) Read more
European & International News
Social Platform - Public Procurement: A Positive New Direction

Posted on 14 January 2014 |

[Press release, Brussels January 15, 2014] Social Platform, the Platform of European Social NGOs of which the EWL is a member, welcomes the adoption of simpler and more specific rules for the provision of social, health and other services in the Public Procurement Directive adopted by the European Parliament. In particular we are pleased to see an increased emphasis on quality rather than price in the criterion used by member states and local authorities to award these contracts.
The (...) Read more
European & International News
Tunisia votes for gender equality in new charter

Article published in The News International on January 7, 2014

Posted on 10 January 2014 |

[Tunis, 7 January 2014] Tunisia’s national assembly voted on Monday to enshrine gender equality “without discrimination” in its draft constitution, a key step towards safeguarding the most liberal laws in the Arab world on women’s rights.
“All male and female citizens have the same rights and duties. They are equal before the law without discrimination,” states article 20 of the text, which was approved by 159 lawmakers out of the 169 who voted.
Tunisia has set itself a tight timetable for (...) Read more