European & International News

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

European & International News
Tunisia - Government lifts reservations on CEDAW Convention

To Complete Process, Revise Laws to Remove Discriminatory Provisions

Posted on 12 September 2011 |

[Human Rights Watch, Beirut, 06 September 2011] Tunisia’s lifting of key reservations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is an important step toward gender equality, Human Rights Watch said today. The Tunisian government should next ensure that all domestic laws conform to international standards and eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, Human Rights Watch said.
Tunisia is an important country in the region to withdraw (...) Read more
European & International News
A new Libya must also be for women

Posted on 7 September 2011 |

[International Security Information Service - Europe, 05 September 2011] As the chase for former Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi continues to rage and make the headlines worldwide, the time is approaching to analyze how and when Libya will rise from the conflict and how Libyans, with the help of the international community, will organize their future without their long-time leader.
However, just as in many conflict or post-conflict situations across the world, the missing components are (...) Read more
European & International News
IPPF very concerned about the result of Polish parliament’s vote where abortion ban only avoided by 5 votes!

Posted on 5 September 2011 |

[International Planned Parenthood Federation, Hannover, 05 September 2011] On Wednesday 31 August, the Polish Parliament voted against a citizen’s bill to ban abortion merely by 5 votes. The bill was rejected by 191 parliamentarians while 186 voted in favour. It is particularly upsetting that such a huge number of Polish parliamentarians still voted in favour of the ban when both the relevant parliamentary committees and all the health professionals’ unions consulted on the bill asked for its (...) Read more
European & International News
Chairwoman of the EP Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Eva-Britt Svensson (GUE/NGL) resigns

Posted on 31 August 2011 |

[European Parliament, Brussels, 30 August 2011] Long-standing Swedish MEP and Chairwoman of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Eva-Britt Svensson (GUE/NGL) resigns due to health reasons from the European Parliament as from 1st September 2011.
Eva-Britt Svensson is well-known for her strong commitment and personal dedication for women’s rights and is responsible for well received European Parliament’s resolutions such as on priorities and outline of a new EU policy framework (...) Read more
European & International News
President Obama urged to end US violation of the rights of rape survivors in armed conflict

Posted on 29 August 2011 |

[Global Justice Centre, New York, 25 August 2011] To coincide with the anniversary of the U.S. signing the Geneva Conventions, the Global Justice Center launched the global “August 12th”campaign to urge President Obama to immediately lift the “no abortion” restriction attached to all U.S. humanitarian aid for medical care given to girls and women raped and impregnated in armed conflict.
Thousands of girls and women raped and impregnated in armed conflict face additional suffering by being (...) Read more
European & International News
The Silent Crisis

Posted on 29 August 2011 |

[Zita Gurmai (MEP - S&D, HU), Blog JUMP, Brussels, 26 July 2011] Earlier this week, I came across a very important press release. It was issued by EPSU – the European Federation of Public Service Unions – and talked of its research on the ‘Silent Crisis’. The ‘Silent Crisis’ is about the gender dimension of the economic crisis. More specifically, it is the crisis brought on by the austerity policies introduced by Conservative and right-wing governments throughout Europe, which affect women (...) Read more
European & International News
"Gender and Media" training course for youth held in Estonia

Posted on 29 August 2011 |

[Brussels, 29 August 2011] As part of the EU’s Youth in Action and People to People Programmes, a training course on the representation of women in the media was recently organised in Nelijarve, Estonia. Youth from seven EU Member States and neighbouring countries participated.
22 participants from Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria, Italy, France, Sweden, Israel, Jordan, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey gathered in Estonia to find the ways how to change the gender equality (...) Read more
European & International News
European Parliament to honour Simone Veil, women’s rights campaigner and first directly-elected President of the EP in 1979

Posted on 25 August 2011 |

[European Parliament, Brussels, 25 August 2011] On Tuesday 30 August the European Parliament will honour two giants of post-war Europe, with the inauguration in Brussels of the "Solidarno?? 1980 Esplanade" and the "Simone Veil Agora". Ms Veil, the first president of the directly-elected EP in 1979, will be present as will Solidarno?? founder Lech Wa??sa and current EP President Jerzy Buzek, who was also part of the Polish workers movement.
Parliament has long had a tradition of naming its (...) Read more
European & International News
European Parliament calls for EY2012 on Active Ageing to not ignore Solidarity between Generations

Posted on 25 August 2011 |

[European Parliament, Brussels, 15 August 2011] Maintaining the vitality of older people, enhancing their involvement in society and removing barriers between generations should be the main aims of European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations in 2012, believes the EP Employment Committee.
The events and measures being launched in 2012 should raise awareness, stimulate debate and have a real impact on lifestyles, say MEPs. These points are set out in a draft report on (...) Read more
European & International News
IPPF launch project on abortion stigma

Posted on 25 August 2011 |

[Brussels, 25 August 2011] In July 2011, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) launched a 3-year project on Abortion and Stigma. They invite you to join them, in order to ’systematise existing work around abortion stigma in order to develop a series of tools to address and combat stigma’.
Abortion overview
Every year, 42 million women have abortions, and half of them are unsafe; 47,000 women die from abortion; and 5 million have to go to the hospital for unsafe abortion (...) Read more