The global movement for women’s rights in 2010 marks 15 years of activism on the basis of the shared framework and vision enshrined in the groundbreaking Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA). In Europe, this year also represents a milestone for thousands of women’s associations from across the region as it marks 20 years since the foundation of the European Women’s Lobby (EWL). Over the last two decades, the EWL has acted as a forum for increased exchange, cooperation and integration, allowing the women’s organisations of Europe to play an active role in shaping the European framework for gender equality. As a key part of its activism, the EWL aims to ensure that the implementation of the BPfA by both the European Union (EU) and its Member States remains high on the political agenda.
EWL Beijing 15 Report 2010 The EWL has been instrumental in both the elaboration and implementation of the BPfA from the beginning. The EWL was an active participant in the United Nations’ (UN) Beijing Conference on Women in 1995 and has been present at all of the follow-up meetings that have taken place since. This publication represents the third Alternative Report that the EWL has produced, following our earlier Beijing+5 and Beijing+10 reports. In line with its mission and political focus, the EWL examines in this report the progress made at EU level towards the full implementation of the BPfA. Across each of the 12 critical areas of concern identified in Beijing, the report offers a comparative analysis of the developments achieved over the previous five years, highlighting the current situation across the Union. Consideration of both the legislative and other initiatives that the EU has undertaken over the reporting period allows for the identification of critical gaps and the formulation of concrete recommendations addressed both to the EU Institutions and to the 27 Member States.
