PARITY NOW! Ending the Gender Power Gap

Published onJanuary 28, 2026

On 27 January 2026, the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) launched its PARITY NOW! Campaign, developed by the Women in Politics Working Group, calling for the institutionalisation of equal representation of women and men in all spheres of decision-making at national, European, and international levels.

As part of the campaign, EWL sent a formal letter to 1,381 recipients (including Heads of State, Prime Ministers, Ministers in charge of equality, Foreign Affairs and Justice Ministers, and Parliamentary leaders) across 46 Council of Europe countries. The letter, also shared with 149 partner NGOs and allies, urges political leaders to take concrete steps toward achieving 50/50 parity.

Find our official press release here

1232

Policymakers

149

NGOs & Allies

Campaign Steps

Step 1

On 27 January, 1381 letters were delivered to policymakers and NGOs across Europe and beyond, calling for the institutionalisation of General Recommendation 40, which mandates parity in every domain.
EIGE data and research will be shared to strengthen the campaign.
Letters delivered to policymakers and NGOs across Europe and beyond.

Step 2

Our campaign was presented and briefed to journalists and policymakers in Brussels on 28 January 2026.
Letters and press releases were translated by EWL members for national dissemination.
Slovenia held a press conference at the EU Representation.

Step 3

Policymakers are asked to inform EWL of measures they are taking to achieve parity.
Responses, or lack of responses, will be published around International Women’s Day (8 March 2026).

Step 4 – CSW70 Side Event

Our campaign will be presented at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) in New York.
Panel discussion will focus on concrete measures for parity from different regions, promoting dialogue and diversity.
Additional actions across Europe will be developed around International Women’s Day.

Next Steps

EWL invites all recipients to report the measures taken to achieve PARITY NOW! by the first week of March 2026. The campaign will continue with monitoring, advocacy, and global visibility leading up to CSW70 and beyond.

Exceptional Members Contribution

We wish to thank our members from Slovenia for sending the letter to all party leaders in the context of the national elections in March 2026, and Plataforma Portuguesa dos Direitos das Mulheres’s work to disseminate the campaign at the national level in Portugal has achieved remarkable results.