Brussels, 02/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - Women's rights and those of young girls, as well as gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls remain a priority action area in the EU's external action and cooperation and development objectives. On Tuesday 26 May, the Council of the EU reaffirmed its commitment to these objectives by adopting conclusions on gender equality as part of its development framework.
The Council emphasises that “2015 is a turning point for equality between men and women, human rights and the empowerment of women and girls” characterised by international negotiations on the post-2015 development programme.
The EU believes it necessary to adopt an ambitious approach capable of making change and getting to the root causes of and risk factors for gender inequality, discrimination and violence against women and girls. The Council considers that the high-level meeting on the economic empowerment of women and sustainable development, hosted by the Presidency of the Council in Riga on 2 March, as part of the European Development Year, “helped to provide a new dynamic”. It is hoping that cooperation and coordination with UN bodies continue, particularly with UN Women and women's organisations.
These conclusions will help guide preparations for the new EU action plan on gender equality and the emancipation of women within the development cooperation framework for 2016-2020. This will be finalised under the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council. (Aminata Niang)