On Monday 14 October, the members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) debated the draft recommendation on EU priorities for the 69th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
For the MEPs, the aim is to provide guidance to the Council of the European Union delegation which will travel to New York from 10 to 25 March 2025 to represent the interests and positions of the European Union on this issue.
The forthcoming session coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 by 189 governments, UN agencies and intergovernmental organisations such as the EU. These set out a series of objectives and measures to implement in 12 critical areas, including combating violence against women, improving access to education and healthcare, and increasing women’s participation in the economic and political spheres.
However, given the limited progress made since then, the rapporteur of the draft recommendation, Lina Gálvez (S&D, Spanish), warned of the urgent need for a renewed commitment.
And with good reason, as according to Ms Gálvez, it would take 286 years to close the gender gap at the current rate of progress. She believes that the systematic integration of gender equality into all EU policies and the provision of adequate funding will play a decisive role.
The promotion of an intersectional approach, recognising the multiple types of discrimination faced by women, is also advocated.
This last point was discussed by French MEP Mélissa Camara (Greens/EFA), who also called for the protection of women’s sexual and reproductive rights, which she said are essential and often under attack.
Like Ms Camara, a number of MEPs expressed their support for this recommendation, while also voicing their concerns during the discussions.
Eleonora Meleti (EPP, Greek) spoke of the persistence of stereotypes and called for them to be stamped out. Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus (S&D, Polish) spoke of the rise in online hate speech against women, while Margarita De La Pisa Carrión (PfE, Spanish) stressed the importance of human dignity in the quest for equality.
Hanna Gedin (The Left, Swedish), who spoke in favour of the report’s recommendations on access to affordable housing and reducing poverty among women, also recalled the impact of international conflicts on women and girls, who are the first victims of these crises.
The FEMM Committee recommendation also calls for women’s rights to be strengthened in all areas, including access to health services, economic opportunities and political participation. The text will shortly be reviewed by the Council, which will have to decide on its position ahead of the United Nations session in New York.
Read the recommendation: https://aeur.eu/f/dwf (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)