Gender Equality News No. 7, April 2018

The Council of Europe adopts its Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023

The Committee of Ministers adopted the new Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023 during its meeting on 7 March in Strasbourg, France.

62nd session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women

The Commission on the Status of Women met for its 62nd session from 12 to 23 March in New York, United States of America and this year’s theme was “Empowering Rural Women and Girls”. The Council of Europe and the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the United Nations organised a side-event on “Addressing sexism: speaking up, preventing, co-operating”.

Council of Europe launches new webpage on gender mainstreaming

The new Council of Europe webpage on gender mainstreaming showcases the work of the Organisation to integrate a gender equality perspective in a wide range of areas. The pages present 15 thematic sections and also provides comprehensive information about what gender mainstreaming and tools to implement it.
Check out the new page here.

4 months - 4 national adaptations of the Council of Europe HELP online course on violence against women and domestic violence

Since its launch on 25 November 2017, the Council of Europe HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) online course on violence against women has been translated and adapted to the national legal frameworks of Armenia, Ukraine, Georgia and Slovenia. The HELP course on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence aims at improving the quality of the judicial response to cases of violence against women and at supporting access to justice for victims while prosecuting perpetrators. It covers in interactive ways the key concepts, the international and European legal framework and the European case law governing the prevention and protection of women and girls from violence, focusing in particular on the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention. So far more than 90 prosecutors, judges and lawyers from Armenia, Ukraine, Georgia and Slovenia have been trained through this online course comprising theory, case law and practical exercises. By offering the course in the national language and providing additional materials based on the applicable national legal and policy provisions, the HELP course can be tailor made to the specific needs of legal professionals.This free online course can be accessed in English on the HELP online platform at this link

Council of Europe event in Mexico on the gender equality dimension of drug policy

Experts from 12 European and Latin-American countries met in Mexico in February to discuss the importance of mainstreaming a gender equality perspective in drug policy at a conference co-organised by the Council of Europe’s drug policy network (the Pompidou Group), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico and the National Institute for Women (INMUJERES).

Progress needed to ensure women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights in Europe

“Women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights are human rights. Regrettably, however, women in Europe still have these rights denied or restricted as a result of laws, policies and practices that ultimately reflect continuing gender stereotypes and inequalities. States must acknowledge and address these violations and resolutely commit to advancing gender equality in this crucial sphere of life”, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, said while releasing a report on this topic.

Council of Europe Publications

The Council of Europe has published new factsheets on achieving balanced participation, women in prison and the Organisation’s contribution to Goal 5 of the UN Sustainable Development Agenda.

Click on the links to read more.

Gender equality on the agenda in April – June 2018

11-13 April: 13th meeting of the Gender Equality Commission, Strasbourg, France
16-17 April: Shaping new realities – The Stockholm Forum on Gender Equality”, Stockholm, Sweden
16-20 April: Women’s Forum, Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, London, United Kingdom
16-17 April: Informal Working Party on Human rights (COHOM) meeting, Sofia, Bulgaria
26 April: “Men as Agents of Change for Gender Equality - A Barbershop event” during the part-session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France
3-4 May: Conference to launch the new Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023, Copenhagen, Denmark
15-16 May: 4th International Conference on Men and Equal Opportunities (ICMEO) on “Masculinity and norm critical approaches – Gender equality work with boys and young men”: Stockholm, Sweden

Don’t forget to also follow the news of the GREVIO.

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