Debate: Challenges ahead for women’s rights: more than  years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
Date: WEDNESDAY, 10 FEBRUARY 2021
Speaker: Ana Paula Zacarias
Language: EN

The 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action was an opportunity to take stock of the progress achieved, to reconfirm the commitments undertaken, and to identify new challenges, reminding us that all Member States have a clear obligation to eliminate discrimination against women, and ensure that they fully enjoy all human rights. Much progress has been made over the past few decades to the benefit of women and girls in the European Union and across the world. However, many challenges remain, and we must step up and step up gender equality policies. Unfortunately, the pandemic has aggravated some of these challenges. We need therefore to make an assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on gender equality – in particular on labour market participation, incomes, and reconciliation of work, personal and family life. The Council has recently also focused on the issue of care work. During the current pandemic, more than ever, it is time we recognise and value the importance of unpaid care work, giving credit to those who perform it and keep our societies running. Other challenges that need to be addressed comprise gender discrimination, especially against more vulnerable groups of women, threats against sexual and reproductive health and rights, violence against women, and issues arising from digitalisation, including cyber—violence. Equally important is to tackle the practices, prejudices and customs within society, including those carried out by private persons and organisations that hinder the fulfilment of women’s human rights. The most notable ongoing policy development in the Union regarding women’s rights, and in particular violence against women, is in relation to the Istanbul Convention. Although the proceedings on the EU ratification of the Convention are temporarily suspended, pending the European Court of Justice opinion, calls have been made at Council level for ratification by Member States that have not yet done so. Such ratification will precede adoption by the EU. In this regard, the Portuguese Presidency will host in April a conference in Lisbon to mark the 10th anniversary of the Convention.  Coming back to women and the labour market, the Presidency will also work to unblock the Directive on gender balance on company boards, and stands ready to start negotiations on binding pay transparency measures, on the basis of the forthcoming Commission proposal. We also need to keep abreast of technological developments, and make sure that women and girls can seize the opportunities offered by digitalisation.  Finally, we must ensure gender equality mainstreaming across the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. With that in mind, the upcoming informal Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) meeting will address the issue of gender equality in social Europe. Mr President, honourable Members, Commissioner, gender equality is also at the heart of our international engagement. The Council is finalising an ambitious EU position paper in preparation for the 26th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.  This will take place in New York next March. The priority theme for this year is women’s full and effective participation and decision—making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence for achieving gender equality and the empowering of women and girls. This topic is very timely in the COVID context, not least against the backdrop of the shadow pandemic of violence against women during lockdowns, but also with a view to ensuring that women are in the forefront of developing solutions during the pandemic and their recovery phase. The rights of women and girls, as well as gender equality needs to be addressed in a cross—cutting manner in all the EU external action, on the basis of the EU consensus on development, and the rights—based approach to development. We must recognise that, in many parts of the world, girls and women continue to be systematically left behind and discriminated against. In this context, the Portuguese Presidency welcomes the Third Gender Action Plan presented by the Commission and the High Representative at the end of last year. We look forward to working with the Member States, the Commission, and the European External Action Service (EEAS) as well as with the European Parliament to implement and advance this ambitious and utterly necessary agenda. The same is true for CSDP missions and operations, where women are still under—represented at most levels. We hope that the EEAS will develop a dedicated strategy and action plan to provide the systemic mainstreaming of human rights and gender aspects, promoting a better representation of women in CSDP missions. In conclusion, much has been done and much more remains to be done. In numbers and relevant sectors, we need to look ahead, and we need to use the relevant elements of the Beijing Platform for Action. Gender equality is, and must remain, at the very core of everything that we do at Union level.