Debate: Statement by the President
Date: TUESDAY, 10 MARCH 2020
Speaker: Mairead McGuinness
Language: EN

Before we move to our debate, I want to make two announcements. We celebrate International Women’s Rights Day in very difficult times. So please allow me to send our support and to thank all women that are facing the sanitary emergency of the Coronavirus in the European Union and throughout the world. They are researchers, doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, journalists, political leaders at all levels, mothers and sisters. These are difficult times and the emergency shows clearly the great importance of this work. We are proud of their engagement and we want them to be considered equal, not just in these emergency times but at all times.  40% of the Members that of this Parliament are women, and since Parliamentarians are decision-makers at the heart of change for people, there is no just and fair society without gender equality and women’s participation in all walks of life, and of course in politics.  On the occasion of the International Women’s Rights Day, we must remember that only one quarter of all parliamentarians worldwide are women and that millions of women and girls are still discriminated against and prevented from fully developing their skills and playing their role in society, and this is also the case within our European Union. Realising women’s rights is not an option – it is a duty, and it is possible where there is political will. It’s important that the Commission has presented an ambitious EU Gender Equality Strategy to achieve significant concrete progress by 2025, and Parliament stands ready to work on the legislative proposals, in particular on binding measures for pay transparency measures to be introduced by the end of 2020. We will give our full support and contribution, since equal pay is essential to strengthen our social model.  Let me continue on the same subject. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, a comprehensive global policy framework with measurable outcomes in several areas. 25 years after these commitments and objectives, we see that progress is still lagging behind in many areas. Gender pay and pension gap and the unequal distribution of unpaid work remain big challenges. Investing in girls’ education is essential and this is much more than just access to schooling. It is about support and freedom.  Also, gender-based violence continues to have devastating consequences and it is urgent that all Member States and the European Union ratify the Istanbul Convention. The European Union must remain a model in enhancing women’s rights. Recently, the European Parliament called on the six Member States that have not yet ratified the Convention do so without delay, and we repeat that call today. But women’s rights face new challenges as well, related to digitalisation, migration and climate change. It is our common responsibility to act, for us all and for future generations. To mark this day, we fully support the No Woman No Panel campaign, and indeed I try not to participate in any European Parliament panels or public events where women are not adequately represented.  Our European Parliament will maintain a clear and firm political commitment to strengthening gender equality and women’s rights in the European Union and around the world. I sincerely hope that, in forthcoming International Women’s Rights Days, we will be together celebrating new achievements for gender equality for the sake of our entire society. (Applause)