EWL News

News typewritter Latest news from the European Women’s Lobby in Brussels

EWL News
EWL member Engender Scotland launches #Beijing20 report

Beijing Platform for Action: Progress and remaining challenges

Posted on 21 April 2015 |

[Edinburgh, 20 April 2015] Article by Alys Mumford at Engender Scotland
2015 is a key year for women. 20 years since the Beijing Platform for Action was agreed, it marks a time for women’s organisations and governments to take stock – to see what has been achieved for gender equality, and to see how far we still have to go. On April 1st Engender, Scotland’s gender equality organisation, held an event at the Scottish Parliament to mark Beijing+20 and challenge the Scottish Government to take (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL Beijing+20 in April - A holistic approach for the highest standards of wellbeing and health for all

Posted on 10 April 2015 |

[Brussels, 1 April 2015] Did you know that one in ten women in Europe doesn’t have access to care in the first months of pregnancy? That abortion is still not legal in Cyprus, Ireland, Malta and Poland, forcing women to face the health risks of unsafe illegal abortion? That between the ages of 25 and 40, women are three times more likely than men to suffer from depression, the higher rate being at times when they have their babies?
In April, the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) focuses on Women (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL cosigns text calling for the abolition of surrogacy

Posted on 10 April 2015 |

[Brussels, 31 March 2015] The European Women’s Lobby (EWL), the Center for Bioethics and Culture (USA), the French « Collectif pour le Respect de la Personne » ( CoRP), and several associations backed by European and American personalities are calling for the abolition of the baby business called euphemistically « surrogacy ».
In a text made public today, the signatory associations joined together to involve themselves in the works on transnational surrogacy, which have been hidden from public (...) Read more
EWL News
Inspiring roundtable on transnational abortion rights: human rights, values and political strategies

With EWL and partners

Posted on 10 April 2015 |

[Brussels, 3 April 2015] A very symbolic date for an event discussing abortion rights: 25 years exactly after the adoption of the Belgian law decriminalising the right to abortion, the Equality Law Clinic (ULB) gathered experts and researchers from Belgian, France, Italy, Croatia and the USA, to discuss the current situation with regards to this key human right. A very inspiring discussion, with in-depth analysis of recent law cases, political context, conservative attacks and NGO (...) Read more
EWL News
Finland: NYTKIS “Soup Sisters” event brings candidates and voters together in Helsinki to discuss gender equality

Posted on 9 April 2015 |

[Brussels, 10 April 2015] This past Wednesday, EWL member NYTKIS (Coalition of Finnish Women’s Associations) organised an event in Narinkkatori Square called “Soup Sisters” (Soppaa Siskoilta). Nearly 300 people came out to savor free vegetable soup and to listen to more than 20 candidates from different parties who came to speak about gender equality and their goals concerning it.
NYTKIS Coordinator, Milla Sandt told us: “The afternoon was very successful. The sun was shining, there were many (...) Read more
EWL News
Open letter of 98 NGOs to Angela Merkel on sexual exploitation and trafficking of women and girls

Posted on 8 April 2015 |

[Brussels, March 2015] The European Women’s Lobby (EWL), together with many of its member organisations, has cosigned a letter to Ms Angela Merkel, calling her to place women’s rights at the core of the German policies on prostitution and trafficking.
The letter has been published in German and in English in EMMA, in French in Ressources Prostitution.
To the Right Honourable Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
Dear Chancellor Merkel,
2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the Fourth (...) Read more
EWL News
CSW59 Political Declaration: Women’s organisations in Europe and North America call on UN member states to Commit, Accelerate and Invest in women’s and girls’ human rights

Statement regarding CSW political declaration and methods of work

Posted on 19 March 2015 |

[Brussels and New York, 19 March 2015] When meeting in March 2015 in New York, in the framework of the 59th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59), UN member states were expected to reaffirm their commitment to realise women’s and girls’ human rights and to take step further to accelerate progress.
Twenty years after the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action by the international community, the political declaration adopted on 9 March fails to address the (...) Read more
EWL News
Dynamic and impactful contribution of EWL at CSW59

59th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, dedicated to Beijing+20 (9-20 March 2015)

Posted on 16 March 2015 |

[New York, 15 March 2015] The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) was very active during the first week of the 59th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59). This yearly meeting of UN governments to discuss women’s rights was dedicated to the celebration of the 20 years of the Beijing Platform for Action. You will find here a summary of the activities of the EWL during this CSW59.
Women’s organisations disappointed by the UN governments’ weak commitment
On the first day of CSW59, (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL Beijing+20 in March - The equality house: a sustainable and strong European Union architecture for women’s rights and gender equality

Posted on 15 March 2015 |

[Brussels, 2 March 2015] Did you know that only five Member States have a separate designated body for the promotion of equal treatment of women and men? That in 2012, only two Member States used gender mainstreaming widely for drafting laws, policy programmes, actions plans and projects?
In March, the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) focuses on Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of Women, as part of its Beijing+20 campaign. Read and share EWL’s factsheet about Institutional (...) Read more
EWL News
A major step towards gender equality in Europe

Posted on 15 March 2015 |

[Brussels, 11 March 2015] Civil society and human rights organisations welcome the adoption of the Report on Equality between women and men in the EU (2013) authored by MEP Marc Tarabella. Despite numerous falsehoods and emotional manipulation spread by anti-human-rights organisations about the Report, the European Parliament has clearly affirmed its will to combat gender-discrimination in Europe.
Adopted with a comfortable majority of 441 votes in favour and 205 votes against, this report (...) Read more