Ligestillingsudvalget 2017-18
LIU Alm.del Bilag 86
Offentligt
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GENDER EQUALITY COMMISSION
(GEC)
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Gender equality: paving the way
Conference to launch the Council of Europe
Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023
(Copenhagen, 3-4 May 2018)
Concept Paper
 LIU, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 86: Invitation til konferencen den 3. og 4. maj 2018 Gender equality: paving the way – conference to launch the Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023 som afholdes som en del af det danske formandskab for Europarådets Ministerkomité
Achieving gender equality is important to the fulfilment of the Council of Europe’s
mission: safeguarding human rights, upholding democracy and preserving the rule
of law.
Gender equality entails equal rights for women and men, girls and boys, as well as
the same visibility, empowerment, responsibility and participation, in all spheres of
public and private life. It also implies equal access to and distribution of resources
between women and men. Even if progress is visible and the legal status of women
in Europe has undoubtedly improved during recent decades, effective equality
between women and men is far from being a reality. Gender gaps and structural
barriers persist in many areas, constraining women’s opportunities to benefit from
their fundamental rights. Progress is very slow as regards women’s political
participation, access to justice and the elimination of harmful gender stereotypes
and sexism. Violence against women is both a violation of the human rights of
women and a major obstacle to gender equality. Gender equality is also not a given
for men in certain spheres of life such as health, parenthood, caregiving or
education.
Growing inequalities, economic difficulties and subsequent austerity policies,
political uncertainties, rising nationalism, anti-gender equality agendas and
religious fundamentalism and their attacks on women’s rights, challenges that
come with the inflow of migrants and refugees, the decrease in resources for
gender equality mechanisms and policies, failure to implement agreed standards,
have all created new challenges and exacerbated some of the problems that persist
in society’s roadmap towards full respect for women’s rights, men’s roles and
gender equality.
The adoption of the Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023 shows
political commitment to address current and emerging challenges and to remove
barriers to achieve substantive and full gender equality.
The strategy is grounded on the belief that a strong commitment to
de facto
equality between women and men at all levels and in all areas, alongside women’s
empowerment, a change in both women’s and men’s roles, including equal sharing
of household and care responsibilities, ending violence against women and
domestic violence and the elimination of sexism and gender stereotypes will
benefit future generations and society as a whole.