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| The National Council of Women Annual General Meeting “Towards a regeneration for the Future” |
| NCW Malta Annual General Meeting 2021 was held at The Palace Hotel Sliema on Thursday 22 July 2021 In her opening address, outgoing NCW President, Mary Gaerty, called on the Assembly to join her in a prayer for past members of NCW, for those who lost their life due to the Covid-19 and for the women whose lives were taken away due to femicide, which saw an increase during Covid-19. |
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| Elimination of Violence against Women - 16 Days of Activism |
| Elimination of violence against women – 16 Days of Activism.
You too can do something about it!
The 25th of November is the kick off date for the annual international campaign of 16 days of activism against Gender Based Violence. It starts on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and runs till the 10th of December, Human Rights Day . |
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| Human dignity should be respected at all times. |
| The National Council of Women would like to express its concern about the video posted online portraying men pelting a woman with eggs during a stag party. Human dignity should be respected at all times. As a society, we should condemn any type of abuse even if this is done by consent for financial gain. |
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| OSCE/ODIHR anti-trafficking survey for survivors of trafficking in human beings |
| The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has received numerous responses and has decided to extend the submission due date for the survey of survivors of human trafficking to Monday 26 August 2019. |
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| NEW TASK FORCE AT EUROPOL TO TARGET THE MOST DANGEROUS CRIMINAL GROUPS INVOLVED IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING |
| On 2 July, the Joint Liaison Task Force Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Human Beings (JLT-MS) was launched at Europol. This new operational platform will allow liaison officers from all EU Member States to step up the fight against constantly adapting criminal networks. |
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| Malta is EU country with highest rate of tertiary education graduates in employment |
| A report in the Independent states that Malta stood above the EU average in 2018 when it came to the employment rate of graduates aged 20-34 who had attained a tertiary level education within the previous three years, |
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| European Commission |
| On 2 July 2019, Ursula von der Leyen was nominated by the European Council to the position of President of the European Commission; she will be the first women and the first German since Walter Hallstein |
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| Equal opportunities and access to the labour market |
| 1. Education, training and life-long learning
Everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that enable them to participate fully in society and manage successfully transitions in the labour market.
2. Gender equality
Equality of treatment and opportunities between women and men must be ensured and fostered in all areas, including regarding participation in the labour market, terms and conditions of employment and career progression.
Women and men have the right to equal pay for work of equal value.
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| The gender pay gap in the EU and the European Pillar of #SocialRights |
| 1. The gender pay gap in the EU is 16.2%, that’s 16.2% higher than it should be! Gender equality is the second key principle of the European Pillar of #SocialRights for a reason
2. The European Pillar of #SocialRights supports the right to equal treatment and opportunities regarding employment, social protection, education, and access to goods and services available to the public. Something NCW Malta has supported since its creation! |
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| Gender Equality in the Media Sector |
| This study was commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for
Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the Committee on
Women's Rights and Gender Equality. It examines key elements of the European
policy agenda pertaining to gender equality in the media sector. It also reviews
existing research on women's representation within media content and the media
workforce. The study provides analysis of actions to promote gender equality in
the media at both EU and Member State levels. Finally, it presents case studies
of gender equality in the media sector in four Member States: Austria, Malta,
Sweden, and the UK. |
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| Empowering women and girls in media and ICT |
| On the occasion of the International Women's Day, the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender
Equality is holding an inter-parliamentary committee meeting on empowering women and girls in
media and ICT. The meeting, which will bring together EU institutional representatives, members of
EU national parliaments, experts and stakeholders, will take place on 08 March 2018.
The presentation and debates will deal with the topics of women shaping media, empowering women
and girls through digital inclusion and women’s movements and advancing equality in the digital age. |
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| Digital healthcare / health insurance |
| In the view of the EESC, given the digital revolution in the field of health, it is vital to maintain and promote a health insurance system which serves the needs of everyone, and is solidarity-based, inclusive and non-discriminatory. Inclusion and fair access for all to good quality health services (digital or otherwise) and commitment to these are in fact prerequisites for universal health coverage. |
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| Gender equality in European labour markets |
| In order to improve gender equality in labour markets, the EESC considers it necessary to draw up an integrated and ambitious European strategy to tackle systemic and structural obstacles and lead to adequate policies, measures and EU funding programmes for improving equality between women and men, thus fostering "more equal economic independence of women and men" . This would also contribute to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. |
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| Services to the family |
| Developing services in private homes in order to achieve a better work-life balance
Every family has a home and clothes to maintain, meals to prepare, children to care for, elderly parents or ill or disabled family members who need help. Women often have to work part-time in order to carry out these tasks, missing out on the career for which they have trained or on time they would use for training. |
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| Women and girls digital gender gap |
| This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the FEMM Committee, attempts to reveal the links between the different factors (access, skills, socio-economic and cultural), which prevent women from having equal access to digital technology. It then suggests ways of dealing with online and offline inequalities to the effect of closing the digital gender gap and improving women’s and girls’ digital inclusion and future technology-related career paths. |
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| Plastics, human health and environmental impacts: The road ahead |
| Plastics have been with us for more than a century, and by now they’re everywhere, for good and for ill. Plastic containers and coatings help keep food fresh, but they can also leave behind neurotoxins such as BPA in the human body. PVC is used for everything from pipes and flooring to furniture and clothes, but it contains compounds called phthalates that have been implicated in male reproductive disorders. Studies have also shown that childhood exposure to environmental pollutants can have significant negative effects later in life, including reduced labor force participation and even earnings. |
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| European Commission aims to significantly reduce the gender pay gap |
| The European Commission plans to use a series of measures aimed at significantly reducing the pay gap between men and women over the next five years. The average gender pay gap in the EU currently stands at 18%. To lower this rate, the Commission plans to raise awareness among employers, encourage initiatives to promote gender equality and support the development of tools to measure the gender pay gap. |
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| NCW Annual General Meeting 2019 |
| NCW Annual General Meeting 2019
The Annual General Meeting of the National Council of Women was held on Saturday 26th January 2019, at The Victoria Hotel, Sliema. President Mary Gaerty spoke about the work which the Council has embarked on during 2018. This included pensions, education, violence against women, work and entrepreneurship, work life balance and the challenges faced by women on a daily basis.
She also highlighted the fact that the National Council of Women is looking ahead at the constant changes |
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| Work-life Balance |
| Better work-life balance for EU citizens: Presidency reaches provisional agreement with the European Parliament |
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| The National Council of Women supports the Act to provide protection for human embryos |
| NCW has always advocated for legislation of alternative IVF treatment not least because of the sensitivity and the consequences for both parents and society if it had to remain unregulated. NCW believes that IVF treatment should be for heterosexuals within a stable family environment The Council has always supported the protection of embryos as the first cell of a human life and, with the development of alternative treatment over the past years this has become possible successfully. |
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| Women on Boards: Vice-President Viviane Reding meets with leaders of Europe's business schools and i |
| Today, EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding met with European Industry Associations, European Business Schools and Senior Executive Women to discuss progress being made on improving the gender balance in company boardrooms.
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| UfM adopts new project to support women’s empowerment in the Mediterranean |
| A project aimed at developing women’s empowerment in the Mediterranean through the development of effective field projects and the setting up of networks and platforms, was adopted by Senior Officials of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) at a meeting held last month. |
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CONFERENCE EUROPEAN YEAR OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL 2007 (Date: 28/12/2007)
REPORT GRACE ATTARD EESC GROUP III MEMBER
23.11.2007
CLOSING CONFERENCE
EUROPEAN YEAR OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL 2007
Lisbon 19-20 November 2007
Monday 19 November 2007
The Conference opened with welcome speeches by
H.E. Prime Minister of Portugal, Jose’ Socrates
Portuguese Minister for Labour and Social Solidarity – Jose’ Vieira da Silva
Director General for Employment and Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, European Commission - Nicolaus van der Pas and
Vice-President of the European Parliament Rodi Kratsa –Tsagaropoulou
The 4 Rs – RIGHTS, REPRESENTATION, RECOGNITION AND RSPECT were highlighted
Reference was made to EU legislation over the years, at different stages on Equality for All
The importance of addressing equality issues at all levels – EU, national, regional and local and the involvement of all stakeholders were also highlighted
PANEL 1:
KEYNOTE SPEECHES ON DIVERSITY AND EQUAL 0PPORTUNITIES
FIRST SPEAKER: Esther Mucznick: Vice-President of the Jewish Community and Member of the Commission for Religious Freedom, Portugal emphasised the need for legislation to be enforced regarding religious freedom
SECOND SPEAKER: Lydia La Riviere-Zijdel: International Consultant on Gender, Diversity and Sport spoke about gender and multiple discrimination
THIRD SPEAKER: Trevor Phillips: Chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Great Britain spoke about institutional inertia and the need for positive action. Individuals suffering from mental health should be more strongly represented. The Year of intercultural dialogue should serve to continue the work that has been carried out in 2007
PANEL II:
THE YEAR’S LEGACY PROMOTING EQUALITY AND NON DISCRIMINATION
FIRST SPEAKER: Elsa Pais: National Co-ordinator of EYEO, Portugal spoke about the experience of preparing for such a conference. She highlighted the initiatives carried out in Portugal
A portal – equality for all
A reward for school children’s initiatives in the area of equality
The use of cartoons breaking down inequalities to target the very young
SECOND SPEAKER: Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska, Former Minister of Labour and Social Policy, member of Polish Parliament and responsible for the Polish National Implementing Body (NIB), Poland spoke about the initiatives carried out in Poland,
including education campaigns with the participation of representatives from different countries working in the field of anti-discrimination, workshops for local representatives implementing anti-discrimination policies at local level, publication of information and best practices about the six areas of discrimination, awareness raising project for newly-elected local representatives
THIRD SPEAKER: Sinikka Keskinen: EYEO National Contact Point, Finland spoke about the work carried out in Finland during the Year. Although the European Year is not expected to solve long-term problems of inequality problems, attention should still be paid to encourage development sin this field
FOURTH SPEAKER: Equinet – European Network of Equality Bodies spoke about the importance of networking and the sharing of good practices. He also referred to access to information. He also highlighted that goods and services to be extended to all areas of discrimination, positive action, and the need for a percentage of European Structural Funds to address inequalities in particular social inclusion
FIFTH SPEAKER: Sylvia Meehan: AGE Platform, Ireland spike about senior citizens and the fact that only recently awareness of age discrimination has become widespread.
SIXH SPEAKER: Isidiro Rodriguez, Secretary Foundation for Roma, Spain spoke about the need to address discrimination of the large numbers of Roma people in Europe and their economic contribution to society. He urged the EU to specifically address this issue
SEVENTH SPEAKER: Faila Pasic, Face of the Year, Slovenia spoke about their activities which targeted children with special needs
AFTERNOON SESSION
WORKSHOPS
WORKSHOP 1: ACCESS TO RIGHTS
Chaired by Richard Howitt, Member of the European Parliament, UK
WORKSHOP 2: EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND GENDER MAINSTREAMING
Chaired by Alexander Rosa. Portuguese NIB
WORKSHOP 3: SOCIAL INCLUSION AND MULTIPLE DISCRIMINATION
Chaired by Isle Brands Keri’s, Latvian Centre of Human Rights
WORKSHOP 4: DIVERSITY, MIGRATION AND INTERCULTURAL DIALOGU
Chaired by Jean Lambert, Member of the European Parliament UK
Tuesday 20 November 2007
PANEL III: PAVING THE WAY TOWARDS EQUALITY FOR ALL
Voices from Civil Society
SPEAKERS
Representative of Portugal’s EYEO NGOs – Odette Fiona
Director of AGE – Anne-Sophie Parent
President of European Disability Forum – EDF- Hyannis Vardakastranis
President of European Network again racism – ENAR – Bushy Quash
President of European Women’s Lobby – EWL Kristy Cutoff
Executive Director of ILGA-Europe – Patricia Prineville
SHORT CONTRIBUTIONS BY SOCIAL PARTNERS
Confederation Secretary of ETUC – Catalane Peskier
Vice-Chair for the Social Affairs Committee BusinessEuroep Ingo Vladimira Dfbalova
Reporter of the Social Affairs Committee of CEEO – Tina Weber
Director, Social Affairs of UEAPME – Lillian Volozinskis
Speakers highlighted the importance of including diversity in the labour market, the need for access to qualifications that address market needs for all and addressing the issue of migration in a comprehensive manner
MINISTERIAL ROUND TABLE: FROM THE YEAR’S LEGACY TO A NEW GOVERNANCE TOWARDS EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND NON-DISCRIMINATION
Speakers highlighted the need to develop initiatives to mobilize all stakeholders to take action and ensure active policies of non-discrimination for all in the workplace.
Other areas highlighted were: immigration policy, border security, and gender equality in particular addressing the pay gap
Other points raised were:
Addressing multiple discrimination
Co-operation between the different grounds (6) of discrimination in an equal and not hierarchal manner
Addressing discrimination of groups with different sexual orientation
Addressing the needs of ethnic minorities
Equality to be mainstreamed in all EU policies
The need for independent equality bodies
The importance of involving NGOs at all levels
The challenge to have cohesion while celebrating diversity
WORKSHOPS CONCLUSIONS – REPORTS
THE LEGACY FOR THE FUTURE
Keeping up the momentum for change
Awareness – a pre-condition; addressing prejudices and attidutudes
Effective legislation
Omissions in legislation
Political and moral will for implementation
Test cases to evaluate legislation
Awareness for people exposed to discrimination
Informing and sensitizing marginalized groups of their rights
Building dialogue and support between the six grounds of discrimination
Better and more accurate data collection
The role of business in addressing diversity in particular immigration; creating workplaces free of discrimination
Several proposals of good practices for business
CLOSING SESSION
High representative of the UN secretary-general for the alliance of civilisations – Jorge Sampaio, Portugal (video message) UN representative: ‘Modernizing, changing the way we do things’
Director-general for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, European Commission – Nikolaus van der Pas
Portuguese Secretary of State of Social Security – Pedro Marques
Portuguese Secretary of State from the Council of Ministers Presidency Jorge Lacao
Director Equality between Women and Men, Action against discrimination, Directorate General, Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, European Commission Belinda Pike, UK
HONORARY AWARDS FOR INITIATIVES carried out in 2007
Poland - audio visual
Belgium -visual
Czechoslovakia - poster campaign
Portugal - information material
LOOKING AHEAD
2008 has been designated as the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. In the UK, the National Co-ordinating Body is known as the EUCLD; and the responsible government department is DCMS. EUCLID plans to host a number of events in 2008 to mark the
European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. Events include conferences, exchange of fairs and training seminars throughout the UK
In addition to the events, organizations interested in the European Year are encouraged to sign up to the partner section of the EYID 2008 website, which offers a unique networking platform for all people involved in the European Year
FOR MORE INFORMATION
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/eyeq/
www.europeanyearofequalopps.org.uk
www.equalityhumanrights.com
www.interculturaldialogue2008.eu (EU website)
http://inter.culture.info (UK website)
EUROPEAN YEAR OF INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE:
Events include conferences, exchange of fairs and training seminars throughout the UK
In addition to the events, organizations interested in the European Year are encouraged to sign up to the partner section of the EYID 2008 website, which offers a unique networking platform for all people involved in the European Year
For more information:
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/eyeq/
www.europeanyearofequalopps.org.uk
www.equalityhumanrights.com
www.interculturaldialogue2008.eu (EU website)
http://inter.culture.info (UK website)
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