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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.
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 .
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.
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.
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.
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,
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
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Work-life Balance
Better work-life balance for EU citizens: Presidency reaches provisional agreement with the European Parliament
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.
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.
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.
Date: 20/06/2012
 

Women on Boards: Vice-President Viviane Reding meets with leaders of Europe's business schools and industry

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.

Despite around 60% of university graduates being female, women still represent only 14% of board members in Europe's biggest listed companies and only 3% of board presidents. Business schools play a crucial role in equipping young women for a career in business and helping them to reach the top. They are helping women to prepare for professional careers through seminars, training programmes and providing networking opportunities.

"I do not accept the argument that there aren't enough qualified women to fill supervisory boards - you just need to look at the list of 7 000 'board ready' women that European Business schools published a few months ago to see that there are," said Vice-President Viviane Reding, the EU's Justice Commissioner. "The pool of talent is there – companies should now make use of it."

In September 2011, the European Business Schools and Senior Executive Women launched a call to action to shatter the glass ceilings which impede senior women executives from acceding to corporate boardroom seats throughout Europe. Their ever growing list of "Board Ready Women" – up to 7 000 today from 3 500 in March 2012 – makes it clear that there are more than enough eminently qualified women to help lead Europe’s and the world’s corporations into the 21st century and that it is now time to shatter the ceiling that has kept these women from ascending to these board of directors positions.

Why gender-balanced boards?

In these difficult economic times – when we are facing the challenges of an ageing population and skills shortages, in addition to the financial crisis – it is more important than ever to take advantage of everyone's skills: both female and male.

There are four main reasons for breaking the glass ceiling on company boards:

The economic imperative: Getting more women into the labour market is an important factor in improving Europe's competitiveness. Having more women in the workforce will also help achieve the EU's goal of raising the employment rate for adults to 75%

The business case: a growing number of studies show a link between more women in senior positions and companies’ financial performance

: a growing number of studies show a link between more women in senior positions and companies’ financial performance

The need for a level playing field: several EU Member States have started to act and have introduced legally binding quotas for company boards. These varying quota rules are new, and they can be a challenge for businesses operating in several EU countries.

: several EU Member States have started to act and have introduced legally binding quotas for company boards. These varying quota rules are new, and they can be a challenge for businesses operating in several EU countries. Public demand: Europeans strongly support better gender balance. In a recent : Getting more women into the labour market is an important factor in improving . Having more women in the workforce will also help achieve the EU's goal of raising the employment rate for adults to 75% : a growing number of studies show a link between more women in senior positions and companies’ financial performance : several EU Member States have started to act and have introduced legally binding quotas for company boards. These varying quota rules are new, and they can be a challenge for businesses operating in several EU countries. : Europeans strongly support better gender balance. In a recent Europe-wide opinion poll, 88% of people said that, given the same qualifications and skills, women should be equally represented in top business jobs and 75% said they were in favour of legislative measures to enforce this.

Background

On 1 March 2011, EU Justice Commissioner Reding met chief executives and chairs of boards of publicly listed companies to discuss the under-representation of women on corporate boards. She challenged all publicly listed companies in Europe to sign up to the ": Getting more women into the labour market is an important factor in improving . Having more women in the workforce will also help achieve the EU's goal of raising the employment rate for adults to 75% : a growing number of studies show a link between more women in senior positions and companies’ financial performance : several EU Member States have started to act and have introduced legally binding quotas for company boards. These varying quota rules are new, and they can be a challenge for businesses operating in several EU countries. : Europeans strongly support better gender balance. In a recent Women on the Board Pledge for Europe" and commit voluntarily to increasing women's participation on corporate boards to 30% by 2015 and to 40% by 2020 (see &&&&IP/11/242 and MEMO/11/124). A year later, only 24 companies had signed the pledge, prompting the European Commission to launch a three month long public consultation that closed at the end of May, seeking the opinion of citizens and stakeholders (&&&&IP/12/213). The number of responses received shows the great interest in this matter: the Commission received responses from almost 500 individuals, companies, organisations and governments from all over Europe.

The Commission is now analysing the responses and preparing an economic analysis. The Commission's Legislative Work Programme for 2012 announces a legislative initiative on improving the gender balance in companies listed on stock exchanges.

For more information

European Commission – Gender balance in decision-making positions:

http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/gender-decision-making/index_en.htm

Justice Directorate General Newsroom:

http://ec.europa.eu/justice/newsroom/index_en.htm

Homepage of Vice-President Viviane Reding, EU Justice Commissioner:

http://ec.europa.eu/reding

Contacts :

Mina Andreeva ( 32 2 299 13 82)

Natasha Bertaud ( 32 2 296 74 56)

ANNEX:

Members of the European Business School / Women On Boards Initiative

Business Schools

Bocconi

Boston University Management Institute Europe

Cambridge Judge Business School

EDHEC Business School

EFMD – European Federation of Management Development

ESMT

HR College of Commerce and Economics

IAUW – International Association of University Women

IESE

IFPM Female Board Pool at the University of St.Gallen

IMD

INSEAD

Kellogg School of Management

London Business School

Oxford

RSM

University of Mumbai

Professional Organizations

American Chamber of Commerce France and Spain

Bellisario Foundation

BoardEx

Business and Industry Advisory Council

IFA Institut Francais des Administrateurs

Deutscher Juristinnenbund e.V.

EPWN (European Professional Women’s Network)

Forte Foundation – Major Corporations and Business Schools

The Financial Times Non-Executive Directors' Club

TIAW - The International Alliance for Women

GTWN - The Global Telecom Women’s Network

WiTT - Women in Telecoms and Technology

WCD - Women Corporate Directors

Women’s Forum of New York

Corporate Women

Lady Barbara Judge

Bridget Cosgrave

Lori Gonnu

Cristina Vicini

Lesley Stephenson

Brigitte Boone

Audrey Mandela

Indu Shahani

Susan Ness

Candace Johnson

European Commission Representation in Malta
Tel: 356 234 25 000
Fax: 356 21 344 897
email: comm-rep-mt@ec.europa.eu

Website: http://www.ec.europa.eu/malta

Tel: 356 234 25 000Fax: 356 21 344 897email:
 
 
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