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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.
European Commission gives guidance to Europe's insurance industry to ensure non-discrimination betwe
Brussels, 22 December 2011 – The European Commission has adopted guidelines to help the insurance industry implement unisex pricing, after the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that different premiums for men and women constitute sex discrimination.
Prevention is key to ending violence against women, says UN Human Rights chief Navi Pillay
[UN, New York, 5 July 2011] Prevention of violence against women was the focus of a discussion on women’s human rights held last month at the UN in Geneva in the framework of the 17th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Commonwealth People’s Forum provides crucial interface between governments and civil society
Perth, Western Australia hosted the Commonwealth People’s Forum (CPF) from 25th to 27th October 2011 in the run up of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) from 28 to 30th October 2011. These meetings are held every two years.
Female mentors to help woman entrepreneurs to get started
Brussels, 15 November 2011. A new European network of mentors to promote female entrepreneurship through the sharing of know-how and experience has been launched today by the European Commission. Women only account for 34.4% of the self-employed in Europe.
SCOOP: Socio-economic Sciences: Communicating Outcomes Oriented to Policy
SCOOP: Socio-economic Sciences: Communicating Outcomes Oriented to Policy is supported by the European Union under the Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities 7th Framework Programme for Research. Project duration: October 2009 - September 2012.
Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of victims of gender-based and domestic violence
Brussels, 16/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - The Council of Europe has created a convention to protect the victims of gender-based and domestic violence. It was presented in a press conference at the European Parliament on 15 June with José Manuel Bota, chair of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Rashida Manjoo, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Eva-Britt Svensson, chair of the EP women's rights and gender equality committee.
Brussels, 30/05/2011 (Agence Europe)
In adopting the report by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (EPP, Greece) on women and business leadership on 25 May, the European Parliament (EP) women's rights/equal opportunities committee calls on the Commission to prepare “a road map setting specific, measurable, appropriate and realistic targets, with a timetable, for the achievement of balanced representation”.
Youth on the Move – starting on the journey through life
For many young people in Europe, the final years of school and the transition from education into work present major challenges. The economic crisis has only increased the obstacles they face in obtaining the skills and qualifications needed to secure a satisfying job and a secure place in society.
First European Equal Pay Day highlights EU earnings gap
Women in the European Union earn on average 17.5% less than men during their lifetimes. This stark figure will be highlighted tomorrow during the first EU-wide Equal Pay Day. This day – 5 March – marks the extra number of days in 2011 that women must work to match the amount of money earned by men in 2010. The European Commission is committed to closing the gender pay gap and published an overall strategy for gender equality in September 2010 (see IP/10/1149 and MEMO/10/430). This year’s Equal Pay Day, which aims to raise awareness of the pay gap, comes ahead of International Women's Day on 8 March.
Statement by the EWL on the adoption of a new Pact for Gender Equality (2011-2020)
[Brussels, 16 March 2011] The EWL has issued a Statement in the aftermath of the Council of the EU’s adoption last week of a new Pact for Gender Equality 2011-2020. While welcoming the renewed commitment of the Member States to the fulfilment of the EU Treaty ambitions in relation to equality between women and men, the EWL regrets that no binding concrete measures, including targets, are foreseen in the Pact, except the renewed commitment to the Barcelona childcare objectives.
UN Women
The United Nations General Assembly unanimously decided to establish UN Women, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
Self-employed workers to gain maternity and pension benefits under new EU law
Self-employed workers and their partners will enjoy better social protection – including the right to maternity leave for the first time – under new legislation endorsed by EU governments today.
More women in top jobs key to economic growth, says EU report
Only one in 10 board members of Europe's biggest listed companies is a woman and all central bank governors in the EU are male.
Tackling the gender pay gap – Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we need to tackle the gender pay gap? At 18% across Europe, the gender pay gap remains intolerably high and stubborn. Equal pay for equal work is one of the European Union’s founding principles.
Longer parental leave and incentives for fathers
Longer parental leave and incentives for fathers agreed by EU ministersEuropean Commission, Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Parents will have the right to longer parental leave, under new rules agreed by EU ministers today.

EU flagship Project European Year Of Volunteering 2011

Encouraging and Strengthening Interaction between Volunteers and Society in Active citizenship and the creation of improved structures

The National Council of Women (NCW), together with the Commission on Domestic Violence, Nature Trust Malta and the National Youth Council, are currently implementing a project aimed at strengthening the voluntary sector in Malta.

Volunteering forms an important and necessary part of any society and the project aims at encouraging greater participation of the general population in voluntary organisations. More specifically, in line with the main objectives outlined by the EU during this year of volunteering, the project will encourage and support the efforts of all voluntary organisations and individual volunteers through the exchange of good practices. This will be done through a series of meetings and encounters with all stakeholders in order to put across a plan of action for the EU and local authorities to engage citizens further in the voluntary sector. These meetings will enable those present to discuss and exchange experiences and good practices in the voluntary sector to increase the visibility and importance of volunteering in Maltese society. In this way, it will help to create the necessary environment conducive to volunteering in Malta.

The project also aims at anchoring volunteering in civil society participation that would encourage more individuals to volunteer by engaging a wider group of stakeholders such as employers and other employment-related entities in order to foster a sense of civic duty and recognition of skills and time spent by participants in the voluntary arena. Further, a research exercise will be undertaken on volunteering in Malta through interviews and questionnaires to better understand what constitutes a conducive environment for voluntary organisations and their volunteers in Malta. A toolkit for youth between the age of 13 and 18 and the retired population will be produced to encourage their full participation in civic society through volunteering and thus foster a sense of belonging and commitment by citizens towards Maltese society. The project will propose, through dialogue and information-sharing, that entities recognise the value of volunteering in order to encourage appropriate incentives for individuals, companies and volunteering organisations for enhanced participation by the general population. Through the involvement of employers' organisations and trade unions, it is hoped that volunteering is promoted within private organisations and discussions are triggered with the aim of recognising skills obtained through volunteering as an effective manner of participation in civic society.

Furthermore, the project will empower organisers of voluntary activities to improve the quality of volunteering and encourage networking, mobility, cooperation and synergies to implement new types of volunteering and thus address existing obstacles to quality volunteering. Ultimately, the project will contribute to gaining recognition at government level by policy makers, including the formal and non formal education, and employer recognition for skills and competences developed through volunteering. Finally, the project's ultimate aim is to increase the visibility of volunteering in Malta in conjunction with the Commission and the Council for Volunteering.

The first of four meetings was held on the 28th June 2011 with voluntary organisations and volunteers active in Malta. Aimed at gathering information on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing the voluntary sector in Malta today, participants shared their experiences and best practices. This meeting lay the foundations for the subsequent meetings in order to enable the project partners to devise a strategic plan of action to enhance the voluntary sector.

This one year project will come to an end in February 2012 and will culminate in a final conference which will disseminate and distribute the project's outputs and promote further active citizenship for the population at large. The issues outlined through the different meetings and research carried out will form the basis of the conference discussion in order to propose a way forward for the volunteering sector in Malta.

 

Grace Attard

President

National Council of Women

 

 
 
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