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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.
CHOGM 2007

Civil Society Influences CHOGM

The 2007 Commonwealth People's Forum (CPF) took place from 18 - 22 November 2007 at the Africana Hotel, Kampala, Uganda, with the theme “Realising People's Potential”. The theme was chosen by citizens of Uganda to bring a 'people's' element to the discussions at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) .

The CPF provided Ugandan and pan-Commonwealth civil society with an opportunity to discuss issues affecting their work and their countries, and feed their concerns to their governments during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), being held in Kampala from 23-25 November 2007. NCW Malta was represented by the General Secretary Doris Bingley who is also a member of CSAC (the Commonwealth Foundation’s Civil Society Advisory Committee).

In selecting the theme for 2007, it was recognised that people remain the most important resource for development. Since the 1960s policy makers, advisors, and political leaders in developed and developing countries have been formulating and implementing strategies aimed at achieving macroeconomic stability, economic growth and poverty reduction.

The challenges facing most developing countries are complex and multidimensional. They involve economic, social, cultural, political, and environmental factors which cannot be adequately addressed through isolated interventions. Institutional accountability and an integrated approach are essential elements in facing these challenges.                                    

Six weeks in advance of the CHOGM in Uganda, the Commonwealth gathered to set the agenda for the CHOGM at the Committee of the Whole Meeting in Marlborough House.  This year civil society worked hard to influence the process by bringing their issues and concerns to the table. In the last few months the Commonwealth Foundation and its Civil Society Advisory Committee held various consultations across the Commonwealth. On 5 October, the Commonwealth Foundation convened a civil society meeting to synthesise the outcomes of these consultations for consideration by the Committee of the Whole. On Monday 8 October, the outcomes were presented directly by civil society to representatives of Commonwealth governments. This meeting was chaired by Ambassador James Mugume, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Uganda. Malta was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Office, Ms. Cecilia Attard Pirotta.
The statement produced by civil society will form the basis of the submission from the Commonwealth People's Forum to the CHOGM in November.

At the Commonwealth People’s Forum (CPF) in Kampala over 1200 delegates from Uganda, together with 300 international delegates, representing 600 organisations from 59 countries, attended the Forum. From Monday to Tuesday 19-20 November, CPF participants met in 20 workshops cluster under the six CPF sub-themes: economic development; governance, participation and human rights; culture, creativity and identity; environment and natural resources; education for transformation; and health at home and at work. The 2007 CPF also included the ‘People’s Space’, nine ‘Learning Journeys’, and a daily CPF newsletter GEM News.

The ‘GEM’ newspaper was a project of African Women from the African Women and Child Feature Service. It was part of a media-training forum for journalists from Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia on gender and development writing.

On Monday 19 November there was the launch of the Friends of the Commonwealth. Malta’s Foreign Minister Michael Frendo was one of the main guests at this function. He made a short speech which gained the respect of all present. He was a very popular figure at the CPF. He also visited the People’s Space and left a message on the Wall of Greatness.

On Wednesday 21 November, the Chair of the Civil Society Advisory Committee, Joan Grant-Cummings made a statement on behalf of the CPF to a meeting with Commonwealth Foreign Ministers, and on Saturday 24 November, a roundtable between civil society and Foreign Ministers was held.

The main outcomes of CPF 2007 were the Kampala Civil Society Statement and a summary of the key outcomes of the 20 thematic workshops held during the CPF.

Here you have the Gender section from the Kampala Civil Society Statement to the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

GENDER
Underscoring that the empowerment of women is key to transformation, CHOGM should move from rhetoric to reality, by focusing attention on improving gender equality within Commonwealth Member States and adhering to agreed commitments in international declarations and conventions;

Noting that gender equality is not only crucial in itself, but is a fundamental human right and a question of social justice;

Stressing that gender equality is essential for growth and poverty reduction, and that it is key to reaching the MDGs and as such needs to be recognised as a goal in its own right;

Affirming that equal rights (political, civil, economic, social and cultural) for women and men, girls  and boys needs to be demonstrated through: equal access to and control over resources for women and men; and equal opportunities to achieve political and economic influence for women and men;

We call on Commonwealth Member States to:

put in place measures that commit responsible ministries to implementation of the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005–20151. The Commonwealth must work together to ensure closer collaboration between governments and gender focused civil society organisations and institutions to ensure concerted support to elimination of gender inequalities and poverty eradication. Together they should address the gaps and persistent obstacles and challenges faced in the implementation of the Commonwealth Plan of Action as these should not deter its implementation;
support initiatives that increase financing for gender equality work, through gender responsive budgeting. In addition, the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness presents an opportunity for Commonwealth Member States to demonstrate support for increased funding to gender equality work;
institutionalise the participation of women in decision making in the first instance by achieving 30% target set out in the Beijing Platform for Action and the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005-20152;
ensure concerted action, and commit resources to address gender-based violence and prevent the trafficking and abuse of women and children;
enact and implement legislation against gender-based violence, promoting victim protection and awareness raising through the media, as well as education and training;
urge those countries that are not parties to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women to ratify the Convention;
conduct a gender disaggregated base-line study of gender equality in all Commonwealth Member States, using a standardised set of indicators, that is regularly updated;
encourage Commonwealth Member States to initiate  programmes in conflict and post conflict countries in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1325;
build capacity of government institutions for gender budgeting and capacity for organisations to access funding for gender budgeting;
review labour and employment laws and opportunities for women, and address women’s ownership and use of land and property rights; and
mainstream gender equality in all policies, strategies and actions, and financial measures which directly support women’s empowerment.

We call on Commonwealth Governments, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Foundation to facilitate the strengthening and development of the Commonwealth Women’s Network, as a mechanism for the promotion of gender equality.

Full reports of Civil Society’s Kampala Statement and CHOGM 2007 Communique can be found on www.commonwealthsecretariat.com
 
 
1Adopted by Commonwealth Ministers Responsible for Women’s/Gender Affairs, 7th Meeting (7WAMM), 30 May–2 June 2004, Fiji Islands and endorsed at CHOGM 2005
 
2Adopted by Commonwealth Ministers Responsible for Women’s/Gender Affairs, 7th Meeting (7WAMM), 30 May–2 June 2004, Fiji Islands and endorsed by the Commonwealth  Heads of Government in Malta in 2005 

 

 
 
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