Recommendation to the Council on the EU priorities for the 61th session of the UN Commission on the status of women

The European Parliament adopted by 371 votes to 198, with 74 abstentions, a resolution containing a proposal for a European Parliament recommendation to the Council on the EU priorities for the 61st session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

Parliament recalled that equality between women and men is a fundamental principle of the EU, enshrined in the Treaty on European Union. It also noted that 20 years after Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, the empowerment of girls and women is still not a reality.

Accordingly, Parliament addressed certain recommendation to the Council:

General conditions for empowering women and girls: Parliament confirmed its commitment to the Beijing Platform for Action and to the range of actions for women’s human rights and gender equality outlined therein. It also asked for the following:

• policies to invest in women’s and girls’ equal access to high-quality education and vocational training;
• eliminate violence against women and gender-based violence and put in place an EU strategy to combat violence against women, including a directive laying down minimum standards;
• ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health care and reproductive rights and provide age-appropriate sexual education to girls and boys, young women and young men in order to reduce early undesired pregnancies or the spread of sexually transmitted diseases;
• elimination of the gender pay, lifelong earnings and pension gaps;
• ending all forms of discrimination against women in laws and policies at all levels.

Abortion issue and “global gag” rule: Plenary also stated that in January 2017 US President Donald Trump reinstated the so‑called “global gag” rule, which prevents international organisations from receiving any US global health assistance if they provide, counsel for, refer to or advocate for abortion services - even if they are doing so with their own, non-US funds and even if abortion is legal in their country.

According to Parliament, this rule will set back years of gains made in advancing the health and wellbeing of communities worldwide, especially in the area of women’s and girls’ rights, and could undercut healthcare access for millions worldwide. Therefore, Parliament called, as a matter of urgency, on the EU and its Member States to counter the impact of the gag rule by significantly increasing sexual and reproductive health and rights funding and launching an international fund to finance access to birth control and safe and legal abortion, using both national as well as EU development funding, in order to fill the financing gap left after the Trump administration’s move to cease funding.

Enhancing women’s economic empowerment and overcoming barriers on the labour market: the main recommendations are:

• adopting policies and laws ensuring equal access to work and equal pay for equal work and work of equal value;
• intensifying work towards policies supporting and promoting female entrepreneurship;
• supporting policies that favour the equal sharing of domestic and care responsibilities between women and men;
• abolishing child labour.

Ensuring women’s equal share at all levels of decision-making by:

• protecting civil and political rights and support ensuring gender balance in decision-making at all levels;
• strengthening women’s leadership and participation in decision-making in conflict and post-conflict situations.

Addressing the needs of the most marginalised women: in this regard, the aims are to:

• facilitate land ownership and access to credit for rural women;
• emphasise the right of migrant women workers, especially migrant and refugee domestic workers, to decent working conditions and equal social protection;
• urge all parties to implement policies that guarantee the rights and humane treatment of women and girl refugees.

Translating these commitments into expenditure and making them more visible, by:

• mobilising the resources required to realise women’s economic rights and reduce gender inequality;
• ensuring the full involvement of Parliament and its Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in the decision-making process regarding the EU’s position at the 61st session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.