All for equality – 2020 is a pivotal year for Gender Equality
On International Women’s Day, the European Parliament celebrates the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA).
For this year’s International Women’s Day on 8 March, the European Parliament is marking the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration on gender equality. Twenty-five years after it was adopted, women’s rights and gender equality have not yet been realised. No country in the world has fully achieved equality and empowerment for women and girls. Women in Europe and around the world still face numerous challenges, some of which are newly emerging.
As the European Parliament recently stressed in its latest resolution, MEPs reaffirm their unwavering commitment to the BPfA and to the full range of actions for gender equality outlined therein. We strongly believe that working to achieve women’s rights and gender equality demands a coordinated and multisector approach that involves all relevant stakeholders, including civil society and women’s organisations as well as the business world. The Parliament shall continue to fight for a strong leadership role in achieving girls’ and women’s rights and gender equality in the European Union as well as at a global level.
David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament, said: “Altogether, we have to lead by example and join forces to achieve genuine gender equality. We must double our efforts to implement Agenda 2030 and all Sustainable Development Goals, to ensure that no woman or girl is subject to discrimination, violence or exclusion, and that all women and girls have access to health, food, education and job opportunities.
Europe is at the crossroads of transitions: green, industrial and digital. We must lead the transition to a green economy for a healthy planet and a new digital world, while leaving no one behind. All women in the world need to be actors of change. Now it is time to move from words to deeds!”
Evelyn Regner, Chair of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality said: “Let us continue to raise our voices. Let us denounce injustice and fight for a better, more inclusive and fair world. On International Women’s Day, as well as on every other day of the year. Because, and it still needs to be stressed, women’s rights are fundamental human rights.”
