Parliament to hold its second European Gender Equality Week

Following the success of the edition, launched by the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee in October 2020, the European Parliament will hold a second European Gender Equality Week from 25 to 28 October. Several parliamentary committees and delegations will organise sessions addressing gender equality issues in their policy areas.

To highlight just a few of the many events taking place, the delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Assembly will hold an exchange of views on Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, on Monday afternoon. The Employment and Social Affairs Committee will discuss gender equality and the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing on how the recovery can be designed to protect women and promote gender equality, both on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, the Legal Affairs Committee will hold an exchange of views on the Women on Boards Directive, a legislative file blocked in the Council for many years.

The Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee will hold several events, including a Conference on the Future of Europe side-event on ‘‘building an inclusive economy for women in the green and digital transformation’’ on Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, it will hold a hearing on ‘‘Enhancing gender equality through common European action on care’’ with Commissioners Šuica (Democracy and Demography), Schmit (Jobs and Social Rights) and Dalli (Equality). On Thursday afternoon, the Director of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), Carlien Scheele, will present to the Women’s Rights Committee the findings of the Gender Equality Index 2021, with a special focus on health.

For details on these and all of the other events being organised by the participating committees and delegations, click here.

You can watch all these events live via webstreaming on the EP Multimedia Centre.

Quotes

Ahead of the second European Gender Equality Week, EP President David Sassoli said: “I can only express my satisfaction with the success of this initiative, which was launched just a year ago in the midst of the pandemic, and which we are promoting again this year, with broad participation from many of the EP Committees and parliamentary Delegations. We are enthusiastic about gender equality, but we must all commit ourselves, every day, to advancing a form of equality that goes beyond mere rhetoric, that increases our commitment in all areas where women still suffer from marginalisation or social disadvantage. Equality must be de facto. What is happening in Afghanistan, but also within our borders, is a warning for our societies. Discriminatory policies are not being abolished for good. The courage, tenacity and voice of women who have fought and who continue to fight for their rights must inspire us towards achieving an integrated and global approach to gender, because we are all equal, today and always.”

Women’s Rights Committee Chair Evelyn Regner (S&D, AT) added: “After the success of the first European Gender Equality Week in 2020, even more Committees and Delegations have joined for the second edition. This extremely positive development shows that achieving gender equality is a task we can only fulfil together. It is a cross-cutting issue touching on all aspects of life, and I strongly believe that if we stand together, we can help everyone achieve a better life! This is especially important in the post-pandemic recovery efforts and when implementing the lessons learned from this crisis. We now need to fulfil our promises for better working conditions, higher salaries, combatting gender-based violence and so much more! Together, let’s make this second Gender Equality Week a success.”

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