C Explanatory memorandum by Ms Gafarova,
rapporteur for opinion
1 Aims of the European Alliance of Catholic Women’s
Organisations, ANDANTE
1. From a general point of view, the aims of the ANDANTE
Association are in line with the values and principles upheld by
the Council of Europe. The association promotes the presence, participation
and co-responsibility of Catholic women in European society, and
works for the “common good” from a female perspective and the “just
participation of women in society”.
Note
2. Representing 22 organisations and about 1.2 million women
in 13 member states of the Council of Europe, ANDANTE represents
an important outreach vector.
3. The ANDANTE Association can contribute to the promotion of
the Council of Europe’s activities related to gender equality when
informing its members of the latest developments.
2 Main activities of ANDANTE in the field of gender
equality
4. The ANDANTE Association presents itself as a “platform
for Catholic women to express their ideas” and has reported on its
activities linked to the Council of Europe on its website and in
its newsletters. The association has been active in several fields
of activity of interest for the Council of Europe, such as women and
democracy, women’s participation in political life, and intercultural
dialogue.
5. The Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men found
of particular interest the work carried out by ANDANTE to encourage
women to re-enter the labour market.
6. Information sharing among members of the alliance is another
key activity of the ANDANTE Association. In its newsletter, available
on its website, the association includes information about the latest
developments at European Union level and the activities of the Council
of Europe, as well as links to the websites of both institutions.
Note
7. In October 2010, ANDANTE participated in the Oslo Forum on
the Universality of Human Rights, hosted by the Conference of International
Non-governmental Organisations (INGOs) of the Council of Europe
in collaboration with the European Wergeland Centre for education
in human rights. ANDANTE also took part in the meeting of the Conference
of INGOs at the Council of Europe in January 2011. Reports on both
events are available on the association's website.
8. Considering the wide access of the ANDANTE Association to
local organisations working on promoting and protecting women’s
rights, the committee considers that ANDANTE could contribute to
the promotion of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing
and Combating Violence against Women including Domestic Violence
(CETS No. 210), by sharing information about the convention with
all its members.
3 Conclusions of the rapporteur
9. The ANDANTE Association has met the key requirements
for obtaining participatory status, namely “mak[ing] known the work
of the Council of Europe among European citizens” and being “represented
at the European level”, since it has a significant number of members
throughout greater Europe.
Note The committee therefore
agrees with the Committee on Culture, Science and Education that
the decision to refuse participatory status to the ANDANTE Association
should be overturned.
