Towards an ambitious Council of Europe agenda for gender equality

Recommendation 2157 (2019)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 25 June 2019 (22nd Sitting) (see Doc. 14907, report of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, rapporteur: Ms Elvira Kovács). Text adopted by the Assembly on 25 June 2019 (22nd Sitting).

1. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Council of Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly welcomes the Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023 and draws the attention of the Committee of Ministers to its Resolution 2290 (2019) “Towards an ambitious Council of Europe agenda for gender equality”.

2. The Council of Europe, including its Parliamentary Assembly, has for decades been a driving force in countering discrimination against women and has promoted substantial progress in its member States. However, gender equality remains far from a reality in practice. In addition, a backlash against women’s rights is jeopardising the progress made. This calls for renewed efforts by the Council of Europe, in which a change in mindsets and political will and commitment are preconditions for solid, long-lasting progress.

3. Therefore, in addition to ensuring efficient implementation of the measures already set out in the Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023, the Assembly invites the Committee of Ministers to:

3.1 renew its political commitment to gender equality and step up its action to achieve it, including by supporting gender mainstreaming in all Council of Europe policies and activities;

3.2 appoint a gender equality rapporteur to ensure gender mainstreaming in its own work;

3.3 pay attention to gender equality when electing and appointing candidates for posts or roles where women or men are under-represented;

3.4 adopt guidelines for the use of non-sexist language at the Council of Europe (superceding those contained in the appendix to Instruction No. 33 of 1 June 1994 of the Secretary General concerning the use of non‑sexist language at the Council of Europe) and ensure the enforcement of these guidelines in all official documents and texts adopted by Council of Europe bodies;

3.5 promote the ratification and implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (CETS No. 210);

3.6 ensure the full implementation of existing standards and adequate resourcing for gender equality policies and mechanisms, as well as civil society organisations working in this area;

3.7 widely disseminate Committee of Ministers Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)1 on preventing and combating sexism and take the necessary measures to ensure its provisions are implemented within the Council of Europe;

3.8 review recommendations to member States on gender mainstreaming, with a view to achieving gender mainstreaming in all policies and measures, in line with the indications of the Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023 of the Council of Europe;

3.9 champion the gender equality agenda at the global level, promoting and supporting the Council of Europe contribution to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular towards achieving Goal No. 5 (Gender equality).