In the light of the absolute need to do more to eliminate
violence against women and domestic violence by promoting the Istanbul
Convention as a unique and essential tool in shaping preventive
and protective legislation and policies and punishing perpetrators
of gender-based violence, as well as of the need to dispel deliberate
misrepresentations of the treaty, the Assembly calls on the Committee
of Ministers to:
2.1 promote ratification
of the Istanbul Convention in those countries that have not yet
ratified it, and to encourage States that have ratified it to lift
any reservations made on accession where this is possible;
2.2 promote feminist foreign policies as a means to attain
more representative, inclusive policy making and multilateral action
in combating gender-based violence on the basis of the normative international
framework;
2.3 in line with the recommendations made in October 2022
by the High-level Reflection Group on the Council of Europe’s role
in responding to new realities and challenges facing Europe and
the world, ensure that priority is given in the Action Plan of the
4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe
in May 2023 to combating violence against women and domestic violence
through the implementation of the Istanbul Convention;
2.4 take action to ensure implementation of the Dublin Declaration
of Council of Europe Ministers of Justice on the prevention of domestic,
sexual and gender-based violence adopted in September 2022;
2.5 ensure that the new Gender Equality Strategy (2024-2029)
gives priority to combating and preventing violence against women,
building on the successes of the current strategy (2018-2023);
2.6 give renewed support to the Council of Europe’s activities
on gender equality and on combating violence against women, as well
as the Assembly’s Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence, including
through financial contributions by member States.
