07/03/2025 Equality and Non-Discrimination | Women free from violence
Joint statement by PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos and the Chair of the PACE Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, Catia Polidori (Italy, EPP/CD), on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2025.
Today, on International Women’s Day, the United Nations is calling for rights, equality and empowerment “For ALL women and girls”. This is the focus of this year’s UN Women’s global campaign marking the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Despite the progress made in the last 30 years, the commitments made in 1995 remain fully relevant today, including the need to ensure women’s empowerment and their full and equal participation in all spheres of society.
The Parliamentary Assembly continues to promote gender equality and women’s rights – for all women – and with renewed energy as the backlash against such rights intensifies. In the last year, the Assembly has put forward concrete measures to protect women human rights defenders, to promote women’s economic empowerment, and to prevent and combat violence and discrimination against lesbian, bisexual and queer women in Europe. The latter, Resolution 2576 (2024), is the first ever international instrument on the issue, worldwide.
As an illustration of our commitment to gender equality and women’s rights, the Assembly, in partnership with the Government of Iceland, rewards outstanding initiatives to promote the empowerment of women in all their diversity. The Vigdís Prize for Women's Empowerment pays tribute to former Icelandic President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the first woman elected as Head of State. The deadline for receiving candidates for this year’s Vigdis Prize is 28 March 2025 and we encourage you to put forward your nominations.
We join our voices to demand more commitment and more investment, uniting efforts and resources, to make the human hights of all women a reality in Europe and beyond, to the benefit of all.