Medlemmerne af Folketingets Europaudvalg og deres stedfortrædere Bilag Journalnummer Kontor 1 400.C.2-0 EUK 23.    februar 2005 Til underretning for Folketingets Europaudvalg vedlægges Socialministeriets redegørelse for det uformelle ligestillingsministermøde i Luxembourg om Beijing + 10 den 2.-3. februar 2005.

2 Ligestillingsafdelingen J.nr. C.2.11.40 kap 7.   februar 2005 Redegørelse til Folketingets Europaudvalg   vedrørende uformelt ligestillingsministermøde i Luxembourg om Beijing + 10 Baggrund: Den 2.-3. februar afholdt det luxembourgske EU formandskab en konference om status for ligestillingsarbejdet i EU siden FN’s 4 Verdenskvindekonference i Beijing 1995. Den 4. februar blev der afholdt et ligestillingsministermøde om samme tema, hvor der afslutningsvis blev enige om indholdet i en deklaration. Deklarationen vil skulle danne basis for formandskabets tale, der holdes på EU’s vegne på FN’s Kvinde- kommissions samling (d. 28.2 – 11.3) i New York, hvor man agter at markere 10- året for den handlingsplan, der blev vedtaget i Beijing (Platform for Action – PfA). Indhold: De europæiske ministre lægger i deklarationen stor vægt på at konfirmere PfA.   Man har siden Beijing årligt fulgt op på implementeringen af PfA både i EU og i FN, men i FN har dele af PfA været under pres, og derfor var det vigtigt fra et eu- ropæiske perspektiv at stå fast på de fremskridt og målsætninger man fik vedtaget med PfA. Derudover fremhæves det i deklarationen, at ministrene finder det helt afgørende at der i FN regi sættes fokus på følgende områder: 1.   Institutionelle mekanismer til at fremme ligestillingsarbejdet   2.   Ligestilling og beskæftigelse, økonomi og fattigdom   3.   Ligestilling og menneskerettigheder, fredsskabende aktiviteter, vold mod kvinder, handel med kvinder og andre områder  

3 Ministerial Declaration: We,  the  Ministers  of  the  25  EU  Member  States  responsible  for  gender  equality policy participating in the European Ministerial Conference held in Luxembourg on 4 February 2005 in the context of the Beijing + 10 Review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of the 23rd session of the General Assembly 2000; Acknowledging   the   conclusions   of   the   report   of   the   Luxembourg Presidency on the progress made by the enlarged EU following the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome of the Presidency conference on the Review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action held on 2 and 3 February 2005, also in Luxembourg;   Reaffirm our strong support for and commitment to the full and effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Beijing + 5 Political Declaration and Outcome Document of the twenty-third Special Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, as well as the agreed conclusions adopted at the sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women since Beijing;   Recall our commitment to achieve the full and effective implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its Optional Protocol;   Reaffirm    our    strong    support    for    and    commitment    to    the    full implementation   of   the   Cairo   Programme   of   Action   adopted   at   the International Conference on Population and Development, 1994, as well as the key actions for the further implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action  agreed  at  ICPD+5  and  the  Copenhagen  Declaration  and  Action Programme;   Emphasise that gender equality can not be achieved without guaranteeing women’s  sexual  and  reproductive  health  and  rights,  and  reaffirm  that expanding access to sexual and reproductive health information and health services  are  essential  for  achieving  the  Beijing  Platform  for  Action,  the Cairo Programme of Action and the Millennium Development Goals;   Emphasise that gender equality is an important goal in itself and essential to the achievement of all Millennium Development Goals and that a gender perspective  should  be  fully  integrated  at  the  high-level  review  of  the Millennium Declaration, including the Millennium Development Goals;   Recognize that full enjoyment of all human rights by women and girls is an inalienable,  integral  and  indivisible  part  of  universal  human  rights  and  is essential for the advancement of women and girls, peace and development;   Encourage the active involvement of men and boys in the achievement of gender equality;   Ensure  that  all  measures  are  consistent  with  internationally  recognized principles  of  non-discrimination  -  including  multiple-discrimination  based on  sex,  racial  or  ethnic  origin,  religion  or  belief,  disability,  age  or  sexual orientation, and that they take into account the respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the victims of such discriminations;   Also  recognize  that  progress  towards  achieving  equality  between  women and men has been made in the past decade but that inequalities persist and that  multiple  barriers  remain  in  most  of  the  strategic  areas  of  the  Beijing Platform   for   Action   to   gender   equality   and   the   advancement   and empowerment of women;  

4 Stress that it is essential that the EU member countries act as partners to use   the   opportunity   provided   by   the   CSW   49th   session   for   a   full, unequivocal  and  universal  reaffirmation  of  the  Beijing  Declaration  and Platform for Action and the outcome document of the 23rd session of the General  Assembly  of  the  United  Nations  and  to  review  and  appraise progress made since Beijing and Beijing+5, to identify obstacles and current challenges  and  agree  on  the  following  actions  and  initiatives  to  further implement and promote equality between women and men.   1. Institutional mechanisms Underline that institutional structures and mechanisms at European and at national  level are the main vehicles through which the Platform for Action can   be   achieved   and   that   they   must   act   as   catalysts   for   gender mainstreaming and gender equality.   Agree to   Ensure  that  gender  equality  bodies  and  structures  have  the  human  and financial   resources   and   capacities   necessary   to   function   effectively. Guarantee strong political commitment, at the highest level, as well as clear mandates   and   functions,   in   order   to   ensure   the   empowerment   and advancement of women and the implementation of legislation, to develop specific actions as well as to apply  gender mainstreaming;   Enhance dialogue and cooperation with civil society and social partners;   Guarantee gender equality under and before the law and create an enabling environment to translate rights into reality   Take concrete steps to implement both gender mainstreaming and specific actions to achieve gender equality, including the design and implementation of  multi-year  national  action  plans  for  gender  equality  and  the  further development of gender expertise and gender training;   Identify  processes  and  tools  that  will  encourage  greater  accountability  for addressing gender equality issues;   Develop  methods  and  tools  for  gender  mainstreaming  such  as  gender budgeting, gender audit and gender impact assessment as a priority for the future;   Continue  to  improve  the  collection,  compilation  and  dissemination  of timely, reliable, comparable data disaggregated by sex;   Set time-bound targets and progressively update them inter alia through the involvement of national and international statistical organisations;   Monitor  progress  by  regular  reporting  and  assessing  results  in  order  to create a more consistent and systematic monitoring and assessment of the implementation of the Platform for Action.   2. Gender equality and employment, economy and poverty Recognize  that  gender  equality  is  fundamental  to  the  achievement  of  full employment and economic growth, reinforcement of social protection and poverty eradication;   Strengthen the link between the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action,  the  Millennium  Goals  and  the  Lisbon  Strategy,  adopted  by  the European  Council  in  2000,  in  order  to  reinforce  economic  reform  and social cohesion as part of a stronger knowledge-based economy across the Union;   Recognize  that  women’s  employment  rates,  women’s  unemployment,  the gender pay gap, sex segregation in the labour market, the unequal share of

5 the  burden  of  unpaid  labour  between  women  and  men  and  the  gender- specific imbalances in decision making, remain challenges for  the EU.   Agree to   Strengthen  efforts  to  combat  social  exclusion  and  to  remove  obstacles  to women’s participation in the labour market, including through measures to combat discrimination and exploitation in the workplace;   Develop along with measures to increase competitiveness and productivity, strategies to increase the number of women in employment and in quality jobs,  to  ensure  and  protect  the  rights  of  women  workers  and  to  remove structural and legal and attitudinal barriers to gender equality at work;   Focus on policies to enable women and men to balance their working and private  life  and  family  responsibilities;  Reform  tax  and  benefit  systems, where  appropriate,  to  provide  financial  incentives  for  women  to  take  up, remain and return to work and encourage men to share responsibilities and tasks in the family;   Tackle  the  gender  pay  gap  through  a  multifaceted  approach  addressing underlying    factors    including    sectoral    and    occupational    segregation, education  and  training,  job  classifications  and  pay  systems;  Promote  and support women’s self employment, development of small enterprises, and their access to credit including micro-credit and capital on terms equal to men;   Integrate gender analysis into the design, implementation and evaluation of measures, especially those relating to macro-economic policies and poverty reduction. Use quantifiable measurements, targets and benchmarks to allow for a proper monitoring and evaluation of progress;   Remove barriers and promote opportunities for women, including women migrants  and  other  marginalized  women,  to  access  and  participate  in economic decision-making at all levels.   3.   Gender   equality   and   human   rights,   peace   building,   violence   and trafficking and other areas of concern Reaffirm  that  the  full  realization  of  all  human  rights  and  fundamental freedoms  is  essential  for  the  empowerment  of  women  and  girls  and  the achievement of a real democracy;   Reaffirm   our   commitment   to   the   promotion   of   gender   equality   and women’s  empowerment,  including  through  development  cooperation  and partnership and recognize that gender equality and women’s empowerment are   of   fundamental   importance   for   the   achievement   of   sustainable development and eradication of poverty.   Agree to   Ensure  the  full  enjoyment  by  all  women  and  girls,  including  migrant women, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and develop specific strategies and benchmarks to measure progress;   Support,  encourage  and  disseminate  research,  and  collect  sex  and  age- disaggregated statistics on factors and multiple barriers that affect the full enjoyment by women of their economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights,  including  their  right  to  development,  and  on  violations  that  are particular to women and girls and disseminate the findings and utilize the collected  data  in  assessing  the  implementation  of  the  human  rights  of women;  

6 Develop  preventative  methods  to  combat  gender  based  violence  and trafficking in human beings for sexual and other forms of exploitation and monitor their implementation;   Intensify actions to prevent and combat all forms of trafficking in women and girls through a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary and co-ordinated anti- trafficking strategy;   Strengthen measures to address all the  factors, that encourage trafficking in women  and  girls,  by  strengthening  existing  legislation  with  a  view  to providing  better  protection  of  the  rights  of  women  and  girls  and  to prosecute  and  punish  the  perpetrators,  through  both  criminal  and  civil measures and take comprehensive measures to discourage the demand;   Mainstream  a  gender  perspective  into  national  immigration  and  asylum policies, regulations and practices, as appropriate in order to promote and protect  the  rights  of  all  women  and  girls,   including  the  consideration  of steps to recognize gender-related persecution and violence when assessing grounds for granting refugee status and asylum;   Implement and encourage initiatives, policies and programmes and monitor their implementation, as appropriate, following the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) concerning women, peace and security and the Council of Europe Declaration, Programme of Action and Resolution on democratisation, conflict prevention and peace building, to promote the roles of women and men in conflict prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace building and post-conflict democratic processes, in particular through the  full  realisation  of  the  human  rights  of  women  and  the  non-violent resolution  of  conflicts,  the  equal  participation  of  women  and  men  in decision-making,    the    promotion    of    gender    equality    and    gender mainstreaming,   the   combating   of   gender   based   violence   against   civil populations, in particular women and girls;   Ensure that the needs of women in post-disaster relief and reconstruction situations  are  properly  understood  and  are  addressed  in  programmes, promote the role of men and women in post-disaster and reconstruction, including in decision making;   Ensure  women’s  equal  access  to  information  on  disaster  reduction  by means  of  formal  and  non-formal  education,  including  through  gender sensitive early warning systems and empower women to take related action in timely and appropriate manner;   Intensify  our  efforts  to  support  developing  countries  to  integrate  gender mainstreaming    and    empowerment    of    women    within    policies    and programmes, by appropriate technical and financial assistance;   Continue to develop, adopt and fully implement laws and other measures, as  appropriate,  such  as  policies  and  educational  programmes,  to  eradicate harmful   customary   or   traditional   practices,   including   female   genital mutilation, early and forced marriage and crimes committed in the name of honour, which are obstacles to the full enjoyment by women and girls of their human rights and fundamental freedoms;   Take  concrete  steps  to  create  an  educational  and  social  environment  to encourage  women  and  men,  girls  and  boys  to  achieve  their  full  potential and to mainstream gender into all educational policies and programmes;   Achieve  the  goal  of  equal  participation  of  women  and  men  in  decision- making  and  ensure  equal  political,  economic  and  social  participation  of

7 women in all spheres to provide the balance that is needed to strengthen democracy; Increase the participation and access of women to expression and  decision  making  in  and  through  media  and  new  technologies  of communication;   Promote balanced and non-stereotyped portrayal of women in the media;   Emphasise  the  urgent  need  to  link  the  fight  against  HIV/AIDS  with support  for  reproductive  and  sexual  health  and  rights,  in  particular  to ensure    strong    political    commitment    and    funding    for    sexual    and reproductive   health   information,   services   and   research,   ensure   access, extend  treatment  and  care,  and  ensure  reproductive  choices  to  people affected by HIV, in accordance with the ICPD Plan of Action.   * The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey and Croatia and the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, who participated in the ministerial conference as observers, align themselves with this declaration.