Meeting of the EuroMed Working Group on Women’s Rights and Gender Justice

International activities

Meeting of the EuroMed Working Group on Women’s Rights and Gender Justice

26. 10. 2020

Berlin, Germany, 24-25-26 October 2019

EuroMed Rights is a network of 80 human rights organisations, institutions and individuals based in 30 countries in Europe and the Mediterranean region. It was established in 1997 in response to the Barcelona Declaration, which led to the establishment of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.

Themes/working groups

  • migration and asylum
  • women’s rights and gender justice
  • economic & social rights
  • justice & the rule of law
  • shrinking space & the shrinking civil society

Women’s rights and gender justice working group focus

 

The current focus of the GWG is on enhancing the legal environment for combating violence against women through the harmonization of national laws with international standards, such as the CEDAW and Istanbul Convention, and the subsequent implementation of these laws. In addition, given the current context of populist movements promoting an anti-feminist, “moral” discourse and increasing backlashes against women’s rights, the GWG aims to build and promote a rights-based counter-narrative and undertake solidarity actions with women’s rights defenders.

The topics (and related workshops) of the meeting 24-26 October 2019

  • THEME 1: Enhancing the legislation on violence against women.
  • THEME 2: Countering the backlashes to women’s rights.
  • WORKSHOP 1: Training on digital security and online safety for women’s rights defenders (facilitated by EWL)
  • WORKSHOP 2: Workshop on anti-gender/anti-feminist discourses (result: joint EuroMed campaign)
  • UP NEXT: Beijing +25 / SDG+5 / GAP III – what is planned in your organisations?

Reason CWL’s got invited 

  • Reaching to Central and Eastern European countries (and organizations) and to expand the networks’ cooperation in this sub-region

Next steps

  • To see whether it would make sense for CWL to cooperate with EuroMed Rights (with the Working Group on Women’s Rights and Gender Justice) - first, informally taking part in mid yearly meetings as outside “consulting organization/expert organization on the sub-region”, 
  • potential positives:
    • strengthening CWL ties with EU members of EuroMed and expanding CWL’s connection to the countries of the Mediterranean rim
    • EuroMed gender working group’s main themes - violence against women and anti-gender and anti-feminist discourses - align with CWL’s focus 
    • EuroMed has offices in Brussels (alongside Copenhagen and Tunisia offices) and advocate on the EU level based on input from the network members 
    • another Czech member - People in Need
  • potential negatives: 
    • CWL’s limited resources
    • large part of EuroMed Rights focus is being targeted towards the Mediterranean rim countries, a region where CWL does not have ties/does not focus on

Networking & resources