The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) is the largest umbrella organisation of women’s associations in the European Union (EU), working to promote women’s rights and equality between women and men. EWL membership extends to organisations in all 28 EU member states and the three candidate countries, as well as to 20 European-wide bodies, representing a total of more than 2500 organisations.
The EWL’s mission is to promote real and effective equality between women and men, in all spheres of public and private life, across the EU. This mission is founded on a vision of a peaceful and democratic European Union built on a culture of respect for human rights, equality, peace and solidarity.
Vision and Values
The EWL works towards a vision of a peaceful, social and democratic European Union built on a culture of respect for human rights, equality, peace and solidarity, in Europe and globally, where women and men have equal rights, full enjoyment of their personal integrity and choice, an equal share of social, cultural and economic resources, caring and family roles, and are equally represented in decision making.
The EWL carries out its work towards this vision within a feminist perspective and based on the following values:
- Equality – between women and men in all areas of public and private life;
- Solidarity – with all women and men experiencing exclusion, discrimination, oppression and violence;
- Respect – for difference and diversity;
- Parity – especially in relation to decision making;
- Freedom – for all women to decide for themselves on all matters of personal/physical integrity and choice;
- Peace – promote a culture of peace;
- Justice – for all;
- Empowerment – of all women;
- Cooperation and consensus building – as our approach to difference and conflict;
- Accountability – to each other, to those we represent and to funders;
- Openness and transparency – in relation to communication and working methods;
- Independence – from any religious or political party affiliation.
Mission and Aims
The mission of the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) is to work to achieve equality between women and men, to promote women’s rights in all spheres of public and private life, to work towards economic and social justice for all women in their diversity, and to eliminate all forms of male violence against women. The EWL works through democratic processes with its members for the mainstreaming and monitoring of gender equality and women’s rights perspective in all areas of European Union policy and for the achievement of parity democracy at all levels and in all areas.
Through its wide membership, the European Women’s Lobby aims:
- To support the active involvement of the membership in working to achieve equality between women and men and ensure the representation of women from different parts of the European region;
- To engage in systematic learning and exchanging of experiences amongst the membership through democratic processes in order to achieve a sustainable and efficient women’s movement in Europe;
- To activate and mobilise members by means of information / lobbying resources, trainings, systematic dialogue and exchange, in order to actively engage with EU policy shaping, implementation and monitoring of legislation at national level;
- Through analysis, evaluation and monitoring, to provide regular input on EU policy developments and implementation that have an impact on women’s lives and on the promotion of equality between women and men with specific reference to the EU Treaty obligations, legislation, policy framework and programmes on equality between women and men, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the United Nations Beijing Platform for Action, as well as the UN Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Development Goals in line with the EWL Strategic Aims;
To take into account the needs, specific inequalities, and perspectives of different groups of women, and the diverse experiences of women at all stages of their life cycle. This perspective informs both EWL internal policy and organisational development as well as the development of partnerships and joint working relationships with organisations that represent the many women that face multiple discrimination in the European Union and globally.
For more information see official website of EWL