Online Discussion “The Beijing Platform for Action Twenty Years On: Future Perspectives”

14 Oct '14 Tue 10:00 CEST10/14/2014 5:15pm EuroGender Online Discussion public Online Discussion “The Beijing Platform for Action Twenty Years On: Future Perspectives” Europe/Vilnius 10/14/2014 11:00am
14 Oct '14 Tue 16:15 CEST
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Facilitated by: 
Niall Crowley

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Niall Crowley's picture
Niall Crowley
14/10/2014 - 13:57

The agenda emerging from EIGE's recommendations includes legislation to break glass ceilings in companies, quotas in parliament, action on stereotypes, and solidarity from the social partners.

Any final thoughts on how to make progress on these recommendations or the barriers they will face as we mark the 20th anniversity of the Beijing Platform for Action?

Tiago Landreiras's picture
Tiago Landreiras
14/10/2014 - 13:58

[quote=Ioana Borza][quote=Tiago Landreiras]

Hello everyone and thank you for joining this discussion! 
 
Based on the recommendations of EIGE regarding access to the participation of women in positions of economic and political decision, in my opinion we have to start working these issues through an education that promotes gender equality, eliminating preconceptions and stereotypes about the role women in society that still rooted. 
I think we should look at HeForShe campaign launched by UN Women and the similarity of the White Ribbon campaign launched by EIGE mobilization of men to combat violence against women, should be betting on a campaign at European level to sensitize the society and above all mobilize men to promote gender equality, making them active players because of this that concerns us all. 
 
In my opinion, although I understand that the implementation of quotas is needed to asseguarar equity between men and women, starting with the European Parliament and the national parliaments where women's representation leaves much to be desired, assuming a very low expression compared with universes of men. 
  
Best regards, 
 
Tiago Landreiras

[/quote]

Thank you for this intervention! In your opinion, would you see the zip procedure -- nominating a woman and a man for a position -- as a possible solution, in line with the described campaines?

[/quote]

The purpose of For He She campaign, despite its extreme importance, in my opinion there is a failure to point to is the fact that not also have a male ambassador to, since this campaign is targeted to men. 
Having only one woman as ambassador for men conveys the idea that gender equality is associated with women, which is false. 
This fact can lead to resistance that men have in join the campaign, helping the message is not reaching as one would like.
Niall Crowley's picture
Niall Crowley
14/10/2014 - 14:00

Thanks Tiago.

We will take a break for lunch now. So do come back at 14.00 CET for the final two discussions. We will be looking at recommendations made on institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women and on gender mainstreaming. 

Niall Crowley's picture
Niall Crowley
14/10/2014 - 15:03

Welcome back and thanks for staying with us. During the morning we heard about the conclusions and recommendations drawn by EIGE in its work on the Critical Areas of Concern of violence against women and women in power and decision-making.

Niall Crowley's picture
Niall Crowley
14/10/2014 - 15:04

In this session, we will focus our attention on institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women, a third Critical Area of Concern. These institutional mechanisms drive forward our ambition for gender equality.

Ioana Borza's picture
Ioana Borza
14/10/2014 - 15:06

Welcome back and I am happy to see that there are other participants from the morning session with us!

Niall Crowley's picture
Niall Crowley
14/10/2014 - 15:06

Ioana Borza will get us started. Ioana, could you outline key recommendations EIGE is making in relation to institutional mechanisms?

Ioana Borza's picture
Ioana Borza
14/10/2014 - 15:07

Yes, institutional mechanisms for gender equality are the back-bone of developing and promoting the policies for gender equality. For these, they need human and financial resources -- a subject we heard about in the previous session too.

Ioana Borza's picture
Ioana Borza
14/10/2014 - 15:09

And again, strong political commitment to keep such institutions in place, to allocate them with resources and to support them in their activities.

Niall Crowley's picture
Niall Crowley
14/10/2014 - 15:14

How important is this recommendation to sustain gender equality institutions? Have they suffered under the crisis? What steps could be taken to make this recommendation work?

Niall Crowley's picture
Niall Crowley
14/10/2014 - 15:24

Ioana are there other recommendations that EIGE is making on this area of institutional mechanisms?

Ioana Borza's picture
Ioana Borza
14/10/2014 - 15:24

I would say it is fundamental as what we have seen in the last years was a merge of the institutions responsible for gender equality under the ones with a much broader manadate for equality.

Ioana Borza's picture
Ioana Borza
14/10/2014 - 15:27

Yes, EIGE draw attention to the need to keep the focus on gender equality as a social and economic strategy, and not only as an individual right. And for it to stay as a broad social policy and startegy, it needs specialised institutions to promote it.

Niall Crowley's picture
Niall Crowley
14/10/2014 - 15:27

Has EIGE taken a position or made any recommendations about this trend?

Niall Crowley's picture
Niall Crowley
14/10/2014 - 15:30

It is important to sustain a focus on the structural inequalities...is this a recommendation that will meet with support in your Member State?

Ioana Borza's picture
Ioana Borza
14/10/2014 - 15:37

[quote=Niall Crowley]

Has EIGE taken a position or made any recommendations about this trend?

[/quote]

EIGE made a recommnedation in this sense, but it is up to each Member State to decide on its allocation of resources. EIGE can point towards what the benefits and strength in having such institutions can bring and also support the Member States in their capacity building and development.

Niall Crowley's picture
Niall Crowley
14/10/2014 - 15:38

Ioana EIGE had some concerns about the implementation of equal treatment legislation ...what were these and what did you recommend?

Alexandrina Satnoianu's picture
Alexandrina Satnoianu
14/10/2014 - 15:39

Being of Romanian origin and knowing the political context, I would say that the existence and performance of national machineries are benefiting existence of political will or suffering from lack of political will in support of gender equality. We are curently witnessing the revival of the structure responsible for gender equality in Romania. It used to be an Agency functioning under Ministry of Labour - because of the crisis - was reduced to a department within the same ministry. Starting with  2013, in the same Ministry of Labour, we have a secretary of state responsible for gender equality and an increased department - in terms of personel and budget. Besides this secretary of state, in Romania we also have the National Council for Fighting Discrimination, dealing with petitions/cases on all grounds of discrimination, sex included. It reports to Parliament.

I see online colleagues from National Commission for Promotion of Equality in Malta. Did the crises triggered any institutional changes in your case?

Niall Crowley's picture
Niall Crowley
14/10/2014 - 15:54

Any thoughts on the difficulties of getting a focus back on the structural inequalities in your Member State?

Niall Crowley's picture
Niall Crowley
14/10/2014 - 16:03

We are moving into our final session which is part of the work done on institutional mechanisms. It is a particularly important part of these mechanisms. Gender mainstreaming has a capacity to bring gender equality concerns into the heart of all decision making and to achieve structural change if done properly.

Niall Crowley's picture
Niall Crowley
14/10/2014 - 16:03

Ioana, what did EIGE find and recommend in relation to gender mainstreaming?

Zsuzsanna Gerber's picture
Zsuzsanna Gerber
14/10/2014 - 16:07

Hello everyone! 

Thank you for joining this discussion! 

This was my first time to join you. I have listened and learned a lot.

I appreciate hearing about the recommendations developed by EIGE on some of the Critical Areas of Concern.

We have a lot to do in the advancement of gender equality in Hungary, although we have improvements, as well.

Hope to join you next time.

Alexandrina Satnoianu

Hi Zsuzsanna! Our upcoming online discussion is on EIGE's Database of Gender Statistics, a product for which EIGE is currently developing the interface and would appreciate input from you on the first graphic proposal! Check Eurogender events for the exact date!

Ioana Borza's picture
Ioana Borza
14/10/2014 - 16:10

Thank you Naill for this. I will answer but I would like to hear somehow also experinces and thoughts from the other participants that are on-line. I guess we (EIGE) did nothing exceptionally new in terms of these recommnedations, but simply condense them in a place. The question still remain if they can be implemneted and what it takes for them to be implemented.

Niall Crowley

Did you have particular hopes for change in relation to gender mainstreaming

Ioana Borza's picture
Ioana Borza
14/10/2014 - 16:11

And this is where the practical and envolved experinced of all of our invited participats come in.

Ioana Borza's picture
Ioana Borza
14/10/2014 - 16:14

EIGE recommendations go along the lines of political committment to use and develop gender mainstreaming as a policy tool, allocation of resources, both financial and human, training, substancial, constant training for knowldge in what it is gender mainstreaming and how it can be applied, and the dissemination of methods and tools for gender mainstreaming like gender budgeting and gender impact assessment.

Ioana Borza's picture
Ioana Borza
14/10/2014 - 16:19

[quote=Ioana Borza]

Thank you Naill for this. I will answer but I would like to hear somehow also experinces and thoughts from the other participants that are on-line. I guess we (EIGE) did nothing exceptionally new in terms of these recommnedations, but simply condense them in a place. The question still remain if they can be implemneted and what it takes for them to be implemented.

[/quote]

It is clear that gender mainstreaming caught some attention in some specific areas -- budgeting and legislation assessment -- in specific Member States; and it can become an interesting tool to use for other policy developments - climate change; energy policy; green jobs; but it needs financial and political support for further development - applying the tools developed, assess the outcomes/impacts it has, trainings, etc. And all these make the process of implemnetation slow, but not useless.  

Niall Crowley's picture
Niall Crowley
14/10/2014 - 16:20

That seems important and ambitious Ioana....What do participants think? What will it take to get progress on this recommendation?

Ioana Borza's picture
Ioana Borza
14/10/2014 - 16:31

[quote=Niall Crowley]

That seems important and ambitious Ioana....What do participants think? What will it take to get progress on this recommendation?

[/quote]

Well, it is good to be ambisous :-) otherwise things are not done :-) and working in the area of gender equality for sure it is a demanding and ambitious task :-)

Ioana Borza's picture
Ioana Borza
14/10/2014 - 16:57

Thank you Naill for helping us promote the content of our latest Beijing report - Beijing+20 in the EU, thank you to the participants who spent today with us, by following and interacting and I hope, in spite of the few responses that we got, that we will still be able to attract your interest on our work and what we are doing at the European Institute for gender Equality.

Niall Crowley's picture
Niall Crowley
14/10/2014 - 16:58

Well on that note of a call for ambition for gender equality we will close this online discussion.

Our thanks to Ioana Borza for guiding us through the EIGE recommendations. You have the conclusions and recommendations documents at the top of this page for further examination.