Gender equality

Gender equality in politics

Thanks to the feminist movement, women's rights became a subject of international concern. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), also called the Women's Treaty is the first significant and so far the most important document guaranteeing the human rights of women. Also, the Beijing Platform for Action was of great importance. Both documents are a major framework for the international establishment of women's human rights and other documents of international and regional character are to follow them.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

The convention was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979. For the first time, Gender stereotypes were identified as dangerous and as an obstacle to the full implementation of human rights. In this context, we consider Article 5 to be crucial: ”States Parties shall take all appropriate measures: (a) To modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women”

From this statement it is clear that Gender stereotypes are seen as an essential barrier to Gender equality.

An institute which guarantees the rights declared by the Convention is the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, composed of twenty three experts elected by parties bound to the Convention and independent of the governments of which they are citizens. The role of the Committee is assessing the progress in the implementation of the Convention (Article 17), on the basis of the reports from the signatory states. States are required to submit reports on the legislative, judicial, administrative and / or other measures taken to implement the Convention in their country to the Committee. These reports shall be submitted "at least every four years and whenever the Committee requests so" (Article 18, b).

Beijing Platform for Action

This is a more detailed elaboration of the UN Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995. „The objective of the Platform for Action is the empowerment of all women. The full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of all women is essential for the empowerment of women. While the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds must be borne in mind, it is the duty of States, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms“ (No.2, Par.9)

The Action platform formulates 12 Strategic Objectives and Actions: Women and Poverty; Education and Training of Women; Women and Health; Violence against Women; Women and Armed Conflict; Women and the Economy; Women in Power and Decision-making; Institutional Mechanism for the Advancement of Women; Human Rights of Women; Women and the Media; Women and the Environment; The Girl-child.

Part of the promotion of Gender equality is a concept which is particularly crucial in the EU strategy: