REPORT on a European Parliament recommendation to the Council concerning the EU priorities for the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women

DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RECOMMENDATION

to the Council concerning the EU priorities for the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women

(2025/2240(INI))

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, set to take place in March 2026, its priority theme of 'Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers' and its review theme of 'Women's full and effective participation and decision making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls',

- having regard to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women of 18 December 1979,

- having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 12 December 2006, particularly Articles 6 and 13 thereof on access to justice and the multiple discrimination faced by women and girls with disabilities,

- having regard to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, namely the principle of 'leaving no one behind' and, in particular, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which seeks to achieve gender equality and ensure that women have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, and SDG 10, which seeks to eliminate discriminatory laws, policies and practices, and promote appropriate legislation, policies and action,

- having regard to Articles 20, 21, 23 and 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

- having regard to its resolution of 11 April 2024 on including the right to abortion in the EU Fundamental Rights Charter[1],

- having regard to the joint communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 25 November 2020 entitled 'EU Gender Action Plan (GAP) III - An ambitious agenda for gender equality and women's empowerment in EU external action' (JOIN(2020)0017), which outlines the EU's action plan for gender equality for the 2021-2025 period,

- having regard to the Commission communication of 7 March 2025 entitled 'A Roadmap for Women's Rights' (COM(2025)0097), which reaffirms the EU's commitment to gender equality,

- having regard to the Commission communication of 5 March 2020 entitled 'A Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025' (COM(2020)0152),

- having regard to its resolution of 13 November 2025 on the Gender Equality Strategy 2025[2],

- having regard to Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2001/220/JHA[3], and to the recast of this directive, currently in progress,

- having regard to Directive (EU) 2024/1385 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 on combating violence against women and domestic violence[4],

- having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1820 (2008) of 19 June 2008 on sexual violence as a weapon of war,

- having regard to the UN Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems, adopted in December 2012,

- having regard to the Commission's Justice Programme 2021-2027, which provides funding to support judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, such as training for judges and other legal practitioners, and effective access to justice for citizens and businesses,

- having regard to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention),

- having regard to Article 81(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

- having regard to Rule 121 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (A10-0010/2026),

A. whereas equality between women and men is a fundamental principle enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union and Article 23 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; whereas this principle applies across all areas of life and all policies, including access to justice; whereas gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting and an intersectional approach should be implemented and integrated across all relevant EU policies and are essential for achieving gender equality; whereas internal and external policies should remain consistent and coherent in order to ensure the effective and credible promotion of human and fundamental rights, democracy and gender equality around the world;

B. whereas gender equality, democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law are indivisibly linked; whereas a growing backlash against women's rights and gender equality is driven by the rise of anti-gender and anti-democratic movements; whereas recent cuts in US development aid disproportionately impact women and girls worldwide, increasing vulnerabilities and harming communities; whereas the UN General Assembly has warned of active resistance to gender equality and a transnational backlash against women's rights; whereas there is an urgent need to reaffirm substantive equality and the human rights of women and girls[5];

C. whereas women's and girls' rights and gender equality are fundamental human rights and essential preconditions for human development, social justice, democracy, the rule of law, improving living standards, reducing poverty, tackling the climate crisis and building a necessary foundation for a peaceful, just, prosperous and sustainable world; whereas, in general, achieving rights for women and girls across the world improves competitiveness by promoting inclusive growth, reducing inequalities, and ensuring the full utilisation of women's skills and potential in all sectors of society;

D. whereas poverty and discrimination are exacerbated by intersecting factors such as racism, disability, migration status, sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics, as highlighted in line Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; whereas period poverty remains a significant barrier to gender equality, restricting the education, health and economic participation of millions of women and girls worldwide and thereby limiting their access to justice, and undermining their representation and participation in decision-making processes at all levels;

E. whereas access to justice is widely recognised as a fundamental human right under international law, a core concept in the broader field of justice, and a cornerstone of the rule of law and democracy; whereas the EU recognises access to justice as a fundamental right under Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; whereas effective access to justice requires reliable data, transparent procedures, evidence-based policymaking and impartial institutions that ensure that women and girls can exercise their rights without discrimination; whereas access to justice is a fundamental human right based on fair laws, effective enforcement, affordable support, gender-responsive institutions and accountability mechanisms; whereas discriminatory laws, gender stereotypes, financial barriers and institutional bias continue to hinder many women and girls, especially those facing intersecting discrimination; whereas women and girls in vulnerable situations, including those with disabilities, those living in rural or remote areas and elderly women, often face additional obstacles in accessing justice and legal support; whereas digitalisation and artificial intelligence increasingly shape access to justice, requiring action against algorithmic discrimination, digital exclusion and online harms; whereas legal aid is essential to equitable access to justice, while exchanges in best practice help to strengthen the quality and consistency of legal aid systems;

F. whereas universal and equal access to justice for women and girls remains a complex and critical issue across all regions of the world, and is especially challenging in some regions, particularly in those where democratic institutions and the rule of law are weak; whereas economic deterrence, limited access to legal aid, high costs, complex legal procedures, digital and linguistic barriers, distrust of judicial systems, prevalent gender stereotypes, racial biases, misogyny and systemic discrimination continue to hinder women and girls from effectively accessing justice;

G. whereas women remain seriously under-represented worldwide at the highest levels of the judiciary and prosecutorial authorities, particularly in leadership positions such as presidents of courts, chief justices and heads of prosecution offices; whereas achieving balanced gender representation in these decision-making bodies must be a priority; whereas a gender-sensitive approach must be continued, even when the presence of women has been ensured; whereas integrating a gender perspective into judicial decision-making is essential to securing equal access to justice for women and girls, and requires assessing facts and applying the law without gender bias and harmful stereotypes, both in the decision itself and in the process by which it is made; whereas in 2024 the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) issued General recommendation No 40 on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems, stating parity as 50:50 representation between women and men in all their diversity, in terms of both equal access and equal power within such systems;

H. whereas the UN actively supports greater participation of women in the justice sector through dedicated initiatives and campaigns; whereas greater representation of women within judicial institutions is linked to more victim-centred approaches to justice and is essential to ensuring that victims feel supported and heard when they come forward and seek access to justice; whereas clear rules and strong legislative provisions, mandatory training on their application and awareness-raising initiatives on gender and justice - both for all professionals in the justice sector and for civil society - are necessary;

I. whereas violence against women, gender-based violence and domestic violence constitute violations of fundamental rights; whereas legal systems must fully address the specific needs of victims by providing adequate protection, effective legal remedies, accessible support services and adequate training to competent authorities that come into contact with victims of gender-based violence, in order to avoid secondary victimisation; whereas many women and girls continue to face substantial barriers to reporting abuse and obtaining legal assistance; whereas all forms of violence - including psychological, emotional and mental abuse, as well as coercive and financial control - must be formally recognised; whereas the persistence of gender stereotypes, misogyny and sexism within institutions, along with structural and procedural obstacles, continue to hinder women victims of violence when trying to access justice; whereas judicial specialisation in gender-based violence has proven effective as it concentrates expertise, improves case management and fosters a more gender-sensitive and victim-supportive environment[6];

J. whereas harassment in the workplace and in political, judicial, academic or online settings constitutes a barrier, preventing women from accessing justice and entering or remaining in public and decision-making roles; whereas pervasive online violence, hate speech and hate crime increasingly directed at women and girls have severe consequences for their daily lives, limit their participation in public life and undermine their equal representation;

K. whereas armed conflict, forced displacement, the consequences of climate change and humanitarian emergencies worsen inequalities and weaken protection systems, leaving women and girls at greater risk of gender-based violence, including forced marriage, sexual violence during transit, trafficking, gender-based violence in reception or asylum centres and sexual violence and torture used as weapons of war; whereas conflict-related sexual violence remains one of the most widespread human rights violations, used to terrorise civilian populations, suppress resistance and destroy communities, and may constitute a war crime, a crime against humanity or acts contributing to genocide under international law; whereas the UN's Women, Peace and Security agenda is central to addressing contemporary global peace and security challenges; whereas ongoing armed conflicts, as well as emerging and increasingly complex security threats, disproportionately affect women and girls and have led to a deterioration of their status, with detrimental consequences for the full enjoyment of their human rights globally;

L. whereas the Istanbul Convention is one of the most advanced international legal instruments establishing binding obligations to prevent and combat gender-based violence;

M. whereas violations of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including the denial of safe and legal abortion services and all forms of obstetric and gynaecological violence, constitute gender-based violence and breaches of fundamental human rights; whereas under persistent social norms, gender-based violence is legitimised, access to health services, including to sexual and reproductive healthcare, is restricted, unpaid care work is assigned predominantly to women, and women's leadership opportunities are limited; whereas access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, including safe and legal abortion, is a fundamental human right that must be upheld globally; whereas millions of women still lack such access, which exposes them to physical harm and economic and psychological stress; whereas threats and attacks against civil society organisations and human rights defenders, particularly those supporting SRHR, are increasing at an alarming rate;

N. whereas rape remains a widespread human rights violation and is often used as a weapon of war to terrorise civilian populations and destroy communities; whereas urgent action is needed to end impunity, in this regard, and secure justice for victims of rape;

O. whereas judicial stereotyping and prevailing gender norms, together with insufficient information, can hinder effective access to justice for women and girls who are victims and survivors of violence; whereas gender-based violence and barriers to women's access to justice can impact their full participation in public life; whereas this situation undermines the trust of women and girls in the justice system and contributes to underreporting, especially in cases of gender-based violence; whereas many survivors continue to experience victim-blaming, stigma, fear of retaliation and secondary victimisation, further deterring them from seeking justice;

P. whereas gender stereotypes, misogyny and sexism within the judicial system continue to reinforce gender inequalities by perpetuating biased attitudes, discriminatory practices and unequal power dynamics; whereas these systemic barriers undermine women's confidence in seeking justice, limit their fair representation and contribute to the persistence of injustice and marginalisation in legal processes; whereas the presence of gender biases and stereotypes in the justice system was fully exposed and denounced by the Me Too movement, which mobilised women and girls across continents, showing that despite diverse social, economic and legal contexts, the challenges faced by women and girls in justice systems are very similar and therefore require concerted action;

1. Recommends that the Council:

(a) reaffirm the EU's strong commitment to gender equality and guarantee the full implementation of women's and girls' rights in all aspects of EU external action, including development, trade and foreign policy, through an adequately funded, inclusive and intersectional approach that challenges gender stereotypes and is based on the principle of non-discrimination, in order to swiftly advance gender equality;

(b) ensure the full involvement of Parliament and its Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality in the decision-making process regarding the EU's position at the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women; ensure that Parliament has adequate information about and access to the EU's position document ahead of the negotiations; further improve interinstitutional cooperation, including during the negotiations, so that Parliament's priorities are properly incorporated; stress that women's participation and leadership in decision-making roles is still lacking, including in foreign policy and peace-building; recognise that studies have shown that peace agreements reached with the active participation of women have a better chance of being sustainable and effective[7]; state that recent global assessments underline that, despite current commitments, progress in advancing women's full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership in peace and security processes remains limited;

(c) reconfirm the EU's commitment to gender equality as a horizontal priority; support and champion the values of diversity, equality and inclusion; emphasise the need to develop a comprehensive tool to monitor and counter democratic backsliding and backsliding in women's rights, which are intrinsically linked; take the lead in the global fight against the backlash against gender equality, and strongly condemn the attacks by anti-gender and anti-rights movements, which spread lies, undermine democracy and target women's and LGBTIQ+ rights;

(d) call for the establishment of monitoring and accountability frameworks to track the implementation of UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) commitments across all Member States and UN partners;

(e) ensure that EU and international instruments are complementary and ambitious, with robust and substantive provisions to empower women and girls and guarantee access to justice; stress that the right to legal aid and legal advocacy is essential to guarantee universal and equal access to justice for all and effective participation in relevant proceedings; stress, furthermore, that persons with disabilities, particularly women and girls with disabilities, face structural and practical barriers to accessing justice and public participation; emphasise the need for specific measures to guarantee their full inclusion and universal access to effective protection; ensure that the EU demonstrates strong leadership and adopts a unified position on inclusive and unbiased justice systems and explore the possibility of implementing specific specialised courts for gender-based violence; advocate for comprehensive legal frameworks that protect women's rights and ensure the full and equal participation of women, girls and people in all their diversity under both national and international law; call for ensuring and promoting victims' right to timely offender-paid compensation within criminal proceedings and for exchanging best practice to prevent secondary victimisation, including through state subrogation mechanisms;

(f) take action to fully implement existing commitments on gender equality and women's empowerment, ensuring the protection of women's equal human rights and fundamental freedoms without discrimination, to advance their participation in public life; encourage and take action to ensure substantive gender equality and institutional gender parity at all levels of decision-making;

(g) emphasise the importance of guaranteeing women and girls effective access to justice at all levels, including clear reporting channels and the swift processing of protection and support measures; eliminate obstacles, particularly for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of women, who often face barriers in accessing justice, owing to the multiplying effect of limited and underfunded resources within the justice system, as well as socio-economic and socio-cultural factors and intersectional discrimination; ensure adequate, victim-centred support and protection services in cases of gender-based violence, and prevent any form of secondary victimisation when reports are made to the police or during court proceedings; call for enhanced international cross-border mechanisms to ensure that victims of violence - especially migrants, refugees and people in need of international protection - can access justice across different countries; highlight that economic inequality remains a significant obstacle to accessing justice;

(h) emphasise the need to recognise gender apartheid as a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute and advocate for its international recognition, in order to ensure access to justice, accountability and the possibility of prosecution by international courts; support the definition of the UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls of gender apartheid as acts within an institutionalised system of gender-based discrimination and domination;

(i) ensure the exchange of best practices, including through judicial training, regarding the psychological, mental, physical, coercive and financial impacts of gender-based violence; strengthen and expand dedicated courts, divisions or specialised procedures for gender-based violence or designate specialised judges within regular courts; commit to and encourage the integration of a gender perspective in judicial decision-making; encourage the possibility of providing female lawyers for victims upon request; promote gender-sensitive, victim-centred training for officials coming into contact with victims, in line with their functions, including police officers, prosecutors and judges, to prevent secondary victimisation, tackle gender stereotypes and biases, and ensure respectful, trauma-sensitive, non-discriminatory treatment of victims;

(j) stress the importance of ensuring that women and girls have accessible, comprehensive and coherent information about their rights, support and protection, through every step of the judicial process, especially in cases of violence against women or domestic violence, including through awareness-raising initiatives; emphasise the need to support grassroots legal empowerment programmes that help women and girls understand and exercise their rights and encourage the establishment of both general and specialist support services for victims of crimes, and ensure their effective coordination and methods of referral; emphasise the key role these services play in informing victims about their rights and facilitating their access to justice; ensure that the information provided to victims is easy to access and available in plain language; promote the existence and use of victim helplines and ensure that they are available through various channels, including telephone and information and communication technologies; recognise that limited access to information and communications technologies in many countries worldwide hampers the full realisation of the potential of women and girls;

(k) commit to ensuring access to legal aid for victims from the outset of civil or criminal proceedings and promote this approach globally, together with international partners; call for the incorporation of a gender perspective into all relevant policies, laws, procedures, programmes and practices in order to address specific barriers faced by women and girls, including limited awareness of rights, discriminatory attitudes and gender stereotypes within justice systems, and the insufficient availability of specialised services, particularly in rural and remote areas; promote the practice of assessing women and girls' right to legal aid solely based on their own financial means, independent of their husbands', partners' or families' income, which is especially relevant for cases of gender-based violence; highlight the importance of gender-disaggregated data on access to justice, case outcomes, legal aid usage and barriers, in order to support evidence-based policymaking;

(l) advance women's leadership, equal participation and increased representation of women within the judiciary and its governing bodies and take active steps towards promoting the broad access of women from minorities and marginalised groups to the legal profession, with a view to dismantling structural barriers within the justice system and to fostering an equitable and representative judiciary, thereby ensuring equal opportunities;

(m) promote and advocate for concrete actions and measures to ensure women's participation and leadership in decision-making in public life, including in the areas of foreign policy, defence and security and the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts and crises; underline the need for a common tracking methodology for collecting data on women's participation in these sectors;

(n) actively support and promote the 2024 CEDAW General recommendation No 40 on equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems, defined as 50:50 parity between women and men in all their diversity in terms of equal access to and equal power within decision-making systems;

(o) encourage meaningful participation of women at all levels of decision-making in foreign, security and security policy, as well as in conflict resolution, both in the EU and globally;

(p) take action to urgently and fully implement existing commitments on gender equality and women's empowerment, ensuring the protection of women's equal human rights and fundamental freedoms without discrimination, including through strong public institutions and policies that guarantee equal opportunities, to advance their effective and full participation in public life, thus facilitating their engagement in decision-making processes; condemn online hate speech targeting women and its impact on their participation in public life, and support media literacy and digital safety programmes for women and girls;

(q) stress that empowering women and women's rights organisations and supporting women's participation in external policy- and conflict-related decision-making fosters better outcomes for communities, access to justice and more sustainable peace; clearly condemn recent funding cuts to women's, women's rights and civil society organisations that fight gender-based violence and empower women to access justice; secure, furthermore, sustainable funding and legal protection for feminist and LGBTIQ+ organisations, especially grassroots groups under attack owing to shrinking civic space and restrictive laws targeting non-governmental organisations;

(r) defend the mandate of the UN CSW in the light of efforts by the United States and aligned countries to weaken agreed gender-equality priorities, and express concern that such political pressure, combined with funding cuts to gender-equality programmes, risks undermining the effectiveness and credibility of the CSW; step up development aid funding to compensate for the gap left following the rollback of the US Agency for International Development; reaffirm its full support for the work of UN Women, which is a central actor in the UN system for advancing the rights of women in all their diversity and bringing together all relevant stakeholders to generate policy change and coordinate actions; urge all UN member states, together with the EU, to ensure adequate funding for UN Women; commit to adequate funding for gender equality and women's rights, including SRHR;

(s) apply gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting to all relevant EU policy areas, including external action; stress the need for states to allocate adequate, sufficient and predictable funding for gender-responsive legal aid and support services, especially for survivors of gender-based violence, and sufficient access to compensation, since current barriers disproportionately affect women's access to justice; stress the importance of addressing practical, regional and accessibility-related barriers that hinder women's and vulnerable groups' access to justice, particularly in rural, remote and economically disadvantaged regions; underline the specific challenges faced by women with disabilities, elderly women and single parents, including physical accessibility obstacles and a lack of tailored support services; recognise that legal aid is often chronically underfunded or undervalued, creating yet another barrier for women in crisis situations seeking access to justice, which disproportionately affects women in lower socio-economic positions and those most vulnerable, in terms of accessing justice when their rights are infringed;

(t) reaffirm the EU's commitment to combating and ending impunity for gender-based violence, including sexual violence; advocate for eliminating impunity for all forms of gender-based violence, including domestic violence, sexual violence, trafficking and harmful practices; accelerate the implementation of international commitments to further prevent and respond to all forms of violence against women and girls in both public and private spheres, including rape, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, so-called conversion practices, the non-consensual sharing of intimate or manipulated material, deepfakes and AI-generated content, cyberstalking, cyber-harassment, cyber-flashing, cyber incitement to violence or hatred, hate speech and hate crimes; stress the importance of addressing the threat posed by AI-manipulated technology and advocate, at EU and international level, for stronger action against online violence, both of which disproportionately affect women and hinder their full participation in public life; urge very large online platforms and very large online search engines to allow for public scrutiny of their annual risk assessments and mitigation measures related to gender-based violence to enable better research and solutions;

(u) emphasise that the lack of or the denial of access to SRHR, including safe and legal abortion, constitutes a form of gender-based violence and a violation of human and fundamental rights; call for efforts to ensure broad and equitable access to SRHR globally, and reaffirm that access to safe and legal abortion is a fundamental component of women's SRHR and essential to their bodily autonomy; demand safe access to abortion, contraception and maternal care for everyone, particularly emergency contraception, testing for sexually transmitted infections and post-exposure prophylaxis; ensure access to gender-sensitive mental health services for young women and LGBTIQ+ people, acknowledging mental health as vital to participation and equality;

v) ensure that EU external policies actively promote access to SRHR as part of achieving the SDGs;

(w) reiterate that rape remains one of the most widespread human rights violations globally; stress the importance of adopting consent-based rape legislation as an essential element of a comprehensive approach to combating sexual violence against women and girls; advocate for a consent-based definition of rape as a universal standard worldwide, aimed at enhancing legal protections and ensuring that sexual violence is defined by the absence of consent, rather than solely by the use of violence, coercion or threat; promote the concept that the silence of, and absence of resistance by, the victims do not constitute consent; underline that neither prior consent nor an existing relationship imply ongoing or future consent for any sexual acts; call, in this regard, on all countries to introduce a consent-based definition of rape and to guarantee survivors access to justice;

(x) condemn, in the strongest terms, the use of rape and other forms of sexual violence as a weapon of war and recall that such acts may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity under international law; actively work to ensure the prosecution of and accountability for these types of crimes at international level, including through the application of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime; strengthen support for international efforts to document these crimes in ongoing conflicts and for prevention measures; call, furthermore, for active support for all initiatives aimed at ensuring accountability for perpetrators and access to justice for survivors of rape as a weapon of war, recognising that in accordance with UN Security Council Regulation 1820 (2008), rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, or acts contributing to genocide; promote the close cooperation of Eurojust with the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the documentation of wartime rape, abuse and other forms of sexual violence in Ukraine, and call for the EU, Eurojust and the ICC to further strengthen coordinated, trauma-informed and victim-centred documentation efforts, and create cooperation frameworks globally for other conflict zones, to ensure that victims are identified, protected and able to access justice;

(y) emphasise the importance of the full recognition of trans women as women, noting that their inclusion is essential for the effectiveness of any gender-equality and anti-violence policies; call for recognition of and equal access for trans women to protection and support services;

(z) call on all countries that have not yet ratified the Istanbul Convention to do so and to promote the global adoption of its comprehensive standards for combating violence against women and domestic violence;

(aa) reaffirm the right of women and girls subjected to acts of persecution owing to gender-based violence to seek asylum; call on governments and international bodies to address specific risks faced by women and girls in migration and to implement gender-responsive policies, including the establishment of safe and legal routes, the strengthening of the protection of women from violence in reception centres and the improvement of age-assessment procedures; call for the recognition of gender-based persecution and gender apartheid as grounds for seeking asylum;

(ab) advocate for girls' right to inclusive, equitable and quality education, as a key driver of empowerment and the achievement of gender equality, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, opportunities and capacities that are essential for their whole lives, enabling them to claim their rights, access justice, participate fully in public life, and combat gender-based violence; point out the importance of promoting women's empowerment through inclusive, equitable and quality education, training and life-long learning, which are of vital importance for fighting gender stereotypes, attitudes and prejudices in all their dimensions and combating persisting inequalities; recall the importance of preventing gender-based violence through adequate campaigns and other actions, including by increasing digital media literacy, as well as through relevant, targeted education on age-appropriate, comprehensive relationships and sexuality, in order to increase knowledge about bodily integrity; highlight the need for a deeper understanding of anti-rights and anti-gender movements, including disinformation on gender equality, the incel phenomenon and misogyny and, in particular, their online manifestation known as the manosphere; advocate for more active policies to counter these phenomena and their narratives;

(ac) emphasise that war and conflict have a disproportionate and devastating impact on women, and advocate for peace and inclusive negotiations worldwide as essential pathways to ending conflict and the violence women and girls face in these settings; recognise the remarkable work carried out by women serving in UN peacekeeping missions across conflict zones; stress that women's rights and gender equality are essential to the rule of law and resilient and inclusive democracies; highlight, with concern, that millions of women and girls, particularly in contexts of conflict and displacement, continue to experience discrimination, violence, and the denial of their dignity and agency;

(ad) commit the EU to a feminist foreign, development and security policy, which is inclusive and intersectional, prioritising the needs of women and LGBTIQ+ human rights defenders;

(ae) stress that femicide, defined as the gender-related killing of women and girls, constitutes one of the most extreme forms of gender-based violence and represents a grave violation of universal fundamental rights; strongly condemn the absence of a harmonised definition of this crime and the persistent inconsistencies in data collection and reporting on it, which severely hinders effective prevention and evidence-based policymaking; call for global recognition of this crime and global efforts to eliminate femicide;

2. Instructs its President to forward this recommendation to the Council, the Commission, and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and, for information, to the EU Special Representative for Human Rights.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Equality between women and men is a fundamental principle of the European Union. Gender mainstreaming and an intersectional approach must be implemented and integrated across all EU policies, ensuring consistency between internal and external action in order to promote human rights, democracy, and gender equality worldwide. Women's human rights and gender equality are not only fundamental rights, but also preconditions for development, poverty reduction, and for building peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable societies.

Access to justice, enshrined in international law and in Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, is central to the rule of law and democracy. Yet access to justice for women remains a complex and critical issue across all regions. Women continue to be significantly under-represented at the highest levels of the judiciary and prosecutorial authorities, especially in leadership roles such as presidents of courts, chief justices, and heads of prosecution offices. At the same time, judicial stereotyping and prevailing gender norms hinder justice for women victims and survivors of violence.

The United Nations has promoted greater participation of women in the justice sector, and evidence shows that increased female representation within judicial institutions advances more victim-centred approaches to justice. This is particularly relevant in responding to violence against women and domestic violence, which constitute violations of fundamental rights. Legal systems must be responsive to the needs of victims by ensuring adequate protection and remedies, yet many women still face substantial barriers in reporting abuse and accessing legal support. Many women and girls, particularly those facing multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination, experience the justice system as lacking sensitivity to the realities of vulnerable groups.

This recommendation calls on the Council to reconfirm the EU's commitment to gender equality and to ensure that women's rights are fully implemented in all aspects of EU external action through an inclusive, intersectional, and adequately funded approach. It also stresses the need for the full involvement of Parliament and its Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality in shaping the EU's position at the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

The recommendation further pledges strong support for UN Women as the central actor within the UN system for advancing women's rights and calls on all UN member states, together with the EU, to provide adequate funding. It underlines the importance of ambitious and complementary European and international instruments, with robust provisions to guarantee women's empowerment and access to justice, including access to legal aid and consideration of specialised courts for gender-based violence. Protecting women's rights through effective justice systems builds a path to fairer societies, in line with the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG16).

Finally, the recommendation emphasises the need for gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting across all EU policy areas, for the acceleration of international commitments to prevent all forms of violence against women and girls, and for the promotion of women's equal representation in the judiciary. Women's rights and gender equality are essential to the rule of law, resilient democracies, and the EU's core values, and the Union must show leadership in ensuring that these rights are guaranteed in practice. Access to justice for all is key for just and inclusive societies and a precondition for substantive gender equality and human rights.

ANNEX: DECLARATION OF INPUT

The rapporteur declares under her exclusive responsibility that she did not include in her report input from interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register[8], or from representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies, to be listed in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.

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