EU Statement marking the International Women’s Day

EU Statement marking the International Women's Day

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

1. Marking the International Women's Day, we reiterate our strong commitment towards gender equality. While progress has been made, achieving gender equality globally remains an unmet challenge. The growing impact of information technologies on gender equality, as well as the interrelation between offline and online or technology facilitated gender-based violence, cannot be overlooked.

2. The EU will continue to support women's and youth' equal, full, effective and meaningful participation, in all their diversity and in all spheres of public and political life, as per the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2027.

3. This year marks the creation, 20 years ago, of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), the EU agency that produces independent research and shares best practices to promote gender equality and eliminate discrimination based on gender. We stress the importance of gender research and analysis with data disaggregated by sex, age and other characteristics for making visible gender inequalities, providing evidence for decision-making, measuring change and ensuring accountability.

4. We recall the high-level guidance received from the Reykjavik Declaration 2023 and the strategic objectives of the Gender Equality Strategy of the Council of Europe 2024-2029.

5. The EU will continue cooperating with the CoE in combating discrimination with attention to multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, including on grounds of sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, property, birth, disability, age, sexual orientation and gender identity.

6. We will continue to promote gender equality and to prevent and combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, including where relevant through the implementation of the "Istanbul Convention".

7. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, and other conflicts and wars around the world, underscores the need to pay particular attention to the situation of girls and women in wars and conflicts, including conflict-related sexual violence. The EU will continue to strive towards the realization of the objectives of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS) and the EU's Action Plan on WPS.

8. We value the pioneering role of the Council of Europe in preventing and combating violence against women and girls. Similarly, the EU places the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence, including sexual and gender-based violence both online and offline, as well as the protection of victims and survivors and punishment of offenders, at the centre of its efforts to achieve gender equality. We support whole-of-society approaches to engage men and boys as allies and beneficiaries in efforts to eliminate all gender inequalities, including by addressing discriminatory laws, combatting gender stereotypes and discriminatory social norms. Gender equality and gender mainstreaming also remain key aspects of the EU's external action.

The following countries have aligned with this statement: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, Ukraine and United Kingdom.