No more delays on the commitments made in the UN Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

In 1995, 189 nations committed to a path-breaking advancement of gender equality in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, making it the most comprehensive global agenda for promoting gender equality. It is despicable more than 25 years later, no European country has yet met all the goals in the declaration. In fact, women’s rights are far below the set goals in most of the countries. With the social and economic impacts of the Covid-19 crisis, we can even see growing gender inequalities and increase of gender-based violence which threats to reverse the gains of decades of efforts.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the European Parliament is set to, on the initiative of Renew Europe, adopt a resolution on the challenges ahead for women’s rights in Europe. We send a clear message to the Commission and the EU leaders - with this anniversary and in view of the upcoming Gender Equality Forum; we must reaffirm the promises made to women in 1995 and level up the game for women’s rights!

MEP Mariá Soraya Rodriguez Ramos, Member of the Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s rights and rapporteur on the resolution, says:

“We need to enable significant steps forward on women’s rights and gender equality, especially now that the social and economic impacts of COVID-19 are disproportionately affecting women and gender based violence has increased. We urge the Commission to achieve concrete plans and reforms for the EU to advance the equality agenda, in view of the Generation Equality this year. We cannot wait longer. “