European Parliament Report ‘Evaluation of the Strategy for Equality between Women and Men 2010-2015 as a Contribution to Achieve the Goals of the Beijing Platform for Action’
Upon request of the FEMM committee, the study evaluates the Strategy for Equality between women and men 2010-2015 as a contribution towards achieving Beijing Platform for Action goals and provides indications on the future post-2015 multiannual policy framework. The study assesses the extent to which the Strategy was appropriate and comprehensive enough to contribute to the BPfA implementation and, more in general, to gender equality at the European and international level, and whether the planned objectives have been effectively met. It also provides practical and specific recommendations on possible improvements for the future Strategy. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=IPOL_STU(2014)50999
Don’t axe gender and environment laws, NGOs tell Timmermans
05/12/2014: Twenty gender equality and environmental organisations, including trade unions and consumer groups, have called on the European Commission to ignore a hit list of proposals that business lobbyists want ditched by the new executive.
Pending EU rules to guarantee gender balance on boards, extend maternity leave, reduce air pollution, and introduce a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) should be axed because they damage the competitiveness of European companies, BusinessEurope told Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans in november 2014.
The EU’s Circular Economy Package, which includes laws on waste and landfill, should be “withdrawn and re-tabled as an economic piece of legislation”, BusinessEurope said in a communication, exclusively revealed by EurActiv. They later published the statement and also nuanced their comments. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development, wrote to Timmermans, expressing their support for the Circular Economy package.
Full article: http://www.euractiv.com/sections/social-europe-jobs/dont-axe-gender-and-environment-laws-ngos-tell-timmermans-310605
Join the European Year for Development CSO Alliance
2015 will be a critical year for sustainable development and global justice and has been nominated ‘European Year for Development 2015’ (EYD2015).
Associations are invited to join the Civil Society Alliance for the EYD2015 to help promote a fertile conversation within different sectors of Civil Society for new awareness raising and policy initiatives leading to a new paradigm of development based on global justice. CONCORD convenes the Civil Society Alliance.
When association agree on the “Charter of Values of the EYD2015 Civil Society Alliance and they can fill in the form: http://www.concordeurope.org/component/k2/item/393-eyd2015
New 2015 CONCORD report on EU Delegations.
EU Delegations and civil society still need to improve dialogue for better development cooperation.The report is based on responses to a worldwide survey from 229 civil society actors (CONCORD members and their partners) working in 70 partner countries , supplemented by interviews with EU Delegations (EUD): http://www.concordeurope.org/publications/item/406-the-eu-delegations-watch-report-2015
More of the same, or radical change? Options for the successor to the EU’s Gender Action Plan 2010-2015
This publication written by Helen O’Connell, previous WIDE member reviews the options to the follow up plan for the EU’s Plan of Action on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Development 2010 to 2015 (GAP). It runs to December 2015 and discussions are underway on what its successor should comprise: http://www.odi.org/publications/8612-options-successor-eus-gender-action-plan
European Commission sets out its position on global partnership for the post-2015 development agenda
The European Commission (EC) has set out its views for the post-2015 development agenda early February of this year. The Communication on a “Global Partnership for Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Development after 2015” puts forward proposals on how the international community should organise its action to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals, it also shows how the EU and its Member States could contribute to the international effort.
The Communication confirms the Commission’s support for the UN Secretary General’s call that all developed countries should meet the UN target of 0.7% ODA/GNI and that upper middle-income countries and emerging economies should increase their contribution to international public financing and set specific targets and timelines to do so.
The Communication will inform EU positions in preparations for the Third Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa in July 2015 and the Post-2015 UN Summit in New York in September 2015. Agreement on the post-2015 agenda will also have important implications for negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-4141_en.htm
EU ministers call for policy coherence in post-2015 agenda
16 December 2014: The Council of the European Union (EU) discussed and adopted the conclusions of its Foreign Affairs Council on coordination of international aid efforts in the context of the post-2015 development agenda, highlighting “the need to approach the issues in a “truly transformative” manner and to promote policy coherence”.
In a comprehensive statement outlining a range of development priorities, the Council highlighted the need for action on disaster risk reduction and resilience, migration and human mobility, and women’s empowerment, among many other areas. The Council called for ensuring that the post-2015 development agenda has a rights-based approach and reflects the complexity of sustainable development and poverty eradication, and that the framework can be easily communicated and understood.
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/146311.pdf