on Gender Mainstreaming Statement of EWLA, 12 May 2007
The General Assembly of the European Women Lawyers Association (EWLA), held on 12 May 2007 in Zurich, Switzerland, unanimously adopted the following
RESOLUTION ON GENDER MAINSTREAMING
Having regard to
- The fundamental importance of equality of men and women in all areas of EU law, as expressed in the European Treaties, in particular in Arts. 2 and 3(2) EC;
The General Assembly of EWLA acknowledges
• the efforts of European actors to strive towards equality;
• several important steps taken towards the elimination of discrimination, including:
– the EU Gender Institute,
– the promotion of Gender Impact Assessment in the EU Commission,
– the inclusion of gender equality as a horizontal objective of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency,
– the European Council Gender Equality Pact,
– the comprehensive protection against discrimination in the EU Constitution.
We note with concern a tendency to lose sight of
• the specificities of discrimination regarding gender, on the way to foster diversity and equality for all,
• the justice dimension of gender equality, and to sometimes focus exclusively on economic efficiency (“the Business Case”).
Thus EWLA calls on all responsible actors in Europe
• to seriously and consistently pursue Gender Mainstreaming, including to prioritize and make it visible – on the website of the EU, in the work of public bodies, and throughout all activities,
• to put substantial institutional and financial resources behind the implementation of Article 3(2) EC,
• to ratify Protocol No. 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights (of 4 November 2000, European Treaty Series (ETS) No. 177),
• to ensure balanced participation of women and men of diverse backgrounds on all levels of deliberation and decision making.