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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION (2023/2973(RSP))

On the EU priorities for the 68th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women

B-9-2024-0091

on behalf of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality · Rapporteur: Robert Biedroń

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✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 28 Sept 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

Parliament calls on the Council to set EU priorities for the 68th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, held from 11 to 22 March 2024. It asks the Council to involve Parliament fully in shaping the EU position and to back a strong outcome and UN Women funding. It urges action on the root causes of women's poverty, including low pay, unpaid care, the pay and pension gaps and unequal access to finance. It calls for access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, action against gender-based violence, and measures on period poverty and menstrual hygiene in schools. It asks for gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting in all EU and member state policies and for a feminist foreign, security and development policy. It calls for social protection, public services, green jobs and action on energy poverty, and for support to civil society organisations.

Key points

  1. Parliament asks the Council to reconfirm the EU's commitment to the Beijing Platform for Action and to involve Parliament and its women's rights committee in setting the EU position.
  2. It calls for a positive outcome of the 68th session, held from 11 to 22 March 2024, and for adequate funding for UN Women.
  3. It asks the Council to ensure equal opportunities in education, the labour market and decision-making, and equal access to economic and financial services.
  4. It calls for women's full participation in decision-making and for gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting in all EU and member state policy areas.
  5. It asks the Council to address the systemic causes of women's poverty, such as low-paid and part-time work, career breaks for care, the pay and pension gaps and under-representation in decision-making.
  6. It calls for women's empowerment through education, training and lifelong learning, and for support for women's entrepreneurship and role models.
  7. It asks for concrete actions and budget commitments in future EU strategies to address women's poverty, and for awareness of gender-based violence and accountability for perpetrators.
  8. It calls for action against child and forced marriages and female genital mutilation, and for measures to prevent girls missing school during their periods.
  9. It asks for a rights-based approach to social protection, strong social security schemes including exploration of a minimum income, and investment in social infrastructure and green jobs.
  10. It calls for better public services including health, education and transport, for women's participation in the green transition, and for measures on energy poverty.
  11. It asks for access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including sexuality education, contraception and safe and legal abortion care, and for action against the backlash on these rights.
  12. It calls for support to civil society organisations, faster implementation of international commitments, action on intersecting discrimination, and a feminist foreign, security and development policy with 85 % of new external actions contributing to gender equality by 2025.

Who is affected

  • The Council, which is asked to act on the recommendations and to involve Parliament in the EU position.
  • The Commission and the European External Action Service, which are asked to commit to a feminist foreign, security and development policy.
  • Member states, which are asked to apply gender budgeting, implement social security schemes and invest in social infrastructure and green jobs.
  • Women and girls facing poverty, discrimination, gender-based violence and barriers to sexual and reproductive health and rights.
  • Civil society organisations and NGOs supporting women's rights, which the Council is asked to strengthen and support.

Figures and deadlines

  • 383 million women and girls are estimated to live on less than USD 1.90 a day, compared with 368 million men and boys.
  • The female poverty rate is 12.8 %, compared with 12.3 % for men.
  • Globally, women make up over 70 % of workers in the health and care sector.
  • Improving gender equality would raise EU GDP per capita by between 6.1 and 9.6 % and add 10.5 million jobs by 2050.
  • The 68th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women is to be held from 11 to 22 March 2024.
  • 85 % of all new actions throughout external relations by 2025 should contribute to gender equality and women's empowerment.
  • Less than half of the data required to monitor SDG 5 is currently available.

Legal basis: Article 157(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union