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

TA-9-2024-0074 · P9_TA(2024)0074 · PE756.218

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Parliament's resolution sets out the EU's priorities for the 68th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, whose priority theme is accelerating gender equality by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective. It recommends that the Council reaffirm commitment to the Beijing Platform for Action, involve Parliament in shaping the EU position, and support a positive outcome of the session held from 11 to 22 March 2024. It asks the Council to back UN Women's funding, apply gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting, and address the systemic causes of women's poverty, including low pay, career breaks and the gender pay and pension gaps. It calls for equal opportunities in education, work and decision-making, support for women's entrepreneurship, and measures against gender-based violence, harmful practices, period poverty and energy poverty. It urges access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including contraception and safe and legal abortion, and denounces attacks on gender equality and SRHR. It calls for a feminist foreign, security and development policy, full implementation of the EU Gender Action Plan III with 85% of new external actions contributing to gender equality by 2025, and better disaggregated data.

Key points

  1. The Council should reconfirm the EU's commitment to the Beijing Platform for Action and its review conferences.
  2. Parliament and its Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality should be fully involved in deciding the EU position, with timely access to the EU position document.
  3. The Council should work for a positive outcome of the 68th session, held from 11 to 22 March 2024, including forward-looking commitments in the political declaration.
  4. The Council should support UN Women and call on all UN member states to ensure adequate funding for it.
  5. The EU should lead by example, take a unified position, and ensure equal opportunities in education, the labour market and political and economic decision-making.
  6. The Council should advocate women's and girls' leadership and participation at all levels of decision-making.
  7. Gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting should be applied in all EU and member state policy areas.
  8. The Council should address the systemic causes of women's poverty, such as low-paid and precarious work, career breaks, lack of labour market access, pay and pension gaps, and under-representation in decision-making.
  9. The Council should promote women's empowerment through education, training and lifelong learning, and support women's entrepreneurship.
  10. The Council should stress the consequences of gender-based violence, tackle harmful practices such as child and forced marriages and female genital mutilation, and prevent girls from missing school during their periods.
  11. The Council should ensure social protection, minimum income exploration, investment in social infrastructure and green jobs, public services including transport, and measures against energy poverty.
  12. The Council should ensure access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, denounce attacks on gender equality and SRHR, support civil society, and promote a feminist foreign, security and development policy with full implementation of Gender Action Plan III.

Who is affected

  • The Council, which receives the recommendations on the EU position at the UN session.
  • The Commission and the European External Action Service, asked to advance a feminist foreign, security and development policy.
  • Member states, asked to implement social security schemes, invest in social infrastructure and green jobs, and apply gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting.
  • Women and girls, particularly those facing poverty, discrimination, violence or barriers to sexual and reproductive health and rights.
  • UN Women, which the Council should support and call on UN member states to fund adequately.

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.
  • Women make up over 70 % of workers in the health and care sector.
  • Improving gender equality would increase EU GDP per capita 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