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EU gender cooperation with the Southern Mediterranean
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Cooperation to achieve gender equality Spring Forward for Women
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Young Women as Job Creators a UfM label to support women in work
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Supporting women for change examples of EU actions at bilateral level
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FEATURE STORIES
PHOTO GALLERIES
VIDEOS
2013 Strengthening the Role of Women in Society 2012 Gender cooperation with Southern Neighbours available also in Arabic.
This publication exists only in electronic format. It has been prepared by the European Neighbourhood Info Centre, a project funded by the EU. It does not represent the official view of the EC or the EU Institutions. The EC accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to its content.
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EU gender cooperation with the Southern Mediterranean
GENDER PRESS PACK
Equality between men and women is a fundamental value of the EU’s Founding Treaties and the Lisbon Treaty. In June 2010, EU foreign ministers adopted an EU Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Development for the period 2010-2015, in which, “The EU reiterates its strong commitment to gender equality as a human right, a question of social justice and a core value of the EU development policy.” The action plan aims to accelerate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in particular on gender equality and maternal health, as well as to work towards other international development goals related to gender equality. Thanks to the plan, figures show that EU Delegations and Member States are putting in place new procedures to ensure gender issues are systematically taken into account, both in their policy making and, frequently, also in their budget support programmes.
1 2 “Women’s participation in public, political and economic life, on an equal basis with men, is one of the primary values at the heart of the Arab spring.”
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Štefan Füle European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy
“Now is the time to accelerate progress towards the achievement of gender equality, by joining forces to build the future for all men and women in peace and prosperity,” said EU High Representative Catherine Ashton in a statement on International Women’s Day 2013. Strengthening the role of women in society is one of the key issues addressed by the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. In recent years, there has been a concerted effort towards this end, underlined by the Conclusions adopted by Ministers of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) at the third Ministerial Conference on Strengthening the Role of Women in Society held in Paris on 12 September 2013.
PHOTO GALLERIES Images from across the Neighbourhood highlighting EU cooperation projects working with women. High-resolution pictures available for download: WOMEN: EU Cooperation with Neighbours
These Conclusions endorsed a series of commitments in three key areas:
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Equal rights of women and men to participate in the political, economic, civil and social life; Combatting all forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls; Change in attitude and behaviour to attain gender equality with a view to promote women empowerment not only in rights but also in reality.
The promotion and protection of women’s rights is a key priority outlined in every national Action Plan, and is systematically discussed at bilateral level between the EU and its partner countries, with gender projects funded under the ENPI. DOCUMENTS
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Cooperation to achieve gender equality Spring Forward for Women
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In the wake of the Arab Spring, the EU launched a new regional gender programme in the southern Neighbourhood, aimed at supporting national and regional stakeholders to empower women both economically and politically: Spring Forward for Women began in October 2012, following the signature of a strategic partnership agreement between UN Women and the European Commission. It is financed through a contribution of €7 million from the European Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument (ENPI) and of €1.2 million from the UN Women core budget.
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”Women in Tunisia and Libya were at the forefront of their revolutions. Arab women, like all women around the world, have a crucial role in shaping the evolution of their societies and hence the future of their countries,” said Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle at the launch of the programme. “We need to ensure that women’s voices remain at the heart of the transformation process, so that Southern Mediterranean countries continue to strengthen the inclusive nature of the transition and respond to the calls of Arab women for dignity.” The programme seeks to advance the economic empowerment of women in the Southern Mediterranean and to assist them to reposition themselves in political and decision-making spaces, as well as to support their economic empowerment so they can have greater influence in shaping the future of their countries in the ongoing democratic transition, all while protecting previous gains.
Examples of actions in the field In Egypt, through the programme, a Women’s Rights Observatory is being established – a think tank and a national body that identifies and addresses critical gaps in the current development space in Egypt, including the representation of women in public space, women’s rights legislation and enforcement, women’s financial inclusion, and access to social protection services to ensure women’s rights and gender equality.
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In Jordan, the main efforts are to support economically the most marginalized women in the poorest areas (poverty pockets), such as the Al-Mafraq governorate by facilitating access to micro-finance, capacity building and income-generating scheme.
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Young Women as Job Creators a UfM label to support women in work In an effort to support young women in the southern Mediterranean starting up their own business, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is now into the second phase of its project Young Women as Job Creators with Egypt, Tunisia and Albania joining Morocco, Palestine, Jordan and Spain from the first phase. By facilitating their transition from education to work, the project promotes self-employment and entrepreneurship among young women university students who have an interest in starting their own business. Additionally, the project advocates a stronger role of women in the social and economic development of the region, contributing towards gender equality in the Mediterranean. The project, implemented by AFAEMME (the Association of Organisations of Mediterranean Businesswomen), gathers experts from participating national associations and from among the region’s successful businesswomen. They will use their testimonials and concrete personal experience in business creation to motivate female students to start up businesses once they graduate. The first phase of the project in 2013 saw 18 Women Entrepreneurship Days (WEDs), providing participants with training and coaching to create new businesses, held in cooperation with a total of 32 local universities, higher education centres, schools and national businesswomen’s organisations. Altogether, the WEDs brought together some 800 students, providing them with free advice on how to create a new business and motivating them to pursue entrepreneurial careers. The WEDs paid particular attention to informing the participants on legal and business basics for setting up a new company, and analysed their business creation ideas. A third phase of the project will be held in 2015 and will encompass the seven countries which participated in the project’s first and second phases, as well as Algeria, Croatia, Lebanon and Turkey. Once the project’s three phases have been completed in 2015 a total of 11 countries will have taken part.
GENDER PRESS PACK 1 2 3 4 Starting a business? Yes I can The percentage of women in the overall labour force in Palestine does not exceed 14%. But some young female students have a clear goal in life: to become successful businesswomen. In order to learn how to start a business, they need to be trained, informed, motivated. That’s what the UfM project “Young Women as Job Creators” does through the organisation of Women Entrepreneurship Day (WED) workshops. Read the full report
FEATURE STORIES Starting a business? Yes I can
“I think we broke the wall of silence”
Women seeking freedom and respect
Browse key quotes on gender issues by top EU officials, projects and beneficiaries on the ground.
Breaking the wall of silence
Ghada, Palestine
Combating discrimination and violence against women
To find out more http://ufmsecretariat.org/young-women-as-job-creators-2/Return to top DOCUMENTS
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Supporting women for change examples of EU actions at bilateral level
GENDER PRESS PACK
The promotion and protection of women’s rights is a key priority in every national Action Plan. Gender projects are funded in every partner country at bilateral level.
Putting an end to Violence against Women In 2013, International Women’s Day recognised the global commitment to put an end to violence against women, with the theme: “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women”. Marking the occasion, EU Foreign Affairs chief Catherine Ashton, said: “The EU will work tirelessly to achieve widespread agreement on the Conclusions against all forms of violence against women. Over the last decade, the EU has supported more than 100 projects directly targeting violence against women and girls, worth a total of €80 million.”
Egypt In July 2012, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton announced €4 million of new funding for women’s rights in Egypt, benefiting 2 million women across the country in support of the ID cards project. This funding brings EU support on gender equality in the country to €11 million. Find out more Israel The European Union is funding three projects advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in Israel, funded under its ‘Investing in People’ programme – Equalizing Wages in Israel’s Workforce, a three-year initiative to address the Gender Pay Gap in Israel, Ensuring Rights to Decent Work Conditions, which aims to improve the status of Arab and Ethiopian women in the job market, and Promoting a Fair Allocation of Public Resources, which seeks to improve governance in local authorities by looking at the impact of budgeting and programming on women’s and girls’ lives. Find out more
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Morocco In 2012, The EU and Morocco signed a financing agreement for a 48-month support programme to the implementation of the governmental Plan for Equality, with a budget of €45 million. The programme contributes to improving conditions for the promotion of gender equality and equity in Morocco, by supporting the government’s Plan for Equality, including better legal protection for women, greater representation in decision-making positions, and the development of an equality culture. Find out more DOCUMENTS
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Useful links
GENDER PRESS PACK
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre – Spring Forward for Women www.enpi-info.eu/mainmed.php?id=475&id_type=10
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EuropeAid Cooperation and Development: Gender webpage http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/what/gender/index_en.htm European External Action Service – Euromed and Women http://eeas.europa.eu/euromed/women/index_en.htm EU External Action Service – A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women - International Women’s day 2013 http://eeas.europa.eu/top_stories/2013/080313_womensday_en.htm EEAS flickr slideshow dedicated to International Women’s Day 2013 www.flickr.com/photos/eeas/sets/72157632927922359/show/
EU Neighbourhood Handbooks From the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre website, a number of different handbooks can be downloaded, offering tips to media professionals for improved coverage of EU cooperation activities, but also providing information on how to access EU funding or to navigate through EU jargon. A wealth of knowledge at your disposal, just a click away on www.enpi-info.eu.
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European External Action Service – Women’s Rights in EU External Policy http://eeas.europa.eu/human_rights/women/index_en.htm EEAS – Working with Women http://eeas.europa.eu/special-features/features_working_women_en.htm EU and Gender Equality webpage http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=418&langId=en EU Neighbourhood Info Centre – Gender webpage www.enpi-info.eu/thememed.php?subject=12 EU Neighbourhood Info Centre – Photos on gender www.enpi-info.eu/list_galleries_med.php?subject=12 EU Neighbourhood Info Centre – gender publications www.enpi-info.eu/list_type_med.php?id_type=9&subject=12 UfM webpage – Women as Job Creators http://ufmsecretariat.org/young-women-as-job-creators-2/
press packs Other Info Centre Press packs are available online: EAST and SOUTH
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Documents
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UfM Third Ministerial Conference on Strengthening the Role of Women in Society – Conclusions (September 2013) http://ufmsecretariat.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/34-13-REV4-Draft-Ministerial-Conclusions-Women.pdf
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EEAS Istanbul Conference follow up webpage http://eeas.europa.eu/euromed/women/gender_followup_en.htm
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EU Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Development for the period 2010-2015 www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/genaff/115157.pdf 2012 Report on the Implementation of the Gender Action Plan http://capacity4dev.ec.europa.eu/public-gender/document/2012-report-implementation-eu-plan-actiongender-equality-and-women-empowerment-development EU Toolkit on Mainstreaming Gender in development cooperation http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sp/gender-toolkit/index.htm Monitoring the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)-2007 www.enpi-info.eu/mainmed.php?id=45&id_type=9&lang_id=450&subject=12 Enhancing gender equality between men and women in the EuroMed region project – reports on women’s rights and gender equality in eight countries of the Southern Mediterranean www.euromedgenderequality.org/template.php?menu_secondaire=80&code_menu=80
EU Neighbourhood Library Our online database Action plans Agreements Country reports Declarations Resolutions Strategy documents
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GENDER PRESS PACK The EU: a major donor for the Neighbourhood
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EU support to the region is mainly channeled through the European Commission’s Directorate General for Development and Cooperation – EuropeAid. http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid
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The European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) funding approved for the period 2014-2020 is € 15.4 billion. The ENI replaces the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), for which the funding was € 11.2 billion for the period 2007-2013. The new instrument provides faster and more flexible funding, allowing for incentives for best performers, to 16 partner countries to the East and South of the EU’s borders.
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East: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine. South: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria*, Tunisia. * EU Cooperation with Syria is currently suspended due to the political situation
The EU Neighbourhood Info Centre is an EU-funded Regional Communication project highlighting the partnership between the EU and Neighbouring countries. www.enpi-info.eu
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EU Neighbourhood Info Centre An ENPI project The EU Neighbourhood Info Centre is an EU-funded Regional Communication project highlighting the partnership between the EU and Neighbouring countries. This presspack has been produced by the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre.
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Copyright EU/EU Neighbourhood Info Centre 2013-2014. Photos: AFP/EPA for the EU Neighourhood Info Centre.
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