The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the 64th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW64) and its priority theme of the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action,

–  having regard to the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in September 1995, the Declaration and Platform for Action for the empowerment of women adopted in Beijing and the subsequent outcome documents of the UN Beijing +5, +10, +15 and +20 special sessions on new actions and initiatives to implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted on 9 June 2000, 11 March 2005, 2 March 2010 and 9 March 2015, respectively,

–  having regard to the 1979 UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW),

–  having regard to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted in September 2015 and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDGs 3 and 5,

–  having regard to the Paris Agreement of 12 December 2015,

–  having regard to the 2019 report from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) entitled ‘Beijing +25 – The 5th Review of the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in the EU Member States’,

–  having regard to the Economic Commission for Europe resolution ECE/AC.28/2019/3 (Beijing+25 Regional Review Meeting),

–  having regard to the EU Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 (GAP II), adopted by the Council on 26 October 2015, and to the Annual Implementation report 2018 thereof, published on 11 September 2019 by the Commission and the High Representative,

–  having regard to the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative aiming at eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls,

–  having regard to the Council conclusions of 10 December 2018 on ‘Women, Peace and Security’,

–  having regard to the Council conclusions of 9-10 December 2019 on ‘Gender‑Equal Economies in the EU: The Way Forward’,

–  having regard to the Presidency conclusions of 6 December 2018 on ‘Gender Equality, Youth and Digitalisation’,

–  having regard to its resolution of 13 March 2018 on gender equality in EU trade agreements(1) ,

–  having regard to its resolution of 3 October 2017 on women’s economic empowerment in the private and public sectors in the EU(2),

–  having regard to its resolution of 15 January 2019 on gender equality and taxation policies in the EU(3),

–  having regard its resolution of 28 November 2019 on the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention and other measures to combat gender-based violence(4),

–  having regard to Article 157(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

–  having regard to the question to the Council on the EU priorities for the 64th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (O-000006/2020 – B9‑0005/2020),

–  having regard to Rules 136(5) and 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas equality between women and men is a fundamental principle of the EU, enshrined in the Treaty of the European Union and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and, gender mainstreaming is therefore an important tool in the integration of this principle in all EU policies, measures and actions, including in its external dimension;

B.  whereas women’s rights and gender equality are not only fundamental human rights, which should be defended by women and men equally, but are also preconditions for advancing social and economic development and reducing poverty and a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world;

C.  whereas although the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) was established 25 years ago, many of the challenges identified in 1995 remain relevant today (such as the gender pay and pension gaps, low employment rates among women, underrepresentation in decision making, unequal distribution of unpaid work and gender-based violence among many others): whereas CSW64 will focus on reviewing and appraising the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and the BPfA, the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly and the full realisation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

D.  whereas SDG5 aims at achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls worldwide; whereas SDG5 is a stand-alone goal, meaning that it has to be mainstreamed into the whole 2030 Agenda for the realisation of all SDGs; whereas empowering women means providing them with the necessary tools to become economically independent, be represented equally across society, play an equal role in all spheres of life, and gain more power in public life and control over all decisions that have an impact on their lives;

E.  whereas ‘Action Coalitions’ are global, innovative, multi-stakeholder partnerships that will mobilise governments, civil society, international organisations and the private sector; whereas the Action Coalition themes for Generation Equality are gender-based violence, economic justice and rights, bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), feminist action for climate justice, technology and innovation for gender equality, feminist movements and leadership, which are selected based on human rights principles, and through a data-driven process of consultation with international feminist groups, grassroots activists’ organisations, governments and other partners; whereas the Action Coalitions reflect one of the objectives of the Generation Equality Forum, which is to achieve tangible results on gender equality during the UN Decade of Action (2020-2030) in order to deliver the SDGs; whereas each Action Coalition will launch a targeted set of concrete, ambitious and immediate actions over the 2020 2025 period in order to achieve tangible impact on gender equality and girls’ and women’s human rights;

F.  whereas the EU is a global international leader as it is the world’s largest development aid donor and, together with its Member States, provides more than half of the official development assistance (ODA) globally, and has been a major supporter of Agenda 2030 and is committed to the implementation thereof; whereas the European Consensus on Development includes gender equality and women’s and girls’ human rights, in addition to their empowerment and protection, as a core principle and priority in all areas of EU external action;

G.  whereas an organised, worrying backlash against women’s and LGBTIQ+ rights is being observed worldwide; whereas this backlash is also visible in the Member States where anti-gender movements try to limit sexual and reproductive health and rights, ban sexuality education and gender studies and promote smear campaigns against the Istanbul Convention; whereas this regression in women’s rights and gender equality must be equated with attacks against democracy itself;

H.  whereas the gender pay and pension gaps have been reduced in the EU since 2013, but still remain high (around 16 % and 37 %, respectively); whereas the gender employment gap remains stagnant at 11,5 percentage points; whereas women are still almost four times more likely to be in part-time employment than men, a figure that has remained practically unchanged since 2013;

I.  whereas women in Europe and throughout the world still bear more of the responsibility for caring for children and older relatives than men; whereas, by way of example, women in the EU are estimated to undertake an average of about 13 hours more unpaid work per week than men; whereas, despite some progress, the Barcelona objectives for providing formal childcare have not yet been fully met in some Member States and nearly a third of households in the EU still find it difficult to afford childcare; whereas there are significant gaps in the availability of formal long-term care services for older people and people with disabilities, as well as significant differences in Member States’ spending on these services;

J.  while the proportion of women in decision-making roles has, for the most part, increased since 2013, progress has typically been slow and inconsistent; whereas the extent of women’s under-representation varies across and within sectors and Member States; whereas particularly poor levels of representation of women (around 20 % or less) are seen in many economic and business decision‑making positions, in sport, in the diplomatic sector and in the Court of Justice of the European Union;

K.  whereas almost one in three single women and men are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, with women making up the vast majority (87 %) of single parents; whereas around one in two people from a non-EU migrant background and almost a third of women with disabilities are at a risk of poverty and social exclusion; whereas four out of five members of the Roma community have incomes below the poverty threshold in their country of residence and fewer than one in five Roma women (aged 16 and over) are in employment;

L.  whereas, pursuant to the Istanbul Convention, violence against women is understood as a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination against women; whereas gender-based violence continues to be a daily reality for millions of women and girls; whereas as many as one in two women in the EU have experienced sexual harassment and one in three have been affected by physical and/or sexual violence; whereas women and girls account for more than two thirds of victims of trafficking in human beings; whereas the exposure of certain groups of women to intersectional and multiple forms of discrimination further increases their exposure to different forms of gender‑based violence; whereas combatting discrimination in laws and practices, and tackling discriminatory attitudes and norms in areas such as child marriage and other customary practices strengthens women’s rights and empowerment; whereas the denial of sexual and reproductive health and rights services is a form of violence against women;

M.  whereas the emergence of cyber violence (including online hate speech, cyber stalking, bullying or harassment, and non-consensual sharing of explicit images) is of increasing concern, as such violence can silence women and discourage them from taking a prominent role in public life; whereas women in public functions, such as politicians, journalists and those fighting for women’s and minority rights, are increasingly becoming victims of sexist cyber harassment; whereas women are also subject to gender-based harassment and bullying in the workplace, which has been visibly demonstrated and acknowledged by the recent global #MeToo movement;

N.  whereas access to sexual and reproductive health and rights varies greatly around the world, also within and between the Member States; whereas denial of access or restricted access is particularly harmful to those in the most vulnerable situations; whereas every country analysed by the 2019 Contraception Atlas needs to do more to improve access to information and contraceptive supplies so that people have a choice over their reproductive lives;

O.  whereas women are agents of positive change and contribute to conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding, peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction;

P.  whereas gender equality is a prerequisite for sustainable development and the efficient management of climate challenges in order to achieve a fair and just transition that leaves no one behind; whereas all climate action must include a gender­ and an intersectional perspective; whereas women need to play stronger roles in the climate change space as leaders, professionals and technical agents for change;

Q.  whereas women’s economic empowerment is crucial for sustainable development and economic growth; stresses the importance of supporting female entrepreneurship, women’s role in trade policies and agreements, and women’s inclusion in emerging economic fields such as ICT, STEM, the digital sector, artificial intelligence and the green economy, as levers for sustainable growth and women’s financial independence;

1.  Addresses the following recommendations to the Council:

General remarks

a.  To reconfirm its unwavering commitment to the BPfA and subsequent review conferences and to the range of actions for gender equality outlined therein; reiterates that working to achieve women’s rights and gender equality demands a coordinated and multisector approach that involves all stakeholders addressing the persistent multiple forms of discrimination, prevailing gender stereotypes and lack of equality between genders;

The EU as a global actor

g.  To ensure coherence and complementarity among all existing EU external instruments and policies as regards gender mainstreaming, including EU trade policy, the new Consensus on Development, the EU resource package on gender mainstreaming in development cooperation, and the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy;

Women’s economic and political empowerment

p.  To step up efforts for greater inclusion of women in the labour market and improve support for female entrepreneurship given that they are key factors behind achieving long-term inclusive economic growth, combatting inequalities and encouraging women’s financial independence; to take measures to address women’s unemployment, particularly their long-term unemployment;

Eradicating gender-based violence and ensuring women’s fundamental rights

x.  To condemn all forms of gender-based violence and the fact that women and girls continue to be exposed to psychological, physical, sexual and economic violence, including domestic violence, sexual harassment, cyber violence, stalking, rape, early and forced marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), crimes committed in the name of so-called ‘honour’, forced abortion, forced sterilisation, sexual exploitation and human trafficking and other forms of violence that constitute a serious violation of their human rights and dignity; to take note of Parliament’s serious concern about the phenomenon of femicide, which is the most extreme form of violence against women;

Gender-responsive and inclusive policies and institutions

ad.  To ensure the implementation of systematic gender mainstreaming as a key strategy to support the realisation of gender equality in practice; to acknowledge that gender mainstreaming must be undertaken in all policy areas and acknowledge the special importance of performing gender impact assessments;

2.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and, for information, to the Commission.

(1) OJ C 162, 10.5.2019, p. 9. (2) OJ C 346, 27.9.2018, p. 6. (3) Texts adopted, P8_TA(2019)0014. (4) Texts adopted, P9_TA(2019)0080. (5) OJ L 101, 15.4.2011, p. 1.