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Committee Opinion | Doc. 14861 | 08 April 2019
Strengthening co-operation with the United Nations in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination
A. Conclusions of the committee
(open)The Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination congratulates Mr Adão Silva (Portugal, EPP/CD), rapporteur of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, on his report examining the co-operation of the Council of Europe with the United Nations for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is a comprehensive report presenting concrete proposals for strengthening co-operation and addressing current challenges to multilateralism which may affect the work of both the United Nations and the Council of Europe.
The committee fully supports the report of Mr Silva and thanks him for including information related to gender equality in the explanatory memorandum. It proposes the addition of some elements regarding this theme, on preventing and combating violence against women as well as on the role of civil society organisations.
The committee also tackles issues of general inequality and speaks out for the inclusion of persons with disabilities and minorities. In this respect, it proposes further amendments on specific goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and suggests concrete measures on how to involve members of parliament in a more regular and systematic manner when it comes to the implementation of, the reporting on and the accountability for the 2030 Agenda.
B. Proposed amendments
(open)Amendment A (to the draft resolution)
After paragraph 4, insert the following paragraph:
“The Assembly also welcomes the importance given to gender equality as a transversal objective throughout the 2030 Agenda and fully supports this approach. It commends the United Nations for making the fight against violence against women and domestic violence a priority.”
Amendment B (to the draft resolution)
At the end of paragraph 6, add the following words:
“, in particular to SDGs 5, 10 and 16 which focus respectively on achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all girls and women, reducing inequalities and ensuring social protection for all, and guaranteeing unimpeded access to justice;”
Amendment C (to the draft resolution)
After paragraph 10.5, add the following paragraph:
“involve civil society organisations during the review of the implementation of SDGs, including during the preparation of the Voluntary National Reviews.”
Amendment D (to the draft resolution)
After paragraph 10.5, add the following paragraph:
“suggest impact assessments of national legislation by considering whether laws foster or hinder the meeting of the targets described in the SDGs.”
Amendment E (to the draft resolution)
In paragraph 11.1, replace the words “both in setting priorities and in ensuring progress” with the following words:
“in setting priorities, ensuring progress and playing a role in monitoring and evaluation of the national efforts to implement the SDGs”.
Amendment F (to the draft resolution)
At the end of paragraph 13.3, add the following words:
“, including the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (CETS. No. 210, “Istanbul Convention”).”
C. Explanatory memorandum by Ms Petra Bayr, rapporteur for opinion
(open)1. I wish to thank Mr Silva for
covering in his report topics relevant to the mandate of the Committee
on Equality and Non-Discrimination and for highlighting the importance
given to gender equality in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development. With this memorandum, I intend to present some additional
information on existing co-operation with the United Nations specifically
on equality and non-discrimination issues, mainly in promoting gender
equality, the inclusion of persons with disabilities and combating
violence against women, with a view to contributing to the implementation
of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and more specifically
to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5, 10 and 16.
1. Promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities
2. The 2030 Agenda pledges to
“leave no one behind” and advocates for inclusive societies. 
As stressed by United
Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, “Societies will never
achieve the SDGs without the full participation of everyone, including
persons with disabilities”. The United Nations Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) aims at making the
full inclusion of persons with disabilities in society a reality. In
past years, the Council of Europe has called on numerous occasions
for the implementation of this Convention, which has already been
widely ratified, and has promoted it as a global standard.
As stressed by United
Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, “Societies will never
achieve the SDGs without the full participation of everyone, including
persons with disabilities”. The United Nations Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) aims at making the
full inclusion of persons with disabilities in society a reality. In
past years, the Council of Europe has called on numerous occasions
for the implementation of this Convention, which has already been
widely ratified, and has promoted it as a global standard.3. In addition, the Council of Europe Disability Strategy (2017-2023)
– Human rights: a reality for all addresses equality and non-discrimination,
accessibility, equal recognition before the law, awareness-raising and
freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse. It provides recommendations
to member States on how to ensure full and effective participation
of persons with disabilities in all areas of life and society. While
the Council of Europe Ad Hoc Committee of Experts on the rights
of persons with disabilities has discontinued its work due to budgetary
restrictions, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
and the Parliamentary Assembly remain active in this regard and
regularly raise awareness on the need to step up efforts to ensure
full inclusion of persons with disabilities in society.
addresses equality and non-discrimination,
accessibility, equal recognition before the law, awareness-raising and
freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse. It provides recommendations
to member States on how to ensure full and effective participation
of persons with disabilities in all areas of life and society. While
the Council of Europe Ad Hoc Committee of Experts on the rights
of persons with disabilities has discontinued its work due to budgetary
restrictions, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
and the Parliamentary Assembly remain active in this regard and
regularly raise awareness on the need to step up efforts to ensure
full inclusion of persons with disabilities in society.4. The Assembly’s Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination
has actively co-operated with the United Nations Committee on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities in recent years. It has also
held hearings with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the
rights of persons with disabilities. Rapporteurs went on fact-finding visits
to discuss with United Nations representatives in the framework
of the preparation of reports on “Detainees with disabilities in
Europe” (rapporteur: Mr Manuel Tornare, Switzerland, SOC) and
“Equality and inclusion for people with disabilities” (rapporteur:
Ms Carmen Quintanilla, Spain, EPP/CD). I
would also like to mention the report on “The political participation
of persons with disabilities: a democratic issue” (rapporteur: Ms Mechthild
Rawert, Germany, SOC) as it presents a set of
concrete recommendations to encourage participation in political
life, an essential element to achieving full inclusion.
and
“Equality and inclusion for people with disabilities” (rapporteur:
Ms Carmen Quintanilla, Spain, EPP/CD). I
would also like to mention the report on “The political participation
of persons with disabilities: a democratic issue” (rapporteur: Ms Mechthild
Rawert, Germany, SOC) as it presents a set of
concrete recommendations to encourage participation in political
life, an essential element to achieving full inclusion.5. In his statement on the occasion of the International Day
of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December 2018, Mr Silva, rapporteur
for a report on the topic “For a disability-inclusive workforce”,
stressed the importance of working towards full inclusion and guaranteeing
access to education and to employment opportunities for persons
with disabilities to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. The
Assembly should, in my view, pursue its advocacy efforts for the
promotion of full inclusion via future reports, and the work of
its Sub-Committee on Disability and Multiple and Intersectional
Discrimination and call on its members to be active on this topic
in their national parliaments.
2. Promoting gender equality and gender mainstreaming
6. The targets of SDG 5 are clear
and much of our work in the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination
can be considered, in my view, as a contribution to their implementation.
One should also highlight that the promotion of gender equality
is not only present in SDG 5 of the 2030 Agenda, it is also a transversal
objective, crucial for the overall success of the 2030 Agenda: “Women’s
equality and empowerment … is integral to all dimensions of inclusive
and sustainable development. In short, all the SDGs depend on the achievement
of Goal 5.”
7. The Council of Europe has been working in the same direction
and made the promotion of gender equality and gender mainstreaming
an overarching priority. The Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023, mentioned in Mr Silva’s report,
could be used as a guiding tool for the implementation of SDG 5. I
wish hereby to reiterate our full support to the strategy, which
has a particular importance at a time when we are witness to a backlash
on women’s rights. At the Commission on the Status of Women, on
12 March 2019, Mr António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United
Nations, regretted there was “deep, pervasive and relentless” pushback
on women’s rights and called for a fight to “push back against the
pushback”.
mentioned in Mr Silva’s report,
could be used as a guiding tool for the implementation of SDG 5. I
wish hereby to reiterate our full support to the strategy, which
has a particular importance at a time when we are witness to a backlash
on women’s rights. At the Commission on the Status of Women, on
12 March 2019, Mr António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United
Nations, regretted there was “deep, pervasive and relentless” pushback
on women’s rights and called for a fight to “push back against the
pushback”. 8. His call was relayed by Liliane Maury Pasquier, President
of the Parliamentary Assembly, as well as by most participants
at the Commission on the Status of Women. As parliamentarians, I
feel it is essential to reaffirm our strong support for women’s
rights and gender equality, whenever possible, in national parliaments, in
the media or when participating in public meetings. We need to be
vigilant as rights which were considered “acquis”
in some member States are now under threat. We must be firm and
state that women’s rights are human rights and not tolerate attempts
to undermine them.
as well as by most participants
at the Commission on the Status of Women. As parliamentarians, I
feel it is essential to reaffirm our strong support for women’s
rights and gender equality, whenever possible, in national parliaments, in
the media or when participating in public meetings. We need to be
vigilant as rights which were considered “acquis”
in some member States are now under threat. We must be firm and
state that women’s rights are human rights and not tolerate attempts
to undermine them.9. To counter these threats, I am currently working on the preparation
of a report on “Empowering women: promoting access to contraception
in Europe”, with which I will present recommendations on how to
ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive
rights. I hope this report will be a useful contribution and help
combat attacks on these rights.
10. For more than two decades, the Council of Europe and its Assembly
have been particularly active in the field of promoting women’s
political participation, which can be a game changer for the promotion
and protection of women’s rights and bring tangible changes. A higher
participation of women in politics is essential to ensure that women’s
rights and gender equality will be put high on the political agenda
and not considered a secondary topic. We will undoubtedly remain
active in this field and follow developments in member States, in
the hope that there will not be a regression on this front.
3. Preventing and combating violence against women
11. Another essential topic is
the prevention of and fight against violence against women. The
Assembly has had excellent co-operation with the United Nations
on this issue, which is the first target under SDG 5. On 1 March
2019, the Standing Committee held an exchange of views with Ms Dubravka
Šimonovic, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, and
Ms Feride Acar, President of the Group of Experts on Action against
Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO). Ms Šimonovic
also participated in a side event on sexism, harassment and violence
against women parliamentarians on 12 March 2019 at the Commission
on the Status of Women, co-organised by the Assembly, the Finnish
Presidency of the Committee of Ministers and the Inter-Parliamentary
Union. In addition, the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination and
its Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence are in regular
contact with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights,
including the secretariat of CEDAW, and UN Women.
12. In recent years, the Assembly has held debates on reports
on specific forms of violence against women, including harassment
of women in public space, female genital mutilations, stalking,
forced marriage and psychological violence. The adopted resolutions
all called for targeted actions to recognise and criminalise these
forms of violence, thereby contributing to the implementation of
SDG 5. In my view, in addition to these specific actions, we must
make sure that we, as MPs, raise awareness of the fact that violence
against women finds its origin in a deeply rooted belief that women
and men are unequal.
13. In addition to the report’s reference to the Istanbul Convention,
I would like to add that the monitoring work carried out by GREVIO
could be useful in gathering data with regard to the implementation
of the SDGs. GREVIO’s work can help with indicators on progress
achieved and assess what changes have been made, for example at
legislative level. Its comprehensive monitoring gives an excellent
picture of the situation and helps to identify gaps in the implementation
of the Convention.
14. Some Council of Europe legal instruments could prove their
relevance beyond the European continent. The Istanbul Convention,
which is open to ratification by non-Council of Europe member States,
is one of them. At the Commission on the Status of Women in New
York, official calls were made for a universal ratification of the
Istanbul Convention, which is the most comprehensive international
legal instrument in the field of preventing and combating violence
against women and domestic violence. Ms Marlène Schiappa, French Secretary
of State for equality between women and men and for the fight against
discrimination, notably called for the universal ratification of
the Istanbul Convention at a side event organised by the Permanent
Mission of France to the United Nations, in co-operation with the
Council of Europe, on 11 March 2019 on “The Council of Europe Istanbul
Convention: a global instrument for preventing and combating violence
against women and girls”.
15. I welcome these calls, particularly at a time when the Convention
is under attack, including in countries which have already ratified
it. I look forward to the report by Ms Zita Gurmai (Hungary, SOC)
on “The Istanbul Convention on violence against women: achievements
and challenges” and to the debate in plenary on this topic. I sincerely
hope these initiatives will contribute to shedding light on the
added value of the Istanbul Convention and the positive impact it
has already had on the lives of victims.
16. Following the publication of the results of the IPU-PACE Study
on Sexism, Harassment and Violence against Women in Parliaments
in Europe in October 2018, Ms Liliane Maury Pasquier, President
of the Assembly, launched the initiative #NotInMyParliament aimed
at raising awareness of the need to prevent and combat violence
against women parliamentarians. I welcome the fact that she made
the prevention of violence against women in politics a priority
of her mandate and wholeheartedly support her initiative. I also
look forward to the plenary debate on “Promoting parliaments free
of sexism and sexual harassment” (rapporteur: Ms Thorhildur Sunna
Ævarsdóttir, Iceland, SOC) during the April 2019 part-session.
Ms Liliane Maury Pasquier, President
of the Assembly, launched the initiative #NotInMyParliament aimed
at raising awareness of the need to prevent and combat violence
against women parliamentarians. I welcome the fact that she made
the prevention of violence against women in politics a priority
of her mandate and wholeheartedly support her initiative. I also
look forward to the plenary debate on “Promoting parliaments free
of sexism and sexual harassment” (rapporteur: Ms Thorhildur Sunna
Ævarsdóttir, Iceland, SOC) during the April 2019 part-session.4. Final remarks
17. It is not feasible, in an opinion,
to highlight all areas of co-operation and all initiatives taken
in the fields of equality and non-discrimination with a view to
contributing to the implementation of the Sustainable Development
Goals. I would nevertheless like to commend the United Nations for
managing to ensure a worldwide promotion of the SDGs and effectively
engage regional organisations for their promotion and implementation.
I also see here an opportunity to affirm our support of multilateralism,
which ensures monitoring mechanisms function well.
18. Considering the mandates of the Council of Europe and the
United Nations and their objectives, co-operation is essential.
Both are well placed actors to bring forward SDGs and promote their
targets. I would also like to bring my full support to the report
prepared by Ms Jennifer de Temmerman (France, NR) for the Committee
on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development on the “Implementation
of the Sustainable Development Goals: synergy needed on the part
of all stakeholders, from parliaments to local authorities”, which
will be debated together with the report by Mr Silva.
19. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe can help
raise awareness of the SDGs via its members and their activities
in national parliaments, where they may request the allocation of
enough funds to this end and call for the implementation of the
goals. Whenever we stress, as members of parliament, that the imbalance
of power hinders women and girls in developing their full potential,
we contribute to awareness-raising on the urgent need to implement
SDG 5. We can contribute to putting the SDGs high on the political agenda
in our countries.
20. In my view, it would be interesting to intensify co-operation
between the United Nations and the Parliamentary Assembly. Parliaments
could be encouraged to discuss how existing legislation either hinders or
may help reach the targets described in the SDGs. I therefore very
much welcome the fact that the proposed draft resolution calls on
Council of Europe member States to “include parliamentarians in
their national structures and delegations at the various stages
of reviewing SDGs, including at the sessions of the High-level Political
Forum on Sustainable Development and the United Nations General
Assembly, as well as at thematic events, and provide them with the
possibility to participate actively in the work of these processes
and events”.
21. I agree with the rapporteur for report that the Council of
Europe is indeed an important contributor to the 2030 Agenda. I
feel particularly encouraged by the fact that both the ongoing Finnish
Presidency of the Committee of Ministers and the upcoming French
Presidency make gender equality and combating violence against women
priorities of their presidencies and look forward to our future
co-operation to this end, at a time when women’s rights are under
threat in Europe.