Setting up of an Assembly committee on equality between women and men
Doc. 7478 Revised
7 February 1996Motion for a Resolution
presented by Baroness GOULD OF POTTERNEWTON and othersThis motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it
The Assembly refers to the recent World Conference on Women held in Beijing and welcomes the declaration and action programme adopted at the close of the conference, which the states are now called upon to implement.
It considers that the Council of Europe, which pioneered the promotion of equality between men and women, has a special role to play in implementing the aforementioned programme.
It pays tribute to the Steering Committee for Equality between Women and Men (CDEG), which instigated the Council of Europe's equality policy.
It would, however, point out that the Organisation is marking time on two fundamental issues, namely enshrining the equality principle in an additional protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights, and recognising all the implications of the concept of parity democracy. The Assembly has on many occasions strongly advocated the adoption of these measures.
Furthermore, it is concerned about certain current trends which threaten to undermine past gains, and more generally about the following statement in the 1995 global report on human development published by the United Nations Development Programme: "women are not treated as well as men in any country".
It shares the opinion that the achievement of equality is a sine qua non for social development and therefore for social cohesion.
It is convinced that the existence of an Assembly committee, modelled on that of the European Parliament, would help advance the work in all these fields, and more generally in achieving genuine equality.
The status of a Bureau ad hoc committee, which is limited and temporary by definition, is such that it cannot take initiatives or present reports to the Assembly, and therefore cannot take on the desirable role of conducting the requisite work for the progress of equality.
Consequently, the Assembly decides to set up a committee for the achievement of equality.
Signed:
Gould of Potternewton, United Kingdom, SOC
Poptodorova, Bulgaria, SOC
Masseret, France, SOC
Martinez, Spain, SOC
Wohlwend, Liechtenstein, EPP
Durrieu, France, SOC
Lentz-Cornette, Luxembourg, EPP
Err, Luxembourg, SOC
Maximus, Belgium, SOC
Kollwelter, Luxembourg, SOC
Ruffy, Switzerland, SOC
Gross, Switzerland, SOC
Davis, United Kingdom, SOC
Hegyi, Hungary, SOC
Gricius, Lithuania, LDR
Johnston, United Kingdom, LDR
Pahor, Slovenia, SOC
Fleetwood, Sweden, EDG
Gusenbauer, Austria, SOC
Ragnarsdottir, Iceland, EDG
Jansson, Finland, LDR
Degn, Denmark, SOC
Hagard, Sweden, EDG
Laakso, Finland, UEL
Schieder, Austria, SOC
Magnusson, Sweden, SOC
Burbien�, Lithuania, LDR
Verspaget, Netherlands, SOC
Terborg, Germany, SOC
Suchocka, Poland, EPP
Belohorska, Slovakia, LDR
* SOC : Socialist Group
EPP : Group of the European People's Party
EDG : European Democratic Group
LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers Group
UEL : Group of the Unified European Left