Members of the Current Affairs Committee of the Congress met in Strasbourg, France, on 29 October 2019, at the 37th session.
On the agenda was a report on gender violence against women in politics at local and regional level. Jelena Drenjanin, Sweden, (EPP/CCE), rapporteur and spokesperson of the Congress on gender equality, presented a draft resolution that highlights, in particular, the need to combat hate speech and attacks against women elected or standing in elections, as this creates obstacles for them to participate fully and on an equal footing in political life.
"We have a common challenge to change the perception of women in politics and it starts by breaking the silence and through education," said Ms. Drenjanin, referring to online social media movements and campaigns such as #MeToo and #NotInMyParliament.
This issue is part of the Congress's priorities for 2017-2020, which focus on promoting gender equality and preventing violence against women. Following a lively debate, the report was unanimously approved by the Committee and will be submitted for adoption at the 38th Session of the Congress in March 2020.
The Committee also approved two draft terms of reference for the preparation of reports on the role of local and regional authorities in youth work and on the management of cultural heritage as a tool for local and regional development.
Members were also briefed on the Committee’s recent activities. Feedback on the seminar on "Local democracy facing the demands of sustainable development" which took place on 12 September was presented by Jean-Pierre Liouville, France (SOC). Youth delegates also spoke about three events organised around the theme of youth.
The next meeting of the Current Affairs Committee will be held in March 2020, during the 38th session of the Congress.
** 37th Session of the Congress **
File 37th Session - Agenda - Videos and photos – Mediabox interviews
