Gender Equality Commission Plenary sessions
The Gender Equality Commission holds its plenary sessions twice a year, in line with the GEC’s terms of reference. Plenary sessions are attended by: the GEC members, i.e. representatives of the 46 member states, representatives of various bodies of the Council of Europe (Parliamentary Assembly, Commissioner for Human Rights, Conference of INGOs and other Committees or sectors of the Council of Europe engaged in related work), the European Union and other intergovernmental organisations, representatives of States with observer status to the Council of Europe, and other States and non governmental organisations which have observer status with the GEC.
The plenary meetings are a forum to discuss important policy issues and developments relating to the Council of Europe's Gender Equality Strategy 2024-2029. Plenary session dates are decided during the last session of the preceding year.
For 2024, the agreed plenary meeting dates are 16-18 April (25th meeting) and 19-21 November (26th meeting).
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24th plenary meeting
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25th plenary meeting
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26th plenary meeting
22nd meeting
16-18 novembre 2022
Documents
- GEC (2022) Report November
- Abridged Report GEC22(2022)November
- List of participants
- Agenda GEC (2022) OJ2 revised
- Activities and measures at the national level contributing to the achievement of the objectives of the Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023
- Draft Guidelines on the place of men and boys in gender equality policies and in policies to combat violence against women GEC (2022) 8 rev 27 October 2023
- Draft Guidelines on the place of men and boys in gender equality policies and in policies to combat violence against women GEC (2022) 8 rev 15 March 2023
- Preliminary draft study on the impact of artificial intelligence, its potential for promoting equality, including gender equality, and the risks to non-discrimination GEC (2022) 9
- Draft guidelines on the place of men and boys in gender equality policies and in policies to combat violence against women: Compilation of comments on the draft Guidelines GEC(2022)10
- Revised calendar for preparation of the Gender Equality Strategy 2024-2029 GEC (2022) 11revised
- 2022 Annual Report on the Implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023
- Study on the impact of COVID-19 on Women's access to justice
Information documents
- Follow up to 22nd meeting-Compilation of written notes and reports
- Draft guidelines on the place of men and boys in gender equality policies and policies to combat violence against women- Consultation document GEC (2022) 8
- 2nd meeting of the Working Group on the place of men and boys in gender equality policies and in policies to combat violence against women: Report WG-GEC-MB (2022) June
- 1st meeting of the Working Group on the place of men and boys in gender equality policies and in policies to combat violence against women: Report WG-GEC-MB (2022) March
- Draft Recommendation by the Committee of Ministers to the Member States on the topic of equality for Roma and Traveller women and girls-Rationale, Committee of Experts on Roma and Traveller Issues (ADI-ROM)
- Draft Recommendation on Combating Hate Crime, Committee of Experts on Hate Crime
(PC-ADI-CH) - Programme of the Launching event of the report: "Impact of Covid 19 on Women’s Access to Justice" (Hybrid event, Palais de l'Europe, room 11, 17.11.2022)
- Exchange of views with the CEDAW, Geneva, 1 July 2022 (online)-speaking notes
- Report of the High-Level Reflection Group of the Council of Europe, October 2022
- Information about ongoing capacity building and co-operation projects, October 2022
- Rome conference report, April 2022
- Concept note-annual thematic conference 2023
Presentations
Objective 1 – Prevent and combat gender stereotypes and sexism
Objective 2 – Prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence
- Follow-up to exchange of views between the GEC Chair and the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO)
- Update by the Secretariat of co-operation projects undertaken by the Gender Equality Division concerning violence against women and domestic violence, Marta BECERRA, Head of Unit, Co-operation Unit
Objective 6 - Achieve gender mainstreaming in all policies and measures
Co-operation with other Council of Europe sectors
Launching hybrid event of the report: "Impact of Covid 19 on Women’s Access to Justice", 17 November 2022, Strasbourg
Presentations
- Lori Mann, Council of Europe expert
- Jaša Vrabec, President of the Working Group on the evaluation of judicial systems of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice , Council of Europe
- Vafa Rustam, national expert, Azerbaijan
21st meeting
11-13 May 2022
Documents
- List of participants
- GEC (2022) Report May
- Abridged report GEC (2022) May
- Agenda GEC (2022)OJ1 revised
- Draft Annotated Agenda-Order of Business GEC (2022) AA/OB
- First (general) implementation review report on the Recommendation on preventing and combating sexism – the approach to review its implementation GEC (2021) 8 revised
- Draft Work Plan 2022-2025 GEC(2022)1
- Conference on “work-life balance as a leverage for women’s empowerment and promoting gender equality” organised by the Italian Ministry of Equal Opportunities and Family and the Council of Europe in the framework of the Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers (Rome, 12 April 2022), Draft report GEC (2022) 2
- CSW66 – Commission on the Status of Women (New York, 14-24 March 2022)Side-event on “STEM Education as a stepping-stone towards gender transformative climate change policies” organised by the Italian Minister of Equal Opportunities and Family and the Council of Europe (15 March 2022)- Summary and Recommendations GEC (2022) 3
- Proposed questionnaire for national authorities on the impact of Covid-19 on Women’s Access to Justice GEC (2022) 4
- Questionnaire to member states on the impact of artificial intelligence on equality, including gender equality, and discrimination GEC (2022) 5
Information documents
- Study on the places of men and boys in women's rights and gender equality policies GEC (2021) 3
- Conclusions of the conference on “work-life balance as a leverage for women’s empowerment and promoting gender equality” organised by the Italian Ministry of Equal Opportunities and Family and the Council of Europe in the framework of the Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers (Rome, 12 April 2022)
- Possible elements of a legal framework on artificial intelligence, based on the Council of Europe’s standards on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, Committee of Ministers, Council of Europe
Presentations
Objective 1 – Prevent and combat gender stereotypes and sexism
- “From Stereotypes to Hostile Sexism - A Psychological Analysis of Conceptions about Gender” – presentation and results of project undertaken by the University of Luxembourg followed by a discussion with Miriam Hale, M.Sc., Doctoral Researcher, and Dr André Melzer, Assistant Professor in Psychology, Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Social and Educational Sciences, University of Luxembourg
- Update by the Secretariat about gender mainstreaming in Council of Europe activities, Cécile GREBOVAL, Programme Manager, Gender Mainstreaming, Gender Equality Adviser
Objective 2 – Prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence
- Update by the Secretariat of co-operation projects undertaken by the Gender Equality Division concerning violence against women and domestic violence, Sandra VELOY-MATEU, Project Manager
- Presentation on the external evaluation of the Council of Europe programme on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence for 2016-2020, Roberto Olla, Head of Human Dignity and Gender Equality Department
Objective 3 - Ensure the equal access of women to justice
Objective 4- Achieve balanced participation of women and men in political and public decision-making
Objective 6 - Achieve gender mainstreaming in all policies and measures
20th meeting
23-24-25 novembre 2021
High-Level Panel: Exchange on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence
Thursday, 25 November 2021, 2:30- 3:30 p.m.
Video recording
The interpretation of meetings serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of the proceedings. Only the original speech is authentic. No liability shall be incurred by the interpreter in the exercise of his/her function
Documents
- GEC (2021) Report November
- List of participants
- Abridged report GEC (2021) November
- Agenda GEC (2021) OJ2
- Annotated Agenda-Order of Business GEC (2021) OJAΑ 2
- Activities and measures at the national level contributing to the achievement of the objectives of the Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy GEC (2021) 5
- 2021 annual report on the implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy GEC (2021) 6
- Events attended by GEC members, experts and the Secretariat GEC (2021) 7
- Committee of Ministers Recommendation on preventing and combating sexism – the approach to review its implementation GEC (2021) 8
- Draft Committee of Ministers Recommendation on protecting the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls GEC (2021) 9
- Report GEC-MIG (2021) September
- Report GEC-MIG (2021) April
- “Advancing Gender Equality: the role and situation for gender equality mechanisms in the context of COVID-19”, Conference report, (On-line, October 2020)
- "Gender equality and the Istanbul Convention: a decade of action", Conference report (Berlin and on-line, May 2021)
- Takeaways: Conference “The role of foreign policy in advancing gender equality: Addressing the challenges, pushbacks and obstacles faced by women" (Nicosia, Cyprus, 26 October 2021)
- Provisional concept note: Conference organised in the framework of the Italian Presidency of the Committee of Minister of the Council of Europe on the theme of work-life balance and women empowerment (Roma, Italy, 12 April 2022)
Information documents
- GEC Terms of Reference (2022-2025)
- Information about ongoing capacity building and co-operation projects, Gender Equality Division, Capacity building and co-operation projects Unit
Presentations
Objective 2 – Prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence
Objective 3 – Ensure the equal access of women to justice
Objective 5 - Protect the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls
- Presentation by the Secretariat of the GEC-MIG process, Cécile GREBOVAL, Programme Manager, Gender Mainstreaming, Gender Equality Adviser, Secretary to the GEC-MIG
- Presentation of the text of the recommendation, Vera ELOI DA FONSECA, Chair of the Drafting Committee on migrant women (GEC-MIG)
Objective 6 - Achieve gender mainstreaming in all policies and measures
Council of Europe gender equality agenda
19th meeting
14-15 April 2021
Documents
- Report (2021) April
- List of participants
- Abridged report GEC (2021) April
- Agenda GEC (2021 )OJ1
- Annotated Agenda-Order of Business GEC (2021) OJAΑ 1
- Draft 2020 annual report on the implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy GEC (2021) 2
- Activities and measures in member states towards the achievement of the objectives of the Gender Equality Strategy GEC(2021)1
- Study on the places of men and boys in women's rights and gender equality policies GEC (2021) 3
- Report GEC-MIG (2021) March
- Report GEC-MIG (2020) December
- Conference “Gender equality and the Istanbul Convention: a decade of action”, Berlin, 11 May 2021
- Information documents
- GEC Work Plan 2020-2021
- GEC Terms of Reference 2020-2021
- Report of the Seminar “Advancing Gender Equality: The role and situation for gender equality mechanisms in the context of COVID-19”
- Replies to the Secretary General’s questionnaire sent to the Chair of the Gender Equality Commission (September 2020)
- Information about ongoing capacity building and co-operation projects
- GEC Bureau contribution and comments to the Draft Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to the member States on Combating Hate Speech
- Spain’s Feminist Foreign Policy – Promoting Gender Equality in Spain’s External Action
Presentations
Prevent and combat gender stereotypes and sexism
- Presentation of the results and outputs of the grant awarded to the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) for the implementation of the Project “Mobilise against Sexism!”, by Joanna Maycock, Secretary General of EWL
- “The angry internet – A threat to gender equality, democracy & well-being”, prepared by the Centre for Digital Youth Care
- Presentation of the report on the place of men and boys in women's rights and gender equality policies by Claire Guiraud and Romain Sabathier, authors of the report
Prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence
- Update by the Secretariat of co-operation projects undertaken by the Gender Equality Division concerning violence against women and domestic violence by Marta Becerra, Head of Capacity-building and co-operation projects unit
Ensure the equal access of women to justice
- Exchange of views with Jasa Vrabec, Chair of the Working Group on Evaluation of Judicial Systems (GT-EVAL) of the Council of Europe European Commission for the efficiency of justice (CEPEJ), and presentation of the 2020 edition of the “European judicial systems: Efficiency and quality of justice (2018 data)”
- Update by the Secretariat on co-operation projects undertaken by the Gender Equality Division concerning equal access of women to justice by Anca Sandescu, Project Manager
Protect the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls
Achieve gender mainstreaming in all policies and measures
- Gender mainstreaming in Council of Europe activities by Cécile Greboval, Secretary to the GEC-MIG, Programme Manager, Gender Mainstreaming, Gender Equality Adviser
18th meeting
22-23 octobre 2020
Documents
- Report (2020) October
- Abridged report GEC (2020) October
- Agenda GEC (2020) OJ2
- Draft Annotated Agenda-Draft Order of Business GEC (2020) OJAΑ 2
- Drafting Committee on migrant women (GEC-MIG) GEC-MIG(2020)Report 1
- Drat concept note-Conference (Berlin, 11-12 May 2021) GEC (2020)
Information documents
- Strategic Framework – Council of Europe priorities
- Activities in the member states on men and boys and gender equality (revised)
- Information about ongoing capacity building and co-operation projects
- Congress Report: Fighting sexist violence against women in politics at local and regional level
- European Committee of Social Rights: 15 decisions on state compliance with the right to equal pay
- Mobilise Against Sexism: the project and the campaign in Portugal-Report to the Portuguese member of the Gender Equality Commission of the Council of Europe
- Women and Men in Germany, Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and German EU Presidency
- Pact for an Egalitarian Artificial Intelligence Between Women and Men, Laboratoire de l'égalité, 2020
Presentations
Prevent and combat gender stereotypes and sexism
- Committee of Ministers Recommendation on preventing and combating sexism (CM/Rec(2019)1) – follow up/update on promotional activities, Cécile GREBOVAL, Programme Manager
- Grant for the implementation of the Project “Mobilise against Sexism", Laura ALBU, Vice President, European Women’s Lobby
Ensure the equal access of women to justice
- Gender sensitive approaches to access to justice – update on current activities and proposals for future work, Anca SANDESCU, Project Manager
Protect the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls
- Drafting Committee on migrant women (GEC-MIG)
- First meeting, Vera ELOI DA FONSECA, GEC-MIG Chair
- Next steps, Cécile GREBOVAL, Programme Manager
Achieve gender mainstreaming in all policies and measures
- Gender mainstreaming in Council of Europe activities, Cécile GREBOVAL, Programme Manager
- Using Artificial Intelligence to help Gender Equality, Flora VINCENT, scientist, author of “Artificial Intelligence, not without her!”, and Co-Founder of the WAX Science Association (What About Xperiencing Sciences), France
Co-operation projects/programmes
- General overview of ongoing co-operation projects being carried out by the Gender Equality Division, Marta BECERRA, Head of Capacity-building and co-operation projects unit
Thematic discussion
- Climate change from a gender equality perspective, Ana PUY RODRIGUEZ, Gender Equality Officer in the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Spain
17th meeting
8-9 July 2020
Documents
- Report (2020) July
- Abridged report GEC (2020) July
- Agenda GEC (2020) OJ1
- Draft Annotated Agenda-Draft Order of Business GEC GEC (2020) OJA 1
- Draft Work Plan 2020-2021 GEC(2020)1
- Draft Concept Paper Athens GEC (2020) 2
- Drafting Committee Recommendation on Migrant Women (GEC-MIG)-Summary of replies to the questionnaire of June 2020 GEC (2020) 3
Information Documents
Gender-Based asylum claims and non-refoulement: Articles 60 and 61 of the Istanbul Convention, 2019
Presentations
- Sexual and reproductive health and rights (Serbia)
- Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union (January – June 2020)
- Conclusions and Recommendations: EU High Level Conference, Zagreb, 30-31 January 2020
- Overview of main gender equality and gender mainstreaming in Council of Europe activities
Drafting Committee on migrant women (GEC-MIG)
COVID-19 – impact of crisis on women and on gender equality
Cécile GREBOVAL, Programme Manager, Gender Mainstreaming, Gender Equality Division - Overview of co-operation activities undertaken by the Gender Equality Division
Marta BECERRA, Head of Capacity-building and co-operation projects' unit, Gender Equality Division