Strengthening the Role of Women in Society: third Euromed Ministerial Conference to be held on 11 and 12 September in Paris

The Third Euromed Ministerial Conference on Strengthening the Role of Women in Society will take place on 11 and 12 September 2013 in Paris, gathering Ministers in charge of women affairs and gender equality from the 43 Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Member States.

 

The event will be co-chaired by the Union for the Mediterranean’s co-presidency, the European External Action Service and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and hosted by France’s Minister of Women’s Rights Najat Vallaud-Belkacem.

 

Following the commitments from the 2006 Istanbul and 2009 Marrakech Ministerial Conferences on Strengthening the Role of Women in Society, the Paris Ministerial Conference aims to further support women and girls of the Euro-Mediterranean region in their quest for empowerment and equality. Acknowledging the important role women have played in the ongoing changes in the region, the Ministers aim effectively to contribute to their stronger participation in the political, economic, civil and social development of the region. The Paris Conference is expected to further contribute to a positive change in attitude and behaviour towards women and girls in the region, strongly condemning all forms of violence and discrimination against them.

 

A Euromed Civil Society Forum will be organised on 3 and 4 September in Brussels on the theme ‘Gender Equality: Review and Prospects of the Istanbul-Marrakech process’. EU Foreign Affairs chief Catherine Ashton and Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle will take part in the Forum which will gather experts and Civil Society members from the Euro-Mediterranean region.

 

The Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean is mandated by the 43 Ministers to contribute to the objectives of the Paris Conference by further delivering concrete projects for the benefit of the region’s women and girls. The projects are to be developed and implemented in close cooperation between the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean and all relevant stakeholders in the region, including national and local authorities and civil society organizations. The criteria for submitting project proposals to the Secretariat for UfM labelling can be found in the Union for the Mediterranean Project Guidelines.