Equinet Conference: Taking Action for Gender Equality

23.03.2015 - 08:30

This Conference aims to share equality bodies’ expertise on gender equality with EU level stakeholders, as well as facilitating discussions on future strategic priorities and tools in the field of gender equality. More concretely, we will:
• Present the preliminary findings of the Equinet Perspective on the work of equality bodies on gender equality and future strategic priorities.
• Highlight equality bodies’ experiences in the implementation of gender equality legislation and policies.
• Provide a platform for discussion on key priorities, good practices and possible future developments at EU and national level.
• Facilitate an exchange between equality bodies, EU institutions and stakeholders contributing to effective cooperation for the promotion of gender equality.

Location

Brussels

Address

Residence Palace - Polak Room,
Rue de la Loi 155, Brussels

On 23rd March 2015 Equinet hosted the conference Taking Action for Gender Equality to facilitate exchange between equality bodies and national and European stakeholders on future strategic priorities and tools in the field of gender equality.

Objectives

The Conference strived to:

Present the preliminary findings of the Equinet draft Perspective on the work of equality bodies on gender equality and future strategic priorities.
Highlight equality bodies’ experiences in the implementation of gender equality legislation and policies.
Provide a platform for discussion on key priorities, good practices and possible future developments at EU and national level.
Facilitate an exchange between equality bodies, EU institutions and stakeholders contributing to effective cooperation for the promotion of gender equality.

We were very pleased to welcome Ms. Vĕra Jourová, European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality as our keynote speaker. Her speech was followed by sessions on:

Mainstreaming Gender Equality
Litigating for Change
Communication and Awareness Raising
Europe in 2020: Our Vision for Gender Equality

(Click to enlarge picture)

Speakers’ Presentations

Opening Speech by Evelyn Collins, Chair of Equinet, Chief Executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland

SESSION 1 - Mainstreaming Gender Equality

Chair: Petr Polak, Head of Department of Equal Treatment, Public Defender of Rights, Czech Republic

Mainstreaming gender equality in Northern Ireland: implementing the statutory equality duty (Darren McKinstry, Equality Commission for Northern Ireland)
Learnings from equality bodies’ promotion and policy work, from Equinet Perspective (Mari-Liis Sepper, Gender Equality and Equal Treatment Commissioner, Estonia)
What policy context is needed to enable mainstreaming gender equality? (Agnes Hubert, College of Europe, former Adviser in the Bureau of European Policy Advisers)

SESSION 2 - Litigating for change

Chair: Goran Selanec, Deputy Ombudsman, Office of the Ombudswoman for Gender Equality, Croatia

Litigating for change in Sweden (Martin Mork, Equality Ombudsman, Sweden)
Learnings from equality bodies’ legal work, from Equinet Perspective (Kosana Beker, Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Serbia)
What legal and policy context is needed to complete gender equality legislation and implement it? (Snjezana Vasiljevic, Assistant Professor and Chair of European Public Law, University of Zagreb)

SESSION 3 - Communication and awareness raising

Chair: Sandra Konstatzky, Deputy Director, Ombud for Equal Treatment, Austria

Raising awareness in the Netherlands (Carina van Eck, Commissioner, Netherlands Institute for Human Rights)
Learnings from equality bodies’ work on raising awareness, from Equinet Perspective (Thekla Demetriadou, Office of the Commissioner for Administration (Ombudsman), Cyprus)
What policy context is needed to enable awareness raising for gender equality? (Jane Morrice, Vice-President, European Economic and Social Committee)