October 7: President Carlsson makes a presentation on gender inequalities in healthcare at the Conference organized by Committee 2 in Brussels.

September 21 : The New EU Commission Strategy for equality between women and men (2010-2015) was adopted on this day.

The thematic priorities are : 

• equal economic independence for women and men; 
• equal pay for work of equal value; 
• equality in decision-making; 
• dignity, integrity and ending gender violence; 
• promoting gender equality beyond the EU 
• horizontal issues (gender roles, legislation and governance tools).

It follows the dual approach of gender mainstreaming and specific measures. For each priority area, key actions and detailed proposals for change and progress are described in an annex to the communication.

The new Strategy will aim at strengthening cooperation between the various actors and improving governance. It will lay the ground for future cooperation on gender equality with Member States, as well as with the European Parliament and other institutions and bodies, including the European Institute for Gender Equality.

For more information, click here.

September 21: Seminar on "Women and social policies at times of economic crisis". Check out the event's page, with speeches and presentations are now available!

June 16: AER Elections 2010 - In November 2010, the AER member regions will elect the Presidents and Vice-Presidents of all their bodies for the coming 2 years. If you wish to apply for the Presidency or Vice-Presidency of the Standing Committee on Equal Opportunities, we invite you to fill in the form available hereunder and to send it to the SCEO Secretariat before September 15, 2010. Elections of both the President and the Vice President of our Standing Committee will be held in Valencia, ES, on September 21, 2010.

June 15: Mrs. Sedlarevic, Vice-President of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (SR) and Vice President of the AER SCEO, took the floor during the AER Bureau meeting. She presented the latest achievements of the AER Standing Committee on Equal Opportunities and stressed the fruitful collaboration with Committee 1 on the Istanbul Conference and Training Academy.

June 14: Mrs. Carlsson, County Commissioner in Norrbotten (SE) and President of the AER Standing Committee on Equal Opportunities, was one of the keynote speakers during the AER 25th anniversary conference. She reminded the audience about President Sabban's role in putting equality between women and men on the AER agenda, and gave examples of best practice implemented by Regions in that field and concluded by asking for a 50% representation of either sexes at the AER Presidium and Bureau.

June 2-3: AER Training Academy in Istanbul. For details, click here.

May 17: AER backs up the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). Press Release.

April 15: AER Conference on "Regions at work : education and prevention of gender-related violence" on June 10-11 in Murcia, ES. Conference canceled on May 7 because of lack of interest (only 33 participants registered 1 month prior to the event).

March 25 : AER Conference in Istanbul, TR : "Promoting women entrepreneurship in European regions – opening doors to a brighter future". Documents are available on this page, while pictures are available here.

January 10: "From Observatory on Gender Issues to Standing Committee on Equal Opportunities" - AER survey on Equal Opportunities.

November 26, 2009: the AER General Assembly, meeting in Belfort (Franche-Comté, FR), decided to grant a new status to the AER Observatory on Gender Issues. Formerly a mere working group within Committee 2, the Observatory on Gender Issues will from now on be known as the STANDING COMMITTEE ON EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES.

It had become obvious that Equality issues could no longer be limited to social affairs and public health. Interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary work needs to be carried out and it is essential that the new Standing Committee on Equal Opportunities develop specific ties with Committees 1 & 3 and with the AER ruling bodies.

The AER General Assembly, following a proposal adopted by the AER Bureau in Gothenburg, granted Equal Opportunities the political recognition it deserved. Furthermore, it extended the mandate of the Observatory on Gender Issues to all equality issues. This development is of course very positive, as AER, through declarations of its Observatory on Gender Issues, has already condemned all discrimination on grounds of gender, race or ethnic origin, religion or beliefs, disability, age or sexual orientation. However, President Monica Carlsson made it very clear, before the voting procedure started, that gender issues and equality between women and men will remain the core issue of the new Standing Committee’s work, to which other equality issues will gradually be added, one block at a time, in accordance with concrete proposals from member regions.

President Carlsson's speeches to the AER Bureau and General Assembly can be found hereafter:

October 7, 2009: Working meeting in 'S-Hertogenbosch, Noord Brabant, NL. Click here for more information.

October 1, 2009: AER Breakfast briefing on Gender 4 Growth. Click here for more information. 

The Commission adopts a communication on the implementation, the results and the overall assessment of the 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All (EYEO):

- Full evaluation report of the 2007 EYEO.

- More information on the 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All - achievements and legacy.

- Commission's proposal for a Directive, which provides for protection from discrimination on grounds of age, disability, sexual orientation and religion or belief beyond the workplace.

- More information on anti-discrimination.

May 28 : AER Observatory on Gender Issues : Working meeting in Brussels.

November 13: Mrs. Sabban, Vice-President of Ile-de-France and President of the AER Observatory on Gender Issues, was elected AER President in Tampere, Finland. As decided in Valencia in September 2008, Mrs. Monica Carlsson, from Norrbotten, will become the next president of the Observatory on Gender Issues, and Mrs. Maria Stella Ciarletta will become 1st Vice-President of the Observatory on Gender Issues. 

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The European Parliament backs the the Council of Europe's Campaign "Stop domestic violence".

October 24: Mrs. SABBAN invited to speak at the General Assembly of the European Women's Lobby, Lyon October 24-26, 2008.

The VIIIth AER Conference on Equal Opportunities between Women and Men took place in Valencia, Spain on September 18-19, 2008. 135 participants from 14 countries attended the event and voted the Declaració de València. Presentations, speeches and documents available here. Pictures available here.

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AER backs up Council of Europe's Campaign "Stop domestic violence".

Sign a petition to support the appointment of a European Envoy for Women's Rights. The struggle against hunger and poverty will be lost if the international community fails to strengthten women's rights.

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August 8 : "Waging war on the pay gap" - See the Video report from the European Commission DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities here.

July 15 : The European Women's Lobby has produced an interesting kit in in the context of its Campaign “No Modern European Democracy without Gender Equality”.

The Kit comprises of two sections. In the first section, you will find an Action Kit, which includes all the steps that you can take with us to improve the presence of women in European decision-making. The second section provides in-depth information and clarifies certain myths in relation to parity democracy and quotas. The Kit aims at helping women’s non-governmental organisations and other interested actors to put pressure on political parties and decision-makers to introduce measures to advance parity in view of the EP elections and the nominations to be made for EU top jobs in 2009. The Kit is available in English and French.

http://www.5050democracy.eu/

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July 2 : EU proposes protection from discrimination beyond the workplace : press release and relevant links here.

June 9: The Council of Ministers adopted conclusions on the elimination of gender stereotypes in society.

The ministers recognised gender-stereotyping as one of the most persistent causes of inequality between women and men, and the need to tackle them from early childhood. The Council called on the Member States and the European Commission to promote specific actions to eliminate gender stereotypes in education, culture, training, vocational guidance, and on the labour market, paying particular attention to youth policies and programmes, and enhancing the use of relevant EU funds for combating gender stereotypes. To read the conclusions, please click here.

May 29: President Michèle SABBAN represents the AER at the City to City Final Conference on "Migration: a Changing World", held at the Committee of the Regions' headquarters in Brussels. Her speech is available on our AEROMW Page.

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May 27 : Elections for a Vice-President of the AER Observatory on Gender Issues will be held this fall in Valencia!! 

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May 22 : the EPC publishes a new paper : "Making migration work: the role of the employers in migrant integration".

This Working Paper considers what role employers can play in integrating migrant workers and identifies five basic tools for developing a comprehensive and effective integration strategy. You can download it from our AEROMW page.

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May 21: The European Women's Lobby has just produced a Resource Kit on Institutional Mechanisms for the Promotion of Equality between Women and Men.  You can download it from this page.

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April 29 : Minutes and presentations of our Brussels meeting (April 2008) are available here.

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April 25 : The Murcia Region Woman Institute (ES) is submitting a project proposal for the next call for proposals of the Community Action Programme HEALTH (2008-2013) and is looking for partners. The project aims at organizing an International Conference on Women and Health.

Please note that the deadline for this proposal is May 16!!

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April 24 : Michèle SABBAN, AER First Vice-President, was appointed acting President of the AER after Riccardo ILLY's withdrawal from Italian Politics.

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April 16 : Read the EPC Report on "The Rights of Women in Islam - a reality check" on our AER Observatory on Migrant Women page.

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April 12: The impact of microcredit on the life of Spanish women entrepreneurs - The Banco de la Mujer's report is available on our Observatory on Migrant Women page.

March 24 : Daphne III Partnership Proposal from Regione Calabria/City2City. Please note that the deadline for Daphne III Proposals is April 22!!

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March 20: Call for proposals - Strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations (including economic and social partners) active in the field of promoting women's rights and equality between women and men in Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, Syria and Tunisia. 

Please note that the main applicant must be from one of the above-mentioned countries. The deadline to submit proposals is May 7, 2008. For more information, please click here.

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March 18: Vacancy for the post of Director of the European Institute for Gender Equality. The deadline for applications is April 22, 2008. Please click here for more information.

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March 13-14 : ERLAIM Conference. Report and useful links on our Observatory on Migrant Women (OMW) page.

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March 8 : The Commission has recently published the following publications in the area of gender equality:

- Report on Equality between women and men 2008. All languages available here.

- Women and men in decision-making 2007 : Analysis of the situation and trends;

- Gender mainstreaming of employment policies. A comparative review of 30 European countries;

- The life of women and men in Europe - A statistical portrait.

If you want to receive copies of these publications, please order here.

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March 7: International Women's Day Conference at the Conseil régional of Ile-de-France.

Chaired by Michèle LOUP, regional councilor and active member of the AER Group on Equal Opportunities, this conference gave the floor to Michèle SABBAN, who reported, among other things, on the AER work on Equal Opportunities and the Observatory on Migrant Women. Special attention has been given as well to the European Charter for equality of women and men in local life, which the AER officially supports (see Kiruna Declaration, 21/d) and to initiatives taken by the Conseil régional of Ile-de-France (document available soon).

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March 6 : Please participate to the survey organized by the University of Louvain (in French only).

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March 5 : Entrepreneurial Diversity in a Unified Europe : Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship / Migrant Entrepreneurship - See our Observatory on Migrant Women (OMW) page.

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March 4 : "What's New Committee 2?" - Equal Opportunities issue now available here.

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Establishment of a Permanent City2City Center in Brussels on Migration issues : Regione Calabria is looking out for partners - 28-page feasability study available from our Observatory on Migrant Women (OMW) page.

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DAPHNE III : Programme to prevent and combat violence against children, young people and women and to protect victims and groups at risk - Call for proposals: Specific Transnational Projects - Deadline: 22 April 2008.

All relevant information can easily be obtained on our AER Funding trackers page (see "Justice (Com 2)").

The European Women's Lobby releases on-line a new informative video on prostitution  : " Not for sale". To watch it, click here. 

Thousands of women are beaten or raped every day, the often forgotten victims of conflicts all across the world. Join the International Rescue Committee in helping stop the violence and sign their petition here.

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Please do not forget to officially join our Observatory on Migrant Women. More information on the page dedicated to that project.

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!!! IMPORTANT MESSAGE !!! : The Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is launching an appeal to Europe's regions and municipalities for the online signature of the Declaration against trafficking. 

The Congress has set up a website for this purpose to gather as many signatures as possible from Europe's local and regional elected representatives. Please follow the link to the online Signature website.