Chairwoman Hautala met on 14th of September with representative of the European Women’s Lobby to discuss the implementation by the EU of the unanimously adopted United Nations Security Coucil Reslution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. [:]Despite the fact that the resolution has been hailed as a landmark achievement in making the rights of women in this important field a reality, the implementation has been lacking.

While numerous efforts and initiatives have been taken to implement the resolution, no strategy exists at the UN or EU level. Action plans are in place in 9 EU Member States but the number of countries that have made this effort remains deeply unsatisfactory. There is, more frustratingly, no mechanism to ensure that there shall be accountability for the violation of the resolution. Those national Action Plans for implementation that are in place also lack mechanisms to ensure accountability.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the resolution the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights will be discussing how these gaps and failures can be remedied. Chairwoman hoped that the milestone anniversary would give new impetus to transform the commitments made 10 years ago into practical steps.
Other issues discussed at the meeting were violence against women and trafficking. Subcommittee on Human Rights will be discussing these in its upcoming meetings. With regards all these issues, cooperation with the European Women’s Lobby has been vital for the Subcommittee and Chairwoman expressed her wish that excellent cooperation should continue also in the future.

European Women’s Lobby is the largest umbrella organisation of women’s associations in EU. The Women’s Lobby extends throughout all 27 Member States of the EU, 21 international organisations and covers more than 2500 organisations on the whole.