“Ensuring the same rights to all empowers our societies. It makes them richer and more secure. It is a fact that goes beyond principles or moral duties. The participation and leadership of women and girls is essential for democracy, justice, peace, security, prosperity and a greener planet. With this new Gender Action Plan, we are pushing for more and faster progress towards gender equality,” High Representative/Vice-President, Josep Borrell said upon adoption of the plan.

“Stronger engagement on gender equality is key to a sustainable global recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and building fairer, more inclusive, more prosperous societies. Women and girls are in the frontline of the pandemic and must be put in the driving seat of the recovery. As a gender-sensitive and responsive geopolitical Commission, we want to work more closely with our Member States, as well as all partners, in building a truly gender-equal world,” the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, added.

The Gender Action Plan III provides the EU with five pillars of action:

1. 85% of all new actions throughout external relations will contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment by 2025;
2. Shared strategic vision and close cooperation with Member States and partners at multilateral, regional and country level;
3. GAP III calls for accelerating progress, focusing on the key thematic areas of engagement;
4. Leading by example;
5. Measuring results.

GAP III will:

• promote a transformative approach and will mainstream a gender perspective in all policies and actions.
• encourage change in social attitudes, including by actively engaging men and boys and by putting a focus on young people as drivers of change.
• address all intersecting dimensions of discrimination, for example paying specific attention to the most disadvantaged women, like indigenous peoples and persons belonging to racial, ethnic, and religious minorities, forcibly displaced, migrant, economically and socially deprived women, those living in rural and coastal areas, as they face multiple discrimination. Women with disabilities are particularly disadvantaged and the rights of women with disabilities should be at the core of the future strategy on the rights of persons with disabilities for the coming years (2021-2030). In the same spirit, advancing the rights of LGBTIQ. All intersecting dimensions are equally relevant.
• set the ground for a more active role of women in peace and security. The EU has been in the front-line helping women’s participation in the political and decision-making processes of countries in conflict, like in Syria, Libya, Colombia, Afghanistan or Yemen.

The EU has already done a lot in recent years, also in difficult environments. Testimony to this are the stories of real women and their personal experiences. And the new Gender Action Plan aims to trigger more of these real examples: more transformation, more good results, more role models, as depicted in the stories these women and girls are about to tell.

The fight for an equal society for both women and men is not over!

Shocked by the stories she heard when she was volunteering at a women’s shelter in Montenegro, and inspired by the courage of her two grandmothers, Maja Raičević realised what was going to be her fight. Today, she fights violence against women and works for a more equal society. Watch Maja’s full story.

Science was our salvation, it opened our horizon to something bigger

Twin sisters Detina and Argita Zalli emigrated from Albania to the UK at the age of thirteen. Today, they are internationally renowned scientists, lecturing at Harvard, Oxford and Imperial College. Through their “We Speak Science” project, they connect students and scientists from all over the world. Watch these twins’ full story.

These stories are already encouraging, and the new Gender Action Plan calls for more: a gender-equal world, for more and more women and girls to fully enjoy their human rights, and to build fairer and more prosperous societies, where everyone has space to thrive and no one is left behind.

Original news: https://eeas.europa.eu/regions/western-balkans/89112/gender-action-plan-iii-towards-gender-equal-world_en