International Women’s Rights Day 2023: Five new Charter articles illustrated through local actions
To celebrate 2023 International Women’s Rights Day, CEMR is publishing a series of impactful initiatives carried out by local and regional governments to promote gender justice. These projects embody the updated European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life as they show how five of its nine new articles can be put into practice. Together, they represent an inspiring step towards a more gender-equal Europe.
The updated Charter is a result of several years of reflection and collaboration which started in 2021 on the occasion of its 15th anniversary. The nine new articles cover and expand on the following topics: sustainable development, cyber violence, violence against elected representatives, intersectionality, flexible working, digital inclusion, sexual and reproductive health rights, climate change and gender-responsive civil preparedness and disaster response.
The over 2,000 commitments to the Charter made by territories in 36 European countries prior to 2023 remain valid. The existing signatories are, however, invited to renew their commitment to the Charter by adopting the new articles and integrating them into their future equality action plans as relevant. Any new commitments to the Charter will be to the updated text, from January 2023 and in function of the availability of the text in local languages.
While the updated Charter has been translated into 28 languages, the transcriptions are still undergoing a quality check with the national coordinators of the Charter in CEMR’s network. They will be posted to the online Observatory and CEMR’s website once they are approved.
The updated Charter is available currently in English, French and easy-to-read English versions.
Any questions regarding the update or the actions highlighted in this series can be directed to contact@ccre-cemr.org or the relevant national coordinator for the Charter in your country
Gender, Diversity and Migration Officer
