OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference - EU statement – Plenary session 8 - Tolerance and Non-Discrimination III

1. Gender equality is a core value of the EU and cornerstone of the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security. The EU recalls its commitment to support women’s and youth’s equal, full, effective and meaningful participation, in all their diversity, in all spheres of public and political life as per EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2027. The EU continues to promote whole-of-society efforts to engage men and boys, as allies and beneficiaries for gender equality, in eliminating all gender inequalities, addressing discriminatory laws and social norms, and combating gender stereotypes. 

2. Violence against women and girls continues to be a serious obstacle to achieving equality. The EU reaffirms its position of zero tolerance towards sexual and gender-based violence. Prevention, protection, and prosecution must be the driving forces of all our efforts in this regard. The EU’s accession to the Istanbul convention shows its commitment to stepping up actions against gender-based violence and its support of its victims. The EU directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence constitutes another milestone criminalising physical and psychological violence against women across the EU, both offline and online, as well as female genital mutilation and forced marriages.  

3. We strongly condemn all kinds of reprisals, violence, threats and attacks, both offline and online, including conflict-related sexual and gender based violence, against all women and girls, in particular the ultimate expression of gender-based violence; the killing of women and girls because of their gender, femicide. We furthermore condemn all threats and attacks targeting women human rights defenders, women journalists, women peacebuilders, women-led organisations, women activists, politicians and trade unionists, which also constitute a particular threat against democracy. 

4. The EU also strongly condemns the violence against women and girls in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, including as a shameful tactic of war by Russian Armed Forces substantiated in the reports of the International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, the UNSG Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, the Moscow Mechanism expert missions and ODIHR. We reiterate our steadfast commitment to upholding international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and to ending impunity for international crimes.

5. For the sake of equality, development and peace, we stress the importance of the full implementation of all international obligations in this field, including the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions on the Women Peace and Security agenda, as well as of the OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality and other OSCE commitments and recommendations.

6. We thank the civil society for its decisive work for gender equality, including its work on the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. A safe and enabling environment for civil society must be ensured.

    

The Candidate Countries NORTH MACEDONIA*, MONTENEGRO*, ALBANIA*, UKRAINE, the REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA, BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA*, and the EFTA countries ICELAND, LIECHTENSTEIN and NORWAY, members of the European Economic Area, as well as ANDORRA align themselves with this statement.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.