Almost 60 Afghan Women Leaders reconvened on 19-20 May in Brussels for a second meeting of the Afghan Women Leaders’ Forum (AWLF), facilitated by the EU. The Forum met in a hybrid format as a continuation of the structured dialogue that was launched at the first AWLF on 10 March to ensure women participate in the dialogue about […]
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5th UfM Ministerial on Employment and Labour
Union for Mediterranean Ministers in charge of employment and labour have agreed joint actions for a better integration of social and labour markets in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Governments will focus on a stronger participation of young people and women in their societies and economies. They also stressed the need to continue measuring the impact of […]
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A group of Member States committed to contribute €270 million to the ALMA initiative
The first Member States have expressed their commitment to implement the Commission’s new initiative ALMA (‘Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve’) to support disadvantaged young people on their way into the job market or further education. At an event on youth employment organised by the Commission last week, it announced that so far more than half of Member States […]
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17 May: International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia in the EU
On the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT), the European Union reaffirms its strong commitment to respect, protect and fulfil the full and equal enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons. Across the world, over 2 billion people live in countries where homosexuality is […]
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Countries with legislated quotas could achieve gender balance in parliaments by 2026, those without may take close to 20 years
Over the last 20 years, gender balance (quota of at least 40 % of each gender) has improved in EU Member States’ parliaments. And the application of legislative quotas that aims to ensure a minimum proportion of each gender among candidates has played a key role. In fact, evidence suggests that the application of legislative […]
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Visa Digitalisation: Visa travel to the EU becomes easier
This week, the Commission has proposed the digitalisation of the Schengen visa process, replacing the visa sticker, and introducing the possibility to submit visa applications online through the European online visa platform. The New Pact on Migration and Asylum set the objective to fully digitalise visa procedures by 2025. It is an opportunity to effectively improve […]
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How is gender-based violence addressed in the EU?
Gender-based and domestic violence remain common in Europe, especially affecting women and girls. The EU is taking measures to put an end to it. Most EU countries have laws tackling violence against someone because of gender or sexual orientation, but the lack of a common definition of gender-based violence and common rules to address the […]
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United Nations an European Union: Ukraine crisis and refugees
This post offers the latest United Nations News related to refugees from the Ukrainian war with Russia. April 7 As part of the EU’s efforts to support Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, EU ambassadors today endorsed a proposal giving member states immediate access to more initial funding from REACT-EU (Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories […]
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European Union calling for the immediate re-opening of secondary schools for girls
The European Union and its member states, together with international partners, have condemned the decision of the Taliban to deny until further notice secondary level education for over one million Afghan girls. This is a blatant violation of the fundamental right to education for all children, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and […]
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