National machinery, action plans and gender mainstreaming in the Council of Europe member states since the 4th World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995)

Abstract

This report was first prepared for the United Nations review in 2000 on the progress made since the conferences of Beijing and Nairobi. The Council of Europe was asked by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe to give a substantive contribution to its regional preparatory meeting (Geneva, 19-21 January 2000) on the year 2000 review of implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. Following the request, the Steering Committee for Equality between Women and Men (CDEG), agreed that one of the Council of Europe’s contributions would be an update of the study from 1994 on national institutional machinery to promote equality between women and men1. It was also decided that the update would include information on provisions (statutory or other) for gender mainstreaming and action plans for the promotion of equality. In September 1999, a questionnaire was sent to member states by the Secretariat (see Appendix II). For the elaboration of the report, the Secretariat did not only rely on the answers provided by member states, but also on the Council of Europe 1994 study on national institutional machinery1 as well as other information documents such as national CEDAW reports or national reports on the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. In preparation for the 5th European Ministerial Conference on Equality between Women and Men (Skopje, 22-23 January 2003), member states were asked, in January 2002, to give updated information on their national machinery, action plans and gender mainstreaming strategies. In 2004, the CDEG decided that an updated version of this document could be presented as a contribution of the Council of Europe to the Review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (Beijing + 10) to be held in March 2005 during the 49th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York. To this end, member States were asked, in April 2004, to give updated information on their national machinery, action plans and gender mainstreaming strategies. This document takes into account the information received up to 30 November 2004 from 43 member states out of 46.