Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination Activities In
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AS/Ega/Inf (2015) 16 21 December 2015 Aegadocinf16_2015 Original: French Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination Activities in 2014-2015 Information memorandum by Ms Gülsün Bilgehan, Chairperson, Turkey, Socialist Group This document is available on the Parliamentary Assembly Extranet website (restricted area for PACE Members) http://assembly.coe.int/extranet F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex | [email protected] | Tel: + 33 3 88 41 2000 | Fax: +33 3 88 41 2733 AS/Ega Inf (2015) 16 1. Introduction 1. In 2010, the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men became the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination. Its mandate now covers all aspects of the fight against discrimination, on whatever ground (age, gender, national or social origin, sexual orientation, disability, etc.), as well as all forms of racism and intolerance. 2. This widening of the committee’s remit had been decided as part of a comprehensive reform of the Parliamentary Assembly, the purpose of which was to “strengthen its political relevance and effectiveness, to make it more visible and to increase its members’ involvement”. A further objective was to “reinforce the interaction between the Assembly and national parliaments and to strengthen interparliamentary co- operation”.1 3. A review of the committee’s activities for the period 2012-2013 was carried out by Ms Tina Acketoft in her capacity as Chair of the committee and provided some useful guidelines for the committee’s work.2 In 2014, for example, the terms of reference of the General Rapporteur on combating racism and intolerance were approved, it was decided to set up the No Hate Parliamentary Alliance and the Sub-Committee on Disability and Inclusion was formed. 4. The purpose of this memorandum is to take stock of the period 2014-2015 and to make some proposals with a view to submitting them to the members for consideration. The period under review coincides with Ms Gisela Wurm’s chairmanship of the committee (2014) and my own in 2015. 2. Review of activities in 2014-2015 2.1. Wider thematic coverage 5. The work of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination centres on three main themes: preventing and combating racism and intolerance, violence against women and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. The terms of reference of the three rapporteurs match these priorities. The committee has also tackled more specific themes: the rights of minorities, gender equality and the rights of persons with disabilities. These themes are reflected in the terms of reference of the three sub- committees. 6. Over the period 2014-2015, the committee presented 15 reports which were debated at plenary sessions and meetings of the standing committee.3 This compares with the figure of 13 reports presented over the period 2012-2013. 7. In 2014-2015, the themes addressed were as follows: − violence against women (3 reports), − gender equality (2 reports), − combating discrimination based on disability, gender identity or religion (3 reports), − racism, intolerance and hate speech (3 reports), − equality and non-discrimination (in access to justice, in times of economic crisis, parliamentary co- operation with national human rights institutions) (3 reports), − the rights of minorities (1 report). 8. The themes covered in these reports are indicative of the wider range of topics examined by the committee under its new terms of reference. An overview of the reports produced or in preparation in 2014- 2015 shows that the transition which began in 2010 has been successfully completed. 9. In order to prepare the reports, the committee undertook 12 fact-finding visits: to Portugal, Greece, Iceland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Morocco, Spain, Finland, Sweden and Norway. 10. The variety of the subject matter is a feature of the reports currently being prepared and which will be debated in 2016-2017: 1 Parliamentary Resolution 1822 (2011), paragraph 3. 2 AS/Ega Inf (2013) 30, Activities in 2012-2013, Memorandum by Ms Tina Acketoft, Chairperson, Sweden, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, 29 November 2013. 3 See full list in Appendix 1. 2 AS/Ega/ Inf (2015) 16 − violence against women (3 reports), − gender equality (2 reports), − combating discrimination based on religion or disability (2 reports), − racism, anti-Semitism, hate speech (2 reports), − the rights of minorities (1 report). 11. Over the period 2014-2015, the committee also presented 5 opinions. The list4 of these opinions shows that the committee played a full part in the process of awarding neighbouring states partner for democracy status, thereby helping to increase the visibility of the committee and its various themes (notably women’s rights, LGBT rights and the fight against discrimination). 2.2. Diversification and visibility of activities and structures 12. Over the past two years, the committee pursued its goal of diversifying its activities, managing to strike a balance between report-drafting and other activities aimed at heightening the impact and prominence of its work. 13. The Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence pressed ahead with its efforts to raise awareness and promote the Istanbul Convention, thanks to the voluntary contributions which it received. The entry into force of the Istanbul Convention in August 2014 was an important milestone in this promotional work. The implementation phase is now under way and the Network has had to consider what resources are available to it, to ensure that national parliaments and the Parliamentary Assembly play their full role in monitoring the implementation of the Istanbul Convention. 14. In 2014, the committee took the initiative of forming the No Hate Parliamentary Alliance, which was launched in January 2015. The Alliance is made up of parliamentarians determined to act and speak out against manifestations of hatred and racism and with the attacks that occurred in Brussels, Paris and Copenhagen in late 2014/early 2015, its creation, alas, has proved all too timely. Its activities have involved organising hearings on topical issues such as the limits of freedom of expression, anti-Semitism and preventing Islamophobia while combating radicalisation leading to terrorism. As at 15 December 2015, the Alliance had 54 members. 15. The committee has appointed three general rapporteurs: one on violence against women, one on the rights of LGBT persons and one on racism and intolerance. The general rapporteurs have helped to raise awareness of the issues within their respective remits and to raise the Assembly’s profile in these areas. 16. In 2014, the committee decided to keep the sub-committees on gender equality and on rights of minorities but not the sub-committee on racism and xenophobia, whose remit is now covered by the new general rapporteur on racism and intolerance. It also set up a new sub-committee on disability and inclusion. The terms of reference of the three sub-committees were renewed in 2015 and hearings and exchanges were held during the Assembly sessions. 17. Over the period 2014-2015, three ad hoc sub-committees were also set up to take part in international conferences: − 3rd International Conference of the North-South Process for the Empowerment of Women on "Women's participation in political life in Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries: Challenges and opportunities", 17-18 June 2014, in Rabat (Morocco); − Conference “Safe from fear, safe from violence" celebrating the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention, 18-19 September 2014, in Rome (Italy); − Conference on “Monitoring the implementation of the Istanbul Convention: new synergies”, on 20 October 2015, in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). 18. The visibility of the committee’s work was increased over the period under review, thanks to social media. The hearings held in connection with the No Hate Parliamentary Alliance and the Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence were relayed on social media. The network’s Facebook page has grown significantly and in December 2015, the number of likes passed the 2,000 mark. In addition, in November 2015, the committee created a Twitter account (@PACE_Equality) to provide real-time information on the activities of the committee and its members. 4 See full list in Appendix II. 3 AS/Ega Inf (2015) 16 2.3. Co-operation with other Assembly committees and Council of Europe structures 19. In carrying out its activities, the committee attached considerable importance to co-operation with other Assembly committees, thus recognising the cross-cutting nature of many of the issues that it tackles. 20. First and foremost, the committee was given a role in the new committee on the election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights, set up in January 2015. The chair of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination sits on this new committee in an ex officio capacity, thus enabling it to have a say in the process of selecting judges for the European Court of Human Rights. 21. In 2014-2015, the committee organised joint meetings with the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development (on the sexual exploitation of girls and on preventing Islamophobia while combating radicalisation of young people), the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (on discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity), and with the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs (on the gender dimension and corruption). 22. At the same time, the committee established good working relations with the main Council of Europe bodies working in its areas of competence. It held numerous exchanges of views on specific topics and/or on mutual co-operation with, inter alia, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and the Deputy Secretary General (notably on violence against women), the Commissioner for Human Rights, the Venice Commission, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) and other bodies which come under the Directorate General of Democracy.