Mr/Mme Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia* , the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia and Georgia align themselves with this declaration.
In full support of the decision point 29 of the document we would like to make the following comments in relation to this agenda point.
The impact of the current financial crisis on women and men vary, given their different positions in society, especially in the labour market. Even though male-dominated sectors have been hit hard, many women are more vulnerable in a situation of economic recession, since women are more likely to be in precarious and insecure jobs, to be under-employed, in non-permanent jobs and in the informal sector.
In face of an economic downturn we should not let up on our struggle to promote gender equality. Gender equality is at a risk if the economic downturn is used as an excuse to slow down the efforts to pursue equality policies. As it is emphasized in para 24 of the Global Jobs Pact the crisis should rather be seen as an opportunity to shape new gender equality responses. We fully endorse this approach.
Gender equality is closely related to ILO's core mandate. But it is not only a socially desirable goal. The productive abilities of both women and men are needed to counter recession. Studies show that gender equality is an investment and that the participation of women in the labour market promotes long term sustainable economic development. The absence of discrimination reinforces the economic benefits of female participation in the labour market. In this context the EU strongly supports the call in the conclusions for universal ratification of the Equal Remuneration Convention (No. 100) and the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention (No. 111).
In terms of follow-up actions and continuing work we would in particular like to highlight the following:
• the promotion of policy coherence at national and global levels • the development of gender equality indicators andthe compilation and dissemination of sex-disaggregated data• improved representation of women and the support of female participation in decision-making processes at all levels.
The ambitions of the document are commendable and a demonstration of the importance ILO attaches to gender equality. To achieve real gender equality, however, requires a permanent commitment to coordinated and effective implementation at all levels.
The EU strongly supports the continued contributions by the ILO in this field and looks forward to future reports showing substantive progress with regard to the resolution.
Thank you, Madame Chair.
_______________* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process."