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The Steering Committee for Equality between Women and Men (CDEG)

What is the CDEG?

The Steering Committee for Equality between Women and Men (CDEG) is the intergovernmental body which is responsible for defining, stimulating and conducting the Council of Europe's action to promote equality between women and men. It is directly answerable to the Committee of Ministers, from which it receives its instructions and to which it addresses its reports and proposals.

Who are its members?

The members of the CDEG are appointed by the government of each of the Organisation's member States. According to the profile drawn up by the Committee of Ministers, they must be "persons with high-level responsibility for policies in favour of equality between women and men, or other highly qualified specialists". Members of the CDEG are appointed on the occasion of each meeting of the Committee, at the invitation of the Secretariat of the Council of Europe.

The members of the Committee elect their Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson for one year, renewable once, and from one to five further members for a renewable two-year term of office. All these individuals, who are appointed on a personal basis, constitute the Committee's Bureau.

The States which are not members of the Council of Europe may, further to a decision by the Committee of Ministers, be invited to send representatives as observers without voting rights: for instance, Belarus, Canada, Japan, the Holy See and the United States of America participate in the work of the CDEG. Similarly, the meetings of the Committee may be attended by representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE), the European Commission (European Union), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the specialised bodies and institutions of the United Nations, as well as the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR-OSCE). More recently, the CDEG has admitted international non-governmental organisations as observers: the Standing Committee of women elected representatives of local and regional authorities of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and the "Equality-Parity-women-men" Regrouping, which is a Regrouping of NGOs having consultative status with the Council of Europe, are thus represented on the Committee.

Historical background

The Council of Europe's first committee to promote equality between women and men was set up in 1979. Other committees followed and, in 1987, its functions were extended to promoting European co-operation to achieve real equality between women and men and prompting measures liable to be adopted at the level not only of the Council of Europe but also of the member States.

The Declaration of the Committee of Ministers, dated 16 November 1988, was a landmark in the policy of the Organisation in the field of equality between women and men. This Declaration affirms that the principle of equality of the sexes is an integral part of human rights, and that sex-related discrimination is an impediment to the exercice of fundamental freedoms. Its eradication is a sine qua non of democracy and an imperative of social justice. As a follow-up to this policy, the committee dealing with equality was transferred, in 1989, from the field of social and economic affairs to that of human rights, which is the Organisation's prime area of activity.

The setting up of the current CDEG in 1992 was a further important step in the Council of Europe's policy to promote equality. Its promotion to the rank of "Steering Committee", which increased its importance and powers (including the right to set up subordinate structures), demonstrated that equality between women and men constituted a priority for the Organisation.

What are the role and duties of the CDEG?

Under the terms of reference assigned to it by the Committee of Ministers, the CDEG is instructed:

  1. to examine the situation as regards equality between women and men in European society and consider its progress;

  2. to promote European co-operation between member States with a view to achieving real equality between women and men as a sine qua non of genuine democracy and to stimulate actions at both national and Council of Europe level, having regard to activities undertaken within other international fora, in particular the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women;

  3. to this effect, to establish analyses, studies and evaluations, to confront national policies and pool experiences, to work out concerted policy strategies, measures and tools for implementing equality and, as necessary, to prepare appropriate legal and other instruments;

  4. to prepare the European Ministerial Conferences on equality between women and men and ensure the follow-up thereto, having regard to the relevant decisions of the Committee of Ministers;

  5. to co-operate with other steering and ad hoc committees in the implementation of various projects and encourage them to put into practice the strategy of gender mainstreaming with a view, in particular, to improving and developing their activities so as to contribute to the implementation of the objectives coming under ii. above, for which the CDEG has principal responsibility;

  6. to comment on the annual reports of the Secretary General on the implementation of the equality objective within the Secretariat and activities of the Council of Europe.

How does the CDEG work?

The CDEG holds two meetings per year, each lasting three days, normally at the headquarters of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (France).

In addition, the Bureau holds two meetings per year to prepare the work of the plenary Committee. It may also, as necessary, be mandated to take decisions in the Committee's stead.

The CDEG can set up subordinate bodies (working groups, specialist groups, committees of experts, etc) to help it implement its terms of reference.

The Committee's deliberations, as well as those of the Bureau and the subordinate structures, take place in private. However, the CDEG may request the Committee of Ministers' authorisation to disseminate, according to the procedure indicated by the latter, certain elements of its work (eg studies by experts).

The Committee may have whatever contacts or consultations with professional bodies it deems necessary for the implementation of its terms of reference.

In administrative terms the CDEG comes under the Directorate General of Human Rights and has a Secretariat which currently comprises six members of the Directorate staff. A temporary staff member has been recruited to manage the Lara Project (criminal law reform in the field of trafficking in human beings). The Secretariat's duties are not confined to practical and administrative activities (preparation and organisation of meetings). They also include designing, co-ordinating and participating in the Committee's work.

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