Today women's rights activists from Europe and the Mediterranean region are calling on Swedish Minister for Gender Equality Nyamko Sabuni to discuss the contents of a forthcoming shadow report on the status of women's rights in the region. The findings of the report indicate that stagnation has set in and things have regressed in some areas, both in Europe and the Mediterranean countries.

The forthcoming report scrutinises how nations in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership live up to the commitment of the Istanbul Plan of Action with regard to empowering the role of women in society, which was adopted at a minister summit in Istanbul 2006.

Some of the report's conclusions:
Patriarchal structures dominate: discrimination of women, the unequal division of housework and domestic violence fortifies the stagnation and in some cases the regression of women's rights. The financial crisis along with the rise in religious fundamentalism and conservative forces in the region further underpins these developments.

Religious and conservative forces on the increase: nations that try to change discriminatory laws must act in accordance with the religious and conservative forces that are cementing their influence over several parts of the region. Women's rights are easily negotiated away as governments try not to upset these groups.

A difficult political situation in the eastern and southern Mediterranean regions is hampering progress: war and conflict in the region give governments an excuse to postpone women's rights work, other issues are deemed as being more acute, alternatively, women's issues are regarded as being too sensitive. It is feared that dealing with them will only lead to instability. The focus of European countries on security issues before democracy and human rights has not made the work for women's rights any easier either.

A minister summit to take place during the Swedish EU Presidency will evaluate the Istanbul Plan of Action for the first time. Swedish Minister for Gender Equality Nyamko Sabuni will be sharing the chairmanship with her Egyptian colleague.

"Women's organisations from all over Europe and the Mediterranean region are pinning great hopes on the Istanbul Plan of Action being more than just a paper tiger. It requires tangible and measurable goals, and regular follow-ups. Sweden has a unique experience of the gender equality field. It would be political folly not to utilise the EU Presidency to push women's issues further up the Euromed agenda," says Lena Ag, President of the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation.

The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation is a member of the European Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN), which has coordinated the work on the shadow report. The EMHRN is made up of 80 non-governmental organisations from 30 countries in Europe and the Mediterranean region. The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation is hosting the meeting in Stockholm.

The report authors and EMHRN experts are available for interviews:
Lilian French Halls, President of the European Feminist Initiative, author of the Europe part
Nawal Yagizi, analyst at EMHRN, author of the parts on the southern and eastern Mediterranean regions
Lina Alqurah Head of the EMHRN gender programme
Magalli Thill, EMHRN political advisor on gender issues

The shadow report will also be discussed at a seminar today between 2pm and 4pm.
Venue: The Royal Coin Cabinet, Slottsbacken 6, Stockholm.