Equality bodies and other institutional mechanisms for gender equality during the crises.

On March 12 in New Your, in cooperation with the Commissioner for Gender Equality and Equal Treatment in Estonia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Estonia, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications in Estonia, a side event was held as part of the 68th session of the UN Committee on the Status of Women. The topic discussed was "Equality bodies and other institutional mechanisms for gender equality during the crises."

The event featured participation from Evelyn Wever-Croes, Head of Aruba; Signe Riisalo, Minister of Social Protection of Estonia; Mykhailo Spasov, Representative of the Commissioner for Equal Rights and Freedoms, Rights of Minorities, Political and Religious Beliefs, Ukraine; Tamás Kádár, Co-Director at EQUINET; Dr. Minjung Sung, Associate Research Fellow at the Korean Women’s Development Institute; Maruša Gortnar, Head of Research and Policy Support, European Institute for Gender Equality;
Christian Veske, Estonian Commissioner for Gender Equality and Equal Treatment.

The event is available for viewing HERE.

Photos from the event can be found HERE.

Several simultaneous crises - including the war in Ukraine, the climate crisis, the general economic recession, and the rise of populism - have led to situations where the different needs and real circumstances of women and men are too often overlooked. The need to recognize and respond to the increasing gender inequality and provide timely assistance to victims has significantly risen during these crises.

"The crises have highlighted the necessity to strengthen the role of equality bodies in various countries, to prevent situations where their funding is reduced at best, and at worst, their existence is questioned," stated Christian Veske, Commissioner for Gender Equality and Equal Treatment. "The directive on peer institutions soon to be adopted in the European Union exemplifies how the institutional capabilities of different countries can be jointly enhanced."

Globally, equality bodies vary both institutionally and in terms of competencies. To learn from each other's experiences, Estonia organized a side event of the UN Committee on the Status of Women, aiming to analyze the situation of gender equality in Ukraine, Estonia, Korea, and the European Union and explore ways to address these challenges.

Ukraine has committed to implementing European human rights standards. "Our goal is to protect the rights of girls and women who have been victims of sexual violence in war," mentioned Mykhailo Spasov, representative of the Ukrainian Ombudsman for Equal Rights. "Additionally, within the context of the Istanbul Convention, it is crucial for Ukraine to address gender-based violence, especially domestic violence," he added.

After the event, Christian Veske summarized how equality institutions can prepare for crises. It is essential to invest in equality-related knowledge creation in new areas and to foster and develop relationships with new partners.

The 68th session of the UN Committee on the Status of Women will concentrate on empowering women and girls, focusing on poverty reduction, and strengthening institutions and financing from a gender perspective. The Ministries of Social Affairs and Foreign Affairs contributed to the organization of the side event.