The Council of Europe has solid legal, policy and technical expertise and experience in supporting its member states in their efforts to combat violence against women and domestic violence, and strengthen public and political participation of women. These provided the basis for this project’s targeted activities. The project focuses on developing knowledge and skills in two areas of the NASW identified jointly with the Russian Federation authorities:

1. violence against women and,
2. women’s participation in public and political life.

The co-operation with the Council of Europe provided added value through capacity building and exchanges of practices. Furthermore, the creation of knowledge and capacity among the relevant stakeholders supported Russian Federation authorities to deliver on the NASW and comply with international commitments such as Council of Europe standards, CEDAW Convention or the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development based on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably, SDG 5: Gender Equality.

Final results of the project

The project has run from November 2018 to May 2020. Due to the current restrictions due to COVID-19, a Moscow-Strasbourg high-level online closing event presented the achievements of the project through a video presentation. The winners of the project’s journalists’ competition to raise awareness of problems faced by present-day women were also announced.

Two  reports have been developed in the project: ”Achieving balanced participation of women and men in political and public decision making in the Russian Federation. European Best Practice” and the ”Research on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, including in situations of social disadvantage, in the Russian Federation” which are available in English and Russian.

• Achieving balanced participation of women and men in political and public decision making in the Russian Federation. European Best Practice ENG / RUS
• Research on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, including in situations of social disadvantage, in the Russian Federation ENG / RUS

Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

High Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation

European Union Delegation to the Russian Federation

The project was implemented by

the Capacity Building and Co-operation Projects Unit at the Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Division

Marta BECERRA, Head of Unit
Larissa KIREEVA, Project Manager

together with

the Council of Europe Office in Moscow

Irina VITCHINKA, Senior Project Officer
Maria BELYAK, Project Assistant