5 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

The Council of Europe maintains close interactions with, and regularly contributes to the work of, UN bodies and fora regarding the achievement of SDG 5, such as the sessions of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and on the occasion of events co-organised with UN bodies. These events provide opportunities to share experiences about the design and implementation of pertinent initiatives such as those presented below.

Conventions

The Council of Europe has produced three ground-breaking, unique and comprehensive Conventions in the area of human dignity that are all of relevance to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Through these three Conventions, the Council of Europe can support and contribute to the implementation, notably, of Goal 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls) and Goal 16 (Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels). All States can become Party to these Conventions, which can inspire normative and policy changes in all regions of the world. The European Union also became a Party to the Istanbul Convention in 2024. These treaties offer a comprehensive normative framework, a platform for international co-operation and monitoring mechanisms to gather data, assess progress and promote solutions that work. They can, therefore, provide guidance and good practice examples to design national policies and legislation globally. They can also be used as indicators in the framework of national and international efforts to assess progress in the implementation of Agenda 2030.

The Istanbul Convention frames violence against women as both a cause and a consequence of the inequality between women and men that persists in society. It sets out a comprehensive set of legal obligations to prevent such violence, to protect and support women victims and to ensure justice through more effective prosecution. The holistic approach required by this treaty includes the need to place women victims at the centre of all measures taken and to ensure their empowerment. The reports and recommendations emanating from its monitoring mechanism (GREVIO – Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence and the Committee of the Parties) set out guidance to parties to the Istanbul Convention as to how to step up measures to better prevent and combat all forms of violence against women. For non-parties in Europe and beyond, it sets out important benchmarks to better prevent, and protect women from, such violence. Its purposes perfectly align with targets 2 and 3 of SDG 5: the elimination of all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres and the elimination of all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation. In October 2021, GREVIO adopted its first General Recommendation, on the digital dimension of violence against women. It is currently in the process of its second general recommendation focussing on gender-related killings of women and girls.

In addition to the baseline and thematic evaluation of parties to the convention, the Violence against Women Division organises various activities aimed at enhancing knowledge-sharing, networking and the building of partnerships. These include meetings of the national co-ordinating bodies set up under Article 10 of the Istanbul Convention and the organisation of round tables in follow-up to the GREVIO findings and Committee of the Parties’ recommendations. It also includes support for and GREVIO’s representation in the Platform of Independent Expert Mechanisms on Discrimination and Violence against Women (EDVAW Platform), which gathers seven United Nations and regional independent expert mechanisms on violence against women and women’s rights operating at the international and regional levels. The Platform was launched by the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences in March 2018. GREVIO’s President is currently chairing the Platform from January to December 2026, after its very first presidency between February 2022 to the end of January 2023. The EDVAW Platform aims to strengthen institutional links and thematic co-operation between the mechanisms with a view to working towards harmonised strategies and joint action. By enhancing collaboration, its goal is to improve the implementation of the existing international legal and policy framework on violence against women and their discrimination. The most recent initiative to build partnerships is the setting up of a network of specialised lawyers and NGOs assisting victims of violence against women in support of those wishing to pursue strategic litigation in the area of violence against women.

The Council of Europe implements cooperation projects on gender equality, equal access to justice and combating violence against women and domestic violence. They serve to equip the authorities with skills , tools and expertise to comply with relevant standards in these fields, including those deriving from case law of the European Court of Human Rights primarily related to right to private life, fair trial and prohibition of discrimination. In addition, technical cooperation projects are an effective tool to address GREVIO’s findings and the recommendations of the Committee of the Parties, based on the monitoring of the Istanbul Convention and to contribute to the implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy 2024-2029. The projects contribute towards aligning legal and policy framework with the respective Council of Europe standards, as well as strengthening the capacities of various professionals, including the judiciary, to better prevent violence, protect victims and prosecute perpetrators, enabling also full access to justice to women. Two HELP online courses on violence against women developed by the Council of Europe, one targeting legal professionals and one targeting law enforcement, are available in various languages, whereas a further module on technology-facilitated violence against women and girls will be available in 2026. One free online course on gender equality and gender mainstreaming is also newly available. One HELP online course on access to justice for women completes the panoply of choice for legal professionals on tackling gender inequality in practice. Progress has been achieved on data collection within the Eastern Partnership region on women’s access to justice. Working with civil society organisations is the primary cooperation pillar supporting the Methodology to raise awareness of the Istanbul Convention, reaching many organisations and the roader public, including victims. In Armenia, Türkiye and Ukraine, in particular, working with civil society has contributed toward strengthening access to justice and empowering refugee women and girls. The Gender Equality Resource Library contains a range of guidance tools that support the implementation of both the Istanbul Convention and the Gender Equality Strategy, in multiple languages.

The Council of Europe offers member States and other stakeholders guidance and support for achieving targets 5.2, 8.7 and 16.2 to end human trafficking through the provision of recommendations resulting from the monitoring of the convention by GRETA and expertise on human trafficking issues and activities, such as round-table meetings in the monitored countries. The round-table meetings are a tool for stimulating dialogue between relevant stakeholders in each country and identifying areas where the Council of Europe can support national anti-trafficking efforts.

The Council of Europe supports the implementation of the SDGs that aim to end human trafficking by organising conferences and other events to raise awareness of the provisions of the convention and GRETA’s recommendations. Further, in order to strengthen capacity in preventing and combating human trafficking, workshops and training seminars are organised for different professional groups.

A free online course on human trafficking has been developed by the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals of the Council of Europe. In addition, information and good practice examples are collected for the promotion of the implementation of the Anti-Trafficking Convention.

Other legal instruments

Recommendation CM/Rec(2024)1 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on equality of Roma and Traveller women and girls

In 2024-2025, the Roma and Travellers Division worked on building capacities of Roma and Traveller women civil society organisations and activists to promote and use Council of Europe standards and tools and support them in their efforts to effectively monitor and report violation of human rights of Roma and Travellers women and girls. With the new Council of Europe Strategy for Roma and Traveller Inclusion (2026-2030), gender equality is proposed to be mainstreamed throughout the priority areas and specific operational objectives of the future guiding document.

HELP course on Anti-discrimination, developed jointly with the Directorate of Anti-discrimination of the Council of Europe and in particular the Roma and Travellers Division and SOGIESC Unit. It comprises five modules:

Introduction to Anti-discrimination issues
Discrimination of Roma
Discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sex characteristics
Discrimination of disabled persons
Discrimination against minority community on grounds of race, religion, ethnicity or national origin

In Equal Right Trust (ERT) v. Bulgaria (Complaint No. 121/2016), the Committee found that legislation withdrawing family benefits when a minor becomes a parent and suspending child benefits for school non-attendance had a disproportionate impact on the Roma community, particularly Roma girls, who face higher rates of school non-attendance and drop-out. In its second follow-up assessment in 2023, the Committee noted that these measures remained in force and therefore reiterated its finding of a persistent violation of Article E (non-discrimination), read in conjunction with Article 16 (the right of the family to social, legal and economic protection) of the Charter.

In addition to international treaties, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has also adopted since the 1970s a number of Recommendations and guidelines to member States in relation to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and to the above-mentioned SDGs and associated targets, including:

Gender Equality Strategy 2024-2029

The Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers adopted the third Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy for 2024-2029 on 6 March 2024. This six-year strategy will guide the work of the Council of Europe and its member states toward achieving greater gender equality.

The Gender Equality Strategy focuses on six key objectives:

Preventing and combating gender stereotypes and sexism
Preventing and combating violence against women and girls and domestic violence
Ensuring women equal access to justice
Achieving a balanced participation of women and men in political, public, social, and economic life
Ensuring women’s empowerment and gender equality in relation to global and geopolitical challenges
Achieving gender mainstreaming and including an intersectional approach in all policies and measures

The Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy builds on achievements and continues to address existing challenges, including the negative impact of anti-rights movements, as well as the protection of the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls. The Gender Equality Strategy for 2024-2029 takes into account the lessons learned from significant crises related to health, climate, economic downturn and armed conflict, as well as the negative impact of such crises on gender equality and women’s rights. A greater focus on intersectionality and on men and boys aims to ensure that no one is left behind and to achieve more widespread support for gender equality. During the first biennium of the Strategy, the Organisation has prepared two new draft Recommendations, on accountability for technology-facilitated violence against women and girls, and on equality and artificial intelligence.

Beyond the adopted legal instruments listed above, the Gender Equality Commission has produced several practical documents to assist member States and other stakeholders to promote gender equality, including a Practical guide for public authorities to support the implementation of the Council of Europe Recommendation on protecting the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls (2025) and a Guidance document for the development of positive narratives to deflect anti-gender rhetoric (2026).

The Youth Department has adopted specific Gender Equality Guidelines (French) to pursue gender equality in international youth activities and raise awareness of any form of gender-based discrimination, including gender-based violence. Sexist hate speech on the Internet has been specifically identified as a major issue of concern and addressed, inter alia, through the No Hate Speech Movement Campaign. (French) Gender equality is also promoted and addressed in Euro-Arab youth co-operation as it remains an issue of common concern and potential intercultural polarisation (see also Goals 10 and 16). A Gender Impact Assessment of the Youth for Democracy programme was concluded in 2019; it provided useful indications of areas for further improvement.

In 2023, the European Youth Foundation supported projects of youth non-governmental organisations across Europe to address multiple discrimination issues and mainstream inclusiveness, equality and intersectionality. Projects focused on promoting gender equality and the rights of LGBTQI young people, and young women and girls more particularly. A limited number of projects dealt specifically with the social inclusion of young refugees and Roma participation.

The European Youth Card is developed in the best interests of all young people, both young men and young women, […] with a view to facilitating their mobility as well as their access to the various goods and services necessary for their personal and cultural development (see CM Resolution ResAP(2003)1 instituting a Partial Agreement on the Youth Card for the purpose of promoting and facilitating youth mobility in Europe). The Partial Agreement's action assists young women in emancipation, independence and enjoyment of their rights; gender balance was ensured in all activities.

GENDER MATTERS -A manual on gender-based violence affecting young people (2019). English French

Within its electoral cooperation activities, the Division of Elections and Participatory Democracy carries out number of actions aiming at enhancing participation of women in political and public decision-making, in line with the Strategic objectives G.1 and G.2 of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, with the Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023, as well as with the CM/Rec(2003)3 on balanced participation of women and men in political and public decision-making. Besides, graphics to follow up the number and percentage of women elected at the Parliament or at the lower house of the Parliament, are available on ElecData, which is a Collection of Electoral Data of the 46 Member States of the Council of Europe and gathers the specificities of each electoral system of the Council of Europe created and managed by the Division. Additionally, the Division published a toolkit intended for local authorities and NGOs with the purpose of enhancing the capacity of young women and girls from disadvantaged groups to participate in decision-making processes at both local and regional level in order to tackle this paramount issue in accordance with the Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Strategy and especially with the Target 5.5 (Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life) of the United Nations’ SDG N°5.

Moreover, through its standards and cooperation work in the field of participatory and deliberative democracy, the Council of Europe fosters initiatives such as public consultations, participatory budgeting, and citizens' assemblies. These mechanisms provide women and girls with the practical framework to contribute their knowledge and experience to decision-making processes and to voice their preferences effectively. Gender mainstreaming and equality are integral to all participatory democracy projects of the Council of Europe. These efforts aim to shift away from perpetuating stereotypes about gender roles, embedding the active participation of women as a standard practice in policies, regulations, and strategies.

The Venice Commission considers that while it is for each country to decide how to improve gender equality in democratic institutions, including the Parliament, it has been demonstrated that gender quotas can strongly influence women’s parliamentary representation. It has previously recommended taking special temporary measures to improve women’s representation in Parliament and in local councils, such as the gender quotas or other recognised methods for facilitating the election of women candidates.

The Council of Europe pays a particular attention to gender equality in the sport area.

The Recommendation on gender mainstreaming in sport (Recommendation (2015)2 of the Committee of Ministers) addresses gender inequalities between women and men in sport, in particular concerning: access to and practice of sport, physical education and physical activity; access to responsibilities, participation in sports governing bodies and decision-making roles; access to resources, salaries, financial incentives and sports facilities; media coverage of women athletes and of women’s sport; reintegration into the labour market after the end of an athletic career; gender-based violence including harassment and abuse (also see the factsheet on achieving gender equality).

The joint European Union - Council of Europe project “All In Plus“ (March 2023-February 2025) provided an additional focus on media sensitisation and gender equality in sport; as well as data collection using indicators and the creation of an online library of best practice examples. Project deliverables included factsheets across 21 jurisdictions and an analytical report including a series of recommendations per each of the six project indicators. EPAS has included All In Plus follow on work in its strategy and the project will be resumed in 2028.

The Anti-Doping Convention (ETS No. 135) refers to sportsmen and sportswomen as the main beneficiaries of the Convention’s system and specifically requires equality when conducting doping controls. In light of the Recommendation on preventing and combating sexism and the Recommendation on gender mainstreaming in sport, a Drafting Committee on Gender Equality in Anti-Doping was established to develop a set of recommendations on gender equality in anti-doping that can be applied both at national and international levels. Furthermore, the Saint-Denis Convention (CETS No. 218) also promotes diversity and gender equality for all participants, including spectators, at sports events. The Saint-Denis Convention (CETS No. 218) highlights the importance for sports authorities to promote active inclusion and diversity policies – namely, enabling the participation of more women spectators – aiming at changing the demographic at sports events, as this is a key factor for increasing safety and the feeling of security in the tribunes of sports grounds. The Saint-Denis Convention further calls States and sports organisations to adapt their safety, security and service policies and procedures to women’s sporting events, since they have a different demographic which requires specific needs and expectations.

The joint European Union - Council of Europe project “All In Plus“ will provide an additional focus on media sensitisation and gender equality in sport; as well as data collection using indicators and the creation of an online library of best practice examples.

The European Heritage Strategy for the 21st century has devoted a specific Factsheet to “Gender equality: what does cultural heritage have to do with it?”, emphasising the need to integrate gender equality in the work around cultural heritage in order to ensure that both women and men take part equally in preserving, experiencing, producing, accessing and feeling represented by cultural heritage: it provides a set of points to ensure a gender equality perspective when applying its general recommendations.

The “Free to Create, Create to be free” digital #exhibition initiated by the Council of Europe, featuring works of art from participating States to promote the importance of freedom of artistic expression” also considers the gender equality issue by including various artworks fostering gender equality and empowerment.

The North-South Centre of the Council of Europe promotes gender equality and women's rights by acting as an interface between the Council of Europe and its neighbouring regions, by promoting Council of Europe conventions and tools in the field of gender equality and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

Since 2018, the North-South Centre has been working with women-led organisations from the Southern Mediterranean for the development of concrete ground-based action to combat violence against women and improve the protection and support mechanisms for victims of gender-based violence.

Simultaneously and in cooperation with media and education actors, is raising the issue of multiple discrimination against women and intersectionality in Europe, Middle East and Africa region through awareness, educational and inclusion approaches, as well as trainings of journalists. A set of recommended actions and a campaign on intersectionality are under preparation with the support of young experts of these regions and will be launched end of 2021.

The European Social Charter, the human rights treaty on social and economic rights, guarantees the right of men and women to equal opportunities and equal treatment in matters of employment and occupation without discrimination (Articles 4§3 and Article 20 of the Charter and Article 1§2 of the 1988 Additional Protocol). This includes, in particular, the right to equal remuneration for equal work or work of equal value. Employees who try to enforce their right to equality must be legally protected against any form of reprisals from their employers, including not only dismissal but also downgrading or changes to working conditions.

Under Article 4§3 of the European Social Charter the concept of “work of equal value” lies at the heart of the fundamental right to equal pay for women and men, as it permits a broad scope of comparison, going beyond “equal”, “the same” or “similar” work. In order to establish whether work performed is equal or of equal value, factors such as the nature of tasks, skills, educational and training requirements must be taken into account. The value of work, that is the worth of a job for the purposes of determining remuneration should be assessed on the basis of objective gender-neutral criteria, including educational, professional and training requirements, skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions, irrespective of differences in working patterns. States should therefore ensure that this notion is clearly defined in legislation or case law. Pay structures shall be such as to enable the assessment of whether workers are in a comparable situation with regard to the value of work.

Under Article 4§3 States Parties are under an obligation to analyse the causes of the gender pay gap with a view to designing effective policies aimed at reducing it. In order to ensure and promote equal pay, the collection of high-quality pay statistics broken down by gender as well as statistics on the number and type of pay discrimination cases are crucial. The collection of such data increases pay transparency at aggregate levels and ultimately uncovers the cases of unequal pay and therefore the gender pay gap. States Parties should demonstrate a measurable progress in reducing the gender pay gap.

The Committee underlines that the effectiveness of measures taken to promote parity in decision-making positions depends on their actual impact in closing the gender gap in leadership roles. While training programmes for public administration executives and private sector stakeholders are valuable tools for raising awareness, their success depends on whether they lead to tangible changes in recruitment, promotion, and workplace policies. States must demonstrate measurable progress in achieving gender equality by providing statistical data on the proportion of women in decision-making positions.

The European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) monitors the implementation of the Charter, not only in law, but also in practice.

The ECSR adopted 15 decisions on state compliance with the right to equal pay, as well as the right to equal opportunities in the workplace, following complaints which were lodged within the framework of the collective complaints procedure by the international NGO University Women Europe (UWE). The decisions concern the 15 States which have accepted the complaints procedure (Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden). The decisions were adopted by the ECSR on 5 and 6 December 2019 and became public on 29 June 2020.

The decisions identify clear and strong standards in the field of equal pay and, more precisely, they require that the right to equal pay has to be guaranteed in law (UWE Decisions Factsheet). The ECSR has identified the following obligations for States:

To recognise the right to equal pay for equal work or work of equal value in their legislation;
To ensure access to effective remedies for victims of pay discrimination;
To ensure and guarantee pay transparency and enable pay comparisons;
To maintain effective equality bodies and relevant institutions in order to ensure equal pay in practice.

Moreover, the right to equal pay implies the obligation to adopt measures to promote it. This obligation has two elements: on the one hand, collecting reliable and standardised data to measure and analyse the gender pay gap and, on the other hand, designing effective policies and measures aimed at reducing the gender pay gap on the basis of an analysis of the data collected. The States are also under an obligation to show measurable progress in reducing the gender pay gap.

As regards more particularly vertical segregation, the decisions highlight the State’s positive obligations to tackle this phenomenon in the labour market, by means of, inter alia, promoting the advancement of women in decision-making positions within private companies. This obligation may entail introduction of binding legislative measures to ensure equal access to management boards of companies, including by setting specific quotas or targets in both public and private sector that will promote parity. However, a light touch approach that encourages change is also possible, if it brings about measurable progress. Measures designed to promote equal opportunities for women and men in the labour market must include promoting an effective parity in the representation of women and men in decision-making positions in both the public and private sectors.

14 out of the 15 States were found to be in violation of one or more of the above-mentioned aspects of the obligation to guarantee the right to equal pay and the right to equal opportunities in the workplace. However, the ECSR also noted various positive developments. Measures taken by some States in recent years have led to measurable progress in reducing gender pay gap, but progress is slow. The ECSR’s decisions clearly demonstrate that problems and practices, such as segregation in the labour market, lack of pay transparency, secrecy regarding pay levels, obstacles to access effective remedies and retaliatory dismissals continue to exist and prevent full realisation of the equal pay principle.

In its Conclusions 2019, the ECSR adopted a Statement of interpretation on Article 8§4 / 8§5. Article 8 of the Charter provides specific rights protecting employed women during pregnancy and maternity. The aim of such protection is the protection of the health of a mother and a child. Such protection is possible where employed women are entitled to safe and healthy working conditions, i.e. such working conditions which take due regard to their specific needs during respective periods. Safe and healthy working conditions include also protection against less favourable treatment due to pregnancy and maternity.

Since pregnancy and maternity are gender-specific, any less favourable treatment due to pregnancy or maternity is to be considered as direct gender discrimination. Consequently, the non-provision of specific rights aimed at protecting the health and safety of a mother and a child during pregnancy and maternity, or the erosion of their rights due to special protection during such a period are also direct gender discrimination. It follows that, in order to ensure non-discrimination on the grounds of gender, employed women during the protected period may not be placed in a less advantageous situation, also with regard to their income, if an adjustment of their working conditions is necessary in order to ensure the required level of the protection of health. It follows that, in the case a woman cannot be employed in her workplace due to health and safety concerns and as a result, she is transferred to another post or, should such transfer not be possible, she is granted leave instead, States Parties must ensure that during the protected period, she is entitled to her average previous pay or provided with a social security benefit corresponding to 100% of her previous average pay. Further, she should have the right to return to her previous post.

The ECSR examined the issues under Article 8§4 and 8§5 of the Charter in its Conclusions 2023.

A free online course on human trafficking has been developed by the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals of the Council of Europe (HELP) and translated into a range of languages. The course was updated and revised in 2024. HELP course on gender equality and gender mainstreaming developed jointly with the Gender Equality Division of the Council of Europe. It has the following modules:

Introduction
Gender equality and gender mainstreaming concepts
International and European standards and policy framework on gender equality

HELP course on Access to Justice for women developed jointly with the Gender Equality Division of the Council of Europe. It has the following modules:

Introduction to the concept of access to justice
International and European legal framework
Discrimination on the grounds of sex and gender
Avoiding gender stereotyping
Practical guidance to improve women’s access to justice
Gender sensitive approach to the practice of law

HELP course on Anti-discrimination, developed jointly with the Directorate of Anti-discrimination of the Council of Europe and in particular Roma and SOGIESC Unit. It comprises five modules:

Introduction to Anti-discrimination issues
Discrimination of Roma
Discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sex characteristics
Discrimination of disabled persons
Discrimination against minority community on grounds of race, religion, ethnicity or national origin

HELP course on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence developed jointly with the Gender Equality Division of the Council of Europe. It has the following modules:

Understanding violence against women and domestic violence
International and European Legal Framework
Overcoming barriers / access to Justice
Criminal Justice Response I – Investigation and pre-trial
Criminal Justice Response II – Trial and sentencing
Civil Justice Response
Alternative Dispute Resolution

In addition, a new HELP course on Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence for law enforcement, was jointly developed by the HELP Programme and the Gender Equality and Violence against Women Divisions in 2022. The course offers detailed, practical and comprehensive training to improve the quality of law enforcement responses to violence against women cases and support in victims’ access to justice.

HELP course on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings, developed with the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) Secretariat, was updated and revised in 2024. It has the following modules:

Introductory Module

Module 1 - Introduction and legal framework

Module 2 - Definitions and legal concepts

Module 3 - Identification of victims

Module 4 - Assistance to victims of trafficking in human beings

Module 5 - The non-punishment principle

Module 6 - Investigation, prosecutions and victims’ rights

Module 7 - Sentencing

Module 8 - Compensation

Module 9 - The rights to international protection, return and repatriation of victims of trafficking

Module 10 - Technology and human trafficking

Module 11 - Trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation

A free online course on human trafficking has been developed by the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals of the Council of Europe (HELP) and translated into a range of languages. The course was updated and revised in 2024. In addition, information and good practice examples are collected for the promotion of the implementation of the Anti-Trafficking Convention.

The empowerment of Roma and Traveller women and girls is one of the priorities of the Council of Europe’s Strategic Action Plan for Roma and Traveller Inclusion (2020-2025).

The joint EU/CoE project “Roma Women’s Access to Justice” (JUSTROM3) aims to address multiple discrimination and improve related access to justice of Roma women in Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Romania by supporting the empowerment of Roma women through increasing their awareness about discrimination, complaint mechanisms, the justice system and human rights institutions/equality bodies.

The empowerment of Roma women and youth has been one of the cross-cutting priorities of the EU/CoE Joint Programme "ROMACTED" in the Western Balkans and Türkiye. The programme`s Phase II will continue accenting actions towards enhancing participation of these groups at local level until the end of 2024.

In the framework of the Roma Political Schools the CoE has been supporting the training of Roma women, particularly young Roma women, in developing further their competencies to be influential in the public sphere. These trainings are held in Albania, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. In 2022 a pilot project of the Roma Political Schools was also implemented in Kosovo*.

The bi-yearly International Roma Women’s Conferences provide a platform for dialogue between Roma and Traveller women and various politicians, national authorities, international organisations academia about issues affecting their empowerment and prosperity. The recommendations stemming from these conferences support and feed into national and international policy development and planning. In 2021, the 8^th International Roma Women’s Conference Protecting the human rights and dignity of Roma and Traveller women in times of crises, held in Strasbourg in November; and the publication of the report Empowerment of Roma and Traveller women: a change under construction. Towards a roadmap for advancing gender equality of Roma and Traveller women in Council of Europe member states were important contribution for the empowerment of Roma and Traveller women.

The ADI-ROM Committee is also working on a Recommendation by the Committee of Ministers to the Member States on the topic of equality for Roma and Traveller women and girls, which will help member States to take effective measures to address those specific vulnerabilities of Roma and Traveller women and girls. Topics to be included in the Draft Recommendation are registration in the civil registry and identity documents, protection from extreme poverty and access to social protection and housing and accommodation, adoption and placement of Roma and Traveller children in alternative care, early childhood and school education, health care and sexual and reproductive rights, employment and economic situation and protection from violence and abuse, and capacity building and empowerment, as well as participation in political and public life of Roma and Travellers.

The Council of Europe’s Strategic Action Plan on Human Rights and Technologies in Biomedicine (2020-2025) includes a commitment to gender equality and respect for diversity. This comprises an expert analysis of gender equality and diversity in a range of biomedical issues including equitable access to biomedical research, gender bias in the quality of health services, gender bias and gender inequity in AI-based decision tools, and the protection of dignity and (gender) identity. See: Expert report by Professor Ina Wagner: “Human rights in biomedicine: Integrating a gender equality perspective”.

In the pursue of this goal, the CDBIO is organising a Seminar on early intervention on intersex children aiming at raising awareness on ethical and human rights/children rights issues raised by early intervention on intersex children and identifying examples promoting children rights in areas concerned (legislation, decision-making process, supporting measures and training).

The Steering Committee on Anti-discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion (CDADI), through its Committee of Experts on Roma and Traveller Issues (ADI-ROM), developed Recommendation CM/Rec(2024)1 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on equality of Roma and Traveller women and girls and Explanatory Memorandum, adopted in April 2024.

The CDADI published, in 2023, the “Study on the impact of artificial intelligence systems, their potential for promoting equality, including gender equality, and the risks they may cause in relation to non-discrimination”, jointly with the Gender Equality Commission. In 2024, CDADI, through the Committee of Experts on Artificial Intelligence, Equality and Discrimination (GEC/ADI-AI), started drafting a Committee of Ministers Recommendation on equality and artificial intelligence, and its explanatory memorandum, to be submitted to the Committee of Ministers for adoption in early 2026. It will be available in the publications section of the CDADI website.

The CDADI developed, in cooperation with the Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI), Recommendation CM/Rec (2022)16 on combating hate speech, which was finalised in December 2021 and was adopted at the highest possible level, at the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the 46 Member States in Turin in May 2022. The Recommendation calls upon governments to develop comprehensive strategies to prevent and fight hate speech, including the adoption of an effective legal framework. It covers hate speech on a wide range of grounds, including sex and gender.

The Committee of Experts on Hate Crime (PC/ADI-CH) of the CDADI, together with the European Committee on Crime Problems, is developing a recommendation to take a comprehensive approach to the issues related to hate crime, in particular to proper investigation of those crimes and assistance to victims. The draft Recommendation will cover hate crimes committed in relation to a wide range of grounds, including sex and gender. It will also attempt to identify key contextual factors which lead to violence motivated by bias and prejudice in order to prevent and address this phenomenon.

In 2025, CDADI adopted a feasibility study on preventing and combating intersectional discrimination, which will be available in the publications section of the CDADI website. Generally, the CDADI benefits from the appointment of a Gender Equality Rapporteur.

Gender equality is incorporated transversally as an intersectional aspect in the Council of Europe Strategy for Roma and Traveller inclusion (2026-2030).

The Committee of Experts on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (ADI-SOGIESC) is developing a study on the risks and impediments to the full access to rights resulting from discrimination and violence on grounds of gender expression, which will be finalised by the end of 2027

In 2025 the SOGIESC Unit supported the organisation of a Lesbian Conference in Rome, run by EL*C. The Council of Europe’s presence at the conference showcased the Organisation’s work on protecting the rights of LBQ women, as well as delivering a powerful message of solidarity and support for the struggles of LBTIQ women in Europe.

According to the Committee of Ministers Resolution CM/Res(2023)2, Section III (List of criteria for networks), Cultural Routes networks must integrate gender equality in their governance and activities.

The Enlarged Partial Agreement (EPA) on Cultural Routes contributes to SDG 5 by explicitly promoting women’s heritage and gender-aware mediation. When routes, such as the Women Writers Route, develop programmes that restore the visibility of women and by highlighting women authors, artisans and leaders, they help advance gender equality in cultural representation.

This commitment is further reflected in the work of the Reflection Group on the thematic representativeness of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, whose first meeting was held on 15–16 December at the Council of Europe offices in Paris. Launched by the Governing Board of the Enlarged Partial Agreement (EPA) on Cultural Routes at its annual meeting in May, the group is tasked with examining the current levels of representativeness within the Programme, with a particular focus on historical and cultural expressions related to women, thereby contributing to the broader objectives of SDG 5 on achieving gender equality.

The Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has a dedicated mandate to address gender equality and violence against women through parliamentary oversight and standard-setting. The Committee regularly works on reports relating to gender equality, followed by Recommendations and Resolutions adopted by the Assembly. Other Committees have also tackled this issue, given the need to mainstream gender equality considerations in all sectors. Gender equality and women’s rights are covered by the Assembly under various angles, including women’s political representation, economic empowerment, trafficking in human beings and gender-based violence, which are severe violation of human rights that affects women and girls disproportionately.

The Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence, established by the Assembly, plays a crucial role in mobilising parliamentarians and political forces to prevent and combat violence against women. The Network organises regular meetings and advocacy initiatives at global, regional and national levels to promote concrete action on ending gender-based violence, including through the promotion of the ratification and implementation of the Istanbul Convention."

Relevant texts adopted by the Assembly include:

As law and policy makers, parliamentarians often carry out the important task of ratifying international and regional human rights instruments and ensuring that national legislation is in line with the standards those instruments establish. They have the responsibility to hold governments accountable for implementing the standards they have subscribed to. They pass enabling legislation and adopt the necessary budgets to turn words into action. All these functions mean that parliamentarians are uniquely well placed to become key supporters and promoters of gender equality legislation and policies.

In this regard, the Assembly, through its Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, exercises its mandate under the Istanbul Convention to regularly monitor how the Parties implement the treaty, with the Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence supporting these efforts through advocacy and parliamentary engagement to ensure that violence against women remains a priority on the political agenda at both national and Council of Europe levels.

In recent years, several events were organised by the Assembly at global, regional and national levels to promote the implementation of SDG5. Notably, at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the Parliamentary Assembly organised side-events, together with member States, on gender equality related topics such as violence against women. The Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence also organised dedicated meetings to mobilise political forces to prevent and combat violence against women, including through the promotion of the ratification of the Istanbul Convention and the sharing of good practices among parliamentarians.

The situation of gender-based violence during migration or as a ground for forced displacement, as well as gender-based patterns conducive to specific vulnerability for women and girls as foreign workers or in the context of international protection, are also given coverage as part of the work of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons be it the context of Missing refugee and migrant children in Europe (Resolution 2324 (2020) ), the Protection and alternative care for unaccompanied and separated migrant and refugee children (Resolution 2449 (2022) ), as well as with respect to the particular vulnerability of seasonal workers, and that of particular communities in exile which the Committee is currently focusing some of its work on (Belarusians in exile, Afghan displaced).

The Parliamentary Assembly, in a joint initiative with the Government of Iceland, launched the Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment on the eve of the Council of Europe Reykjavik Summit in May 2023. This 60,000-euro annual prize rewards outstanding initiatives which promote the empowerment of women in all their diversity, with a broad remit covering achievements in gender equality or equal participation in, and access to, decision-making, as well as action to encourage inclusive policies and practice. Eligible candidates can be individuals or civil society groups. The prize was awarded for the first time during the June part-session of the Parliamentary Assembly in 2024.

The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), in the framework of its unique social mandate, co-finances social investment projects in its member countries. The Bank systematically applies the vulnerability lens to its lending activities to enhance their social cohesion value.

The Strategic Framework 2023-2027 identifies three cross-cutting themes that interact with the CEB’s core sectors of activity and are instrumental to achieving progress on social cohesion: (i) Climate action; (ii) Gender equality and (iii) Digitalisation.

The impact of gender inequality is exacerbated by poverty, broader economic fragility, and other vulnerability factors, including age, disabilities, or being a migrant or refugee. The CEB will continue to pursue opportunities to finance activities that enhance gender equality and empower women and girls, including by enhancing their access to finance.

The CEB mainstreams gender considerations across all activities to protect the rights of women and girls and enhance positive impacts for all, including women and girls.

The approach of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is based on three key principles: achieving SDGs is the shared responsibility of all levels of government; local and regional authorities must have the necessary competences and financial autonomy to achieve the goals in their respective areas; citizens must always remain at the heart of the action.

The Congress actively supports efforts to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls at the local and regional level. It encourages local authorities to provide political efforts to: increase the decision-making power of women, guarantee women’s rights and ensure the integration of women from religious and cultural minorities.

The Congress is undertaking work on women's participation in public life, equality between men and women, as well as on women’s rights, by introducing quotas in its national delegations, adopting resolutions and recommendations on gender equality, and contributing to actions fighting violence against women.

In recent years, the Congress has adopted the following texts in relation to SDG 5:

REC 528 (2025) – The role of local and regional authorities in protecting and promoting social rights and fostering social development
REC 511 (2024) - The UN Pact for the Future: The essential role of local and regional authorities in global sustainable development

The following thematic activities of the Congress are particularly related to SDG 5:

Congress has issued the following SDG 5 relevant publications:

European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life

The Commissioner for Human Rights’ work in the field of gender equality is in line with the Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Strategy 2024-2029, and the principles of SDG 5 (Gender Equality). This approach mainstreams gender perspectives across all thematic and country work, and includes targeted interventions that address gender-based discrimination, promote women’s meaningful participation in decision-making, and protect women’s and girls’ rights, especially those at heightened risk of marginalisation or violence, such as women and girls in conflict, refugees and migrants, racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTI persons. The Commissioner has paid particular attention to the human rights situation of Roma and Traveller women and girls and called on member states to support their empowerment.

For further details and resources, including statements, reports, and guidance from both current and previous Commissioners, see the thematic webpage on women’s rights and gender equality.

The Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings is a ground-breaking and comprehensive instrument which is of relevance notably to achieving target 5.2 of Goal 5, target 8.7 of Goal 8 and target 16.2 of Goal 16. While building on existing international instruments, the Convention goes beyond the minimum standards agreed upon in them and strengthens the protection afforded to victims. The Convention has a comprehensive scope of application, encompassing all forms of trafficking and taking in all persons who are victims of trafficking (women, men or children). The Convention makes particular reference to children’s vulnerability in trafficking and requires States to take special account of their need for special protection and assistance. The Convention is not restricted to Council of Europe member States; non-members States and the European Union also have the possibility of becoming Party to the Convention. The implementation of the Anti-Trafficking Convention by the State Parties is monitored by the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) and the Committee of the Parties.

The Council of Europe offers member States and other stakeholders guidance and support for achieving targets 5.2, 8.7 and 16.2 to end human trafficking through the provision of recommendations resulting from the monitoring of the Convention by GRETA and expertise on human trafficking issues and activities, such as round-table meetings in the monitored countries. The round-table meetings are a tool for stimulating dialogue between relevant stakeholders in each country, and identifying areas where the Council of Europe can support national anti-trafficking efforts.

The Council of Europe supports the implementation of the SDGs that aim to end human trafficking by organising conferences and other events to raise awareness of the provisions of the Convention and GRETA’s recommendations. Further, in order to strengthen capacity in preventing and combating human trafficking, workshops and training seminars are organised for different professional groups.

A free online course on human trafficking has been developed by the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals of the Council of Europe (HELP) and translated into a range of languages. In addition, information and good practice examples are collected for the promotion of the implementation of the Anti-Trafficking Convention.

The Committee of Ministers Recommendation on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation, adopted on 27 September 2022, calls on member states to adopt national laws, policies and strategies which address trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation, following a human rights-based and victim-centred approach. It supplements the existing legally binding instruments, in particular the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, and draws on the monitoring work and guidance of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, and the conclusions and decisions of the European Committee of Social Rights.

The Council of Europe furthers the achievement of the trafficking-related SDGs through the financing and implementation of anti-trafficking projects and activities whose results bring along the necessary outcomes at national or regional level, in line with the SDGs 5, 8 and 16 and its associated targets 5.2, 8.7 and 16.2. The projects support the national authorities in preventing and combating trafficking in human beings, by addressing the legislation, policy and practice in particular fields.

This page reflects recent and ongoing developments in the activities of the Council of Europe towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The Council’s historical activities in this area have been archived.

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*All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

Contribution du Conseil de l’Europe à l’Agenda 2030 pour le développement durable

5 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls