Achieving gender equality is a key element in the implementation of the Council of Europe's mission, which aims to protect human rights, uphold democracy and ensure the rule of law. Ensuring balanced participation of women and men in political and public decision-making processes is one of the necessary components of achieving gender equality and one of the goals of the Council of Europe's Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023. According to the Council of Europe standards [Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe Rec(2003)3], balanced participation of men and women means the representation of either women or men in any decision-making body in political or public life at the level of at least 40%.
At the same time, an important challenge is to enable all women, including women from disadvantaged groups (e.g. Roma women, women with disabilities, migrants and refugees), to benefit from the gender equality and rights protection policies foreseen by the relevant instruments.
Thus, the Council of Europe* has developed a Toolkit for local authorities and civil society organizations on “Participation of young women and girls from disadvantaged groups in political and public decision-making processes at local level.” The Toolkit is focused on young women and girls from disadvantaged groups as those whose public and political potential is not sufficiently represented within their communities.
This Toolkit offers a curriculum that can be used as a model but should be tailored to the needs of the selected target group. The Toolkit can be implemented both by local authorities and civil society organizations who are concerned about the problems of young women and girls from disadvantaged groups. It offers practical tools, exercises, training methods and good practices from Ukraine and other countries on greater engagement of women and girls in public and political processes at local level.
The Toolkit is available in English and Ukrainian.
* The Council of Europe project “Supporting the transparency, inclusiveness and integrity of electoral practice in Ukraine” contributes to a more gender sensitive political environment in Ukraine by supporting development and introduction of respective legislative measures, enhancing women's capacity to participate in political and electoral processes, and carrying out awareness raising activities among representatives of national authorities and civil society.
