Pause, take stock and capitalise on the wealth of observations and findings that have been issued by GREVIO in its baseline evaluation reports: this is the achievement of the mid-term horizontal review published today.

Through a comparative assessment of GREVIO baseline evaluation reports – published so far in respect of 17 states parties – the review offers a comprehensive insight into the measures taken by half of the parties to the Istanbul Convention in order to attain its standards. For each article of the convention, it assesses the common and unique challenges faced by states parties in implementing their obligations.

It also puts forward examples of promising practices, highlighting how the Istanbul Convention has impacted states parties’ policies, jurisprudence and laws. From this review emerges that, after the initial momentum created by the signature and ratification of the convention, the GREVIO evaluations have, in many cases, spurred new impetus for the implementation of the convention.

On the eve of the 10th anniversary of the opening for signature of the Istanbul Convention, the mid-term horizontal review shows how much progress has been made in states parties. As such, it is a testimony to the many steps that have been taken by governments, women’s support services and numerous other actors to ensure the right of all women and girls to live a life free from violence – and to GREVIO’s tailor-made guidance that enables governments to further advance in their level of implementation of the convention.