International
The EU and International Gender
Strategy Team helps to coordinate, negotiate and present UK
positions on gender equality issues within the European Union,
United Nations, Commonwealth and Council of Europe. As part of the
UK’s National Women’s Machinery the Team works to fulfill the UK’s
international and regional commitments and promotes best practices
and statutory compliance on gender equality issues across a range
of international and regional institutions.
The UK participates in international
inter-governmental mechanisms for the advancement of women and
gender equality, and has signed up to relevant international
commitments, including the UN Convention on the Elimination of all
forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and its Optional
Protocol, and the non-binding Beijing Declaration and Platform for
Action for Women . The EU and International Gender Strategy Team
liaises across UK Government departments on these commitments,
follows up on their implementation, and coordinates
cross-Ministerial reporting to the UN.
The EU and International Gender Strategy
Team engages with various EU institutions, including the European
Commission and the Council of the European Union, contributing to
the development of common standards and regulations to uphold UK
interests and reflect best practices related to gender
equality.
The UK is a member of the Council of Europe
and participates in its Steering Committee for Equality Between
Women and Men (CDEG). The EU and International Gender Strategy Team
works to co-ordinate, negotiate and present UK positions within the
CDEG in areas such as violence against women, political
representation and tackling the pay gap. These negotiations in turn
inform the Council of Europe’s Council of Ministers.
As a member of the Commonwealth, the UK supports the strategy of
gender mainstreaming and the related Commonwealth Gender Plan of
Action (2005-2015). The EU and International Gender Strategy Team
works across UK Government to implement its commitments on the
Gender Plan of Action. It also liaises across government to
co-ordinate, negotiate and present the UK positions on gender
equality, including through the Commonwealth Working Group on
Gender, Peace and Security.