Welcome to our special edition newsletter!

2023 marks over 30 years of PES Women, as a PES member organisation, fighting for women's rights and gender equality in the European Union. In this special edition newsletter, we share events marking this PES Women milestone as well as recent the progress made in gender equality in the EU, fought for by PES Women over the past 30 years.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and for helping us fight for women's rights and gender equality over the last 30 years, this milestone is as much your achievement as ours. 

PES Women will be back to continue our efforts in progressing gender equality in September after the Summer holidays. Until then, enjoy the sunshine and catching up on our news!

PES Women emerged from a platform of exchange within the Party of European Socialists to become an active outgoing women’s movement, with a real political influence on the European scene. This was thanks to a stronger position of PES Women within the Party through real participation and a gender mainstreaming approach, but also due to a strengthened cooperation within PES Women through our sister parties at national level and visible annual PES Women campaigns.Since 1992 at the first PES Congress in The Hague, PES Women is recognized officially as standing committee of the PES.

FEPS Director for Research and Training, Dr. Ania Skrzypek, and PES Women President, Zita Gurmai, delve into the first twenty years of PES Women in an extraordinary publication that charts PES Women's development and influence on gender equality in the EU.

Find the publication here

For more than 30 years, PES Women has fought for gender equality and women's rights in the EU. On 9 June 2023, PES Women joined the Partido Socialista and their member organisation, Mulheres Socialistas, in Portugal for a dedicated international conference marking '30 Years of PES Women - Achievements & Challenges'. 

PES Women Statutory members, and high level attendees from European socialist and social democrat parties,  gathered to discuss backlash on women's rights and tackling violence against women. Feminists from our progressive family also gathered for the Portuguese  launch of the PES Women and PES Group in the European Committee of the Regions joint campaign #SafePlace4Women. 
 

Read our press release
Read Portuguese press coverage

PES Women celebrated 30 years alongside the 50th anniversary of the Partido Socialista. The PS, and it's women's rights organisation Mulheres Socialistas, has a long history of influential political women at its helm such as Maria Barroso, who was among the founders of PS.

Elza Pais, MS-ID President and PES Women Executive Member, delivered a rousing speech detailing the importance of gender equality in the PS. Read more.

PES Women Statutory members held their second meeting of 2023 in the headquarters of the Partido Socialista in Lisbon. Here they discussed challenges for the upcoming 2024 European elections, the latest policy developments in gender equality, the Socialist and Democrats roadmap to a Charter of Women's Rights, and the #SafePlace4Women campaign. Members also took part in the celebrations marking 30 years of PES Women. 

On 12 July, the European Parliament adopted an ambitious directive on violence against women and domestic violence. PES Women is a strong advocate for a dedicated directive that tackles violence against women. As the EU institutions enter trilogues, PES Women supports S&D MEPs proposal and call for the inclusion of consent-based definitions of rape. Read more.

At the IUSY World Festival 2023, PES Women hosted two workshops on prevalent feminist issues to foster global solidarity among the young feminists in attendance. The first workshop focused on 'Identifying & tackling anti-gender movements as a Progressive Feminist Collective'. The second examined 'Collective & grassroots feminist movements: what can we learn from each other as Progressives?'. Read more.

In June 2023, PES Women President joined young socialists and social democrats for the 2023 IUSY Congress and Festival in Panama. Here, she highlighted that global intergenerational solidarity in our political family is key to ensuring gender equality and a feminist future. 

PES Women congratulates new IUSY President, Hend Mgaieth, and returning IUSY Secretary-General, Bruno Goncalves, on their recent election.

For years, PES Women has been advocating for ratification of the Istanbul Convention by the European Union. The Istanbul Convention is a vital tool in preventing and combating gender-based violence and domestic violence in the EU. The EU officially acceded to the Convention on 1 June 2023. PES Women warmly welcomes the steps to finally do so. 

PES Women Executive members exchanged on the role of women in politics in the European Union with European Women’s Lobby (EWL) on 12 May. Members discussed the latest EWL study: ‘Taking Stock of Women’s Representation in Politics across Europe’ which outlines the current state of women’s political participation and representation across Europe. Read More.

PES Women President, Zita Gurmai, joined the Socialists and Democrats Group at the S&D external group meeting in Kraków to discuss progressive responses to fighting rising backlash against women's rights. Here the S&D Group officially launched their proposal for an EU Charter on Women's Rights. PES Women is in full support of the need for further protection of women's rights in the EU to prevent further rollback in gender equality. 

Click on the pictures to read our statements and communications

#SafePlace4Women Updates
03 March - 25 April