What changed between the plenary report and the adopted text

Removed:DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RECOMMENDATION

Added:P10_TA(2026)0051

Changed:Recommendation to the Council concerning theon EU priorities for the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women

Removed:(2025/2240(INI))

Added:Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

Added:PE776.895

Added:European Parliament recommendation of 12 February 2026 to the Council concerning the EU priorities for the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (2025/2240(INI))

26 unchanged paragraphs

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, set to take place in March 2026, its priority theme of ‘Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers’ and its review theme of ‘Women’s full and effective participation and decision making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls’,

– having regard to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women of 18 December 1979,

– having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 12 December 2006, particularly Articles 6 and 13 thereof on access to justice and the multiple discrimination faced by women and girls with disabilities,

– having regard to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, namely the principle of ‘leaving no one behind’ and, in particular, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which seeks to achieve gender equality and ensure that women have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, and SDG 10, which seeks to eliminate discriminatory laws, policies and practices, and promote appropriate legislation, policies and action,

– having regard to Articles 20, 21, 23 and 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

– having regard to its resolution of 11 April 2024 on including the right to abortion in the EU Fundamental Rights Charter,

– having regard to the joint communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 25 November 2020 entitled ‘EU Gender Action Plan (GAP) III – An ambitious agenda for gender equality and women’s empowerment in EU external action’ (JOIN(2020)0017), which outlines the EU’s action plan for gender equality for the 2021–2025 period,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 7 March 2025 entitled ‘A Roadmap for Women’s Rights’ (COM(2025)0097), which reaffirms the EU’s commitment to gender equality,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 5 March 2020 entitled ‘A Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025’ (COM(2020)0152),

– having regard to its resolution of 13 November 2025 on the Gender Equality Strategy 2025,

– having regard to Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2001/220/JHA, and to the recast of this directive, currently in progress,

– having regard to Directive (EU) 2024/1385 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 on combating violence against women and domestic violence,

– having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1820 (2008) of 19 June 2008 on sexual violence as a weapon of war,

– having regard to the UN Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems, adopted in December 2012,

– having regard to the Commission’s Justice Programme 2021-2027, which provides funding to support judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, such as training for judges and other legal practitioners, and effective access to justice for citizens and businesses,

– having regard to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention),

– having regard to Article 81(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to Rule 121 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (A10-0010/2026),

A. whereas equality between women and men is a fundamental principle enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union and Article 23 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; whereas this principle applies across all areas of life and all policies, including access to justice; whereas gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting and an intersectional approach should be implemented and integrated across all relevant EU policies and are essential for achieving gender equality; whereas internal and external policies should remain consistent and coherent in order to ensure the effective and credible promotion of human and fundamental rights, democracy and gender equality around the world;

B. whereas gender equality, democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law are indivisibly linked; whereas a growing backlash against women’s rights and gender equality is driven by the rise of anti-gender and anti-democratic movements; whereas recent cuts in US development aid disproportionately impact women and girls worldwide, increasing vulnerabilities and harming communities; whereas the UN General Assembly has warned of active resistance to gender equality and a transnational backlash against women’s rights; whereas there is an urgent need to reaffirm substantive equality and the human rights of women and girls;

C. whereas women’s and girls’ rights and gender equality are fundamental human rights and essential preconditions for human development, social justice, democracy, the rule of law, improving living standards, reducing poverty, tackling the climate crisis and building a necessary foundation for a peaceful, just, prosperous and sustainable world; whereas, in general, achieving rights for women and girls across the world improves competitiveness by promoting inclusive growth, reducing inequalities, and ensuring the full utilisation of women’s skills and potential in all sectors of society;

D. whereas poverty and discrimination are exacerbated by intersecting factors such as racism, disability, migration status, sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics, as highlighted in line Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; whereas period poverty remains a significant barrier to gender equality, restricting the education, health and economic participation of millions of women and girls worldwide and thereby limiting their access to justice, and undermining their representation and participation in decision-making processes at all levels;

E. whereas access to justice is widely recognised as a fundamental human right under international law, a core concept in the broader field of justice, and a cornerstone of the rule of law and democracy; whereas the EU recognises access to justice as a fundamental right under Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; whereas effective access to justice requires reliable data, transparent procedures, evidence-based policymaking and impartial institutions that ensure that women and girls can exercise their rights without discrimination; whereas access to justice is a fundamental human right based on fair laws, effective enforcement, affordable support, gender-responsive institutions and accountability mechanisms; whereas discriminatory laws, gender stereotypes, financial barriers and institutional bias continue to hinder many women and girls, especially those facing intersecting discrimination; whereas women and girls in vulnerable situations, including those with disabilities, those living in rural or remote areas and elderly women, often face additional obstacles in accessing justice and legal support; whereas digitalisation and artificial intelligence increasingly shape access to justice, requiring action against algorithmic discrimination, digital exclusion and online harms; whereas legal aid is essential to equitable access to justice, while exchanges in best practice help to strengthen the quality and consistency of legal aid systems;

F. whereas universal and equal access to justice for women and girls remains a complex and critical issue across all regions of the world, and is especially challenging in some regions, particularly in those where democratic institutions and the rule of law are weak; whereas economic deterrence, limited access to legal aid, high costs, complex legal procedures, digital and linguistic barriers, distrust of judicial systems, prevalent gender stereotypes, racial biases, misogyny and systemic discrimination continue to hinder women and girls from effectively accessing justice;

Change 1

Changed:G. whereas women remain seriously under-represented worldwide at the highest levels of the judiciary and prosecutorial authorities, particularly in leadership positions such as presidents of courts, chief justices and heads of prosecution offices; whereas achieving balanced gender representation in these decision-making bodies must be a priority; whereas a gender-sensitive approach must be continued, even when the presence of women has been ensured; whereas integrating a gender perspective into judicial decision-making is essential to securing equal access to justice for women and girls, and requires assessing facts and applying the law without gender bias and harmful stereotypes, both in the decision itself and in the process by which it is made; whereas in 2024 the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) issued General recommendation No 40 on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems, stating parity as 50:50 representation between women and men in all their diversity, in terms of both equal access and equal power within such systems;

Change 2

Changed:H. whereas the UN actively supports greater participation of women in the justice sector through dedicated initiatives and campaigns; whereas greater representation of women within judicial institutions is linked to more victim-centred approaches to justice and is essential to ensuring that victims feel supported and heard when they come forward and seek access to justice; whereas clear rules and strong legislative provisions, mandatory training on their application and awareness-raising initiatives on gender and justice – both for all professionals in the justice sector and for civil society – are necessary;

I. whereas violence against women, gender-based violence and domestic violence constitute violations of fundamental rights; whereas legal systems must fully address the specific needs of victims by providing adequate protection, effective legal remedies, accessible support services and adequate training to competent authorities that come into contact with victims of gender-based violence, in order to avoid secondary victimisation; whereas many women and girls continue to face substantial barriers to reporting abuse and obtaining legal assistance; whereas all forms of violence – including psychological, emotional and mental abuse, as well as coercive and financial control – must be formally recognised; whereas the persistence of gender stereotypes, misogyny and sexism within institutions, along with structural and procedural obstacles, continue to hinder women victims of violence when trying to access justice; whereas judicial specialisation in gender-based violence has proven effective as it concentrates expertise, improves case management and fosters a more gender-sensitive and victim-supportive environment;

J. whereas harassment in the workplace and in political, judicial, academic or online settings constitutes a barrier, preventing women from accessing justice and entering or remaining in public and decision-making roles; whereas pervasive online violence, hate speech and hate crime increasingly directed at women and girls have severe consequences for their daily lives, limit their participation in public life and undermine their equal representation;

Change 3

Changed:K. whereas armed conflict, forced displacement, the consequences of climate change and humanitarian emergencies worsen inequalities and weaken protection systems, leaving women and girls at greater risk of gender-based violence, including forced marriage, sexual violence during transit, trafficking, gender-based violence in reception or asylum centres and sexual violence and torture used as weapons of war; whereas conflict-related sexual violence remains one of the most widespread human rights violations, used to terrorise civilian populations, suppress resistance and destroy communities, and may constituteconstitutes a war crime, a crime against humanity or acts contributing to genocide under international law; whereas the UN’s Women, Peace and Security agenda is central to addressing contemporary global peace and security challenges; whereas ongoing armed conflicts, as well as emerging and increasingly complex security threats, disproportionately affect women and girls and have led to a deterioration of their status, with detrimental consequences for the full enjoyment of their human rights globally;

9 unchanged paragraphs

L. whereas the Istanbul Convention is one of the most advanced international legal instruments establishing binding obligations to prevent and combat gender-based violence;

M. whereas violations of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including the denial of safe and legal abortion services and all forms of obstetric and gynaecological violence, constitute gender-based violence and breaches of fundamental human rights; whereas under persistent social norms, gender-based violence is legitimised, access to health services, including to sexual and reproductive healthcare, is restricted, unpaid care work is assigned predominantly to women, and women’s leadership opportunities are limited; whereas access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, including safe and legal abortion, is a fundamental human right that must be upheld globally; whereas millions of women still lack such access, which exposes them to physical harm and economic and psychological stress; whereas threats and attacks against civil society organisations and human rights defenders, particularly those supporting SRHR, are increasing at an alarming rate;

N. whereas rape remains a widespread human rights violation and is often used as a weapon of war to terrorise civilian populations and destroy communities; whereas urgent action is needed to end impunity, in this regard, and secure justice for victims of rape;

O. whereas judicial stereotyping and prevailing gender norms, together with insufficient information, can hinder effective access to justice for women and girls who are victims and survivors of violence; whereas gender-based violence and barriers to women’s access to justice can impact their full participation in public life; whereas this situation undermines the trust of women and girls in the justice system and contributes to underreporting, especially in cases of gender-based violence; whereas many survivors continue to experience victim-blaming, stigma, fear of retaliation and secondary victimisation, further deterring them from seeking justice;

P. whereas gender stereotypes, misogyny and sexism within the judicial system continue to reinforce gender inequalities by perpetuating biased attitudes, discriminatory practices and unequal power dynamics; whereas these systemic barriers undermine women’s confidence in seeking justice, limit their fair representation and contribute to the persistence of injustice and marginalisation in legal processes; whereas the presence of gender biases and stereotypes in the justice system was fully exposed and denounced by the Me Too movement, which mobilised women and girls across continents, showing that despite diverse social, economic and legal contexts, the challenges faced by women and girls in justice systems are very similar and therefore require concerted action;

1. Recommends that the Council:

(a) reaffirm the EU’s strong commitment to gender equality and guarantee the full implementation of women’s and girls’ rights in all aspects of EU external action, including development, trade and foreign policy, through an adequately funded, inclusive and intersectional approach that challenges gender stereotypes and is based on the principle of non-discrimination, in order to swiftly advance gender equality;

(b) ensure the full involvement of Parliament and its Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in the decision-making process regarding the EU’s position at the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women; ensure that Parliament has adequate information about and access to the EU’s position document ahead of the negotiations; further improve interinstitutional cooperation, including during the negotiations, so that Parliament’s priorities are properly incorporated; stress that women’s participation and leadership in decision-making roles is still lacking, including in foreign policy and peace-building; recognise that studies have shown that peace agreements reached with the active participation of women have a better chance of being sustainable and effective; state that recent global assessments underline that, despite current commitments, progress in advancing women’s full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership in peace and security processes remains limited;

(c) reconfirm the EU’s commitment to gender equality as a horizontal priority; support and champion the values of diversity, equality and inclusion; emphasise the need to develop a comprehensive tool to monitor and counter democratic backsliding and backsliding in women’s rights, which are intrinsically linked; take the lead in the global fight against the backlash against gender equality, and strongly condemn the attacks by anti-gender and anti-rights movements, which spread lies, undermine democracy and target women’s and LGBTIQ+ rights;

Change 4

Removed:(d) call for the establishment of monitoring and accountability frameworks to track the implementation of UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) commitments across all Member States and UN partners;

Added:(d) ensure that EU and international instruments are complementary and ambitious, with robust and substantive provisions to empower women and girls and guarantee access to justice; stress that the right to legal aid and legal advocacy is essential to guarantee universal and equal access to justice for all and effective participation in relevant proceedings; stress, furthermore, that persons with disabilities, particularly women and girls with disabilities, face structural and practical barriers to accessing justice and public participation; emphasise the need for specific measures to guarantee their full inclusion and universal access to effective protection; ensure that the EU demonstrates strong leadership and adopts a unified position on inclusive and unbiased justice systems; advocate for comprehensive legal frameworks that protect women’s rights and ensure the full and equal participation of women, girls and people in all their diversity under both national and international law; call for ensuring and promoting victims’ right to timely offender-paid compensation within criminal proceedings and for exchanging best practice to prevent secondary victimisation, including through state subrogation mechanisms;

Removed:(e) ensure that EU and international instruments are complementary and ambitious, with robust and substantive provisions to empower women and girls and guarantee access to justice; stress that the right to legal aid and legal advocacy is essential to guarantee universal and equal access to justice for all and effective participation in relevant proceedings; stress, furthermore, that persons with disabilities, particularly women and girls with disabilities, face structural and practical barriers to accessing justice and public participation; emphasise the need for specific measures to guarantee their full inclusion and universal access to effective protection; ensure that the EU demonstrates strong leadership and adopts a unified position on inclusive and unbiased justice systems and explore the possibility of implementing specific specialised courts for gender-based violence; advocate for comprehensive legal frameworks that protect women’s rights and ensure the full and equal participation of women, girls and people in all their diversity under both national and international law; call for ensuring and promoting victims’ right to timely offender-paid compensation within criminal proceedings and for exchanging best practice to prevent secondary victimisation, including through state subrogation mechanisms;

Added:(e) take action to fully implement existing commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment, ensuring the protection of women’s equal human rights and fundamental freedoms without discrimination, to advance their participation in public life;

Removed:(f) take action to fully implement existing commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment, ensuring the protection of women’s equal human rights and fundamental freedoms without discrimination, to advance their participation in public life; encourage and take action to ensure substantive gender equality and institutional gender parity at all levels of decision-making;

Added:(f) emphasise the importance of supporting public policies that promote and support motherhood;

Change 5

Changed:(g) emphasise the importance of guaranteeing women and girls effective access to justice at all levels, including clear reporting channels and the swift processing of protection and support measures; eliminate obstacles, particularly for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of women, who often face barriers in accessing justice, owing to the multiplying effect of limited and underfunded resources within the justice system, as well as socio-economic and socio-cultural factors and intersectional discrimination; ensure adequate, victim-centred support and protection services in cases of gender-based violence, and prevent any form of secondary victimisation when reports are made to the police or during court proceedings; call for enhanced international cross-border mechanisms to ensure that victims of violence – especially migrants, refugees and people in need of international protection – can access justice across different countries; highlight that economic inequality remains a significant obstacle to accessing justice;

(h) emphasise the need to recognise gender apartheid as a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute and advocate for its international recognition, in order to ensure access to justice, accountability and the possibility of prosecution by international courts; support the definition of the UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls of gender apartheid as acts within an institutionalised system of gender-based discrimination and domination;

Change 6

Changed:(i) ensure the exchange of best practices, including through judicial training, regarding the psychological, mental, physical, coercive and financial impacts of gender-based violence; strengthen and expand dedicated courts, divisions or specialised procedures for gender-based violence or designate specialised judges within regular courts; commit to and encourage the integration of a gender perspective in judicial decision-making; encourage the possibility of providing female lawyers for victims upon request; promote gender-sensitive, victim-centred training for officials coming into contact with victims, in line with their functions, including police officers, prosecutors and judges, to prevent secondary victimisation, tackle gender stereotypes and biases, and ensure respectful, trauma-sensitive, non-discriminatory treatment of victims;

(j) stress the importance of ensuring that women and girls have accessible, comprehensive and coherent information about their rights, support and protection, through every step of the judicial process, especially in cases of violence against women or domestic violence, including through awareness-raising initiatives; emphasise the need to support grassroots legal empowerment programmes that help women and girls understand and exercise their rights and encourage the establishment of both general and specialist support services for victims of crimes, and ensure their effective coordination and methods of referral; emphasise the key role these services play in informing victims about their rights and facilitating their access to justice; ensure that the information provided to victims is easy to access and available in plain language; promote the existence and use of victim helplines and ensure that they are available through various channels, including telephone and information and communication technologies; recognise that limited access to information and communications technologies in many countries worldwide hampers the full realisation of the potential of women and girls;

Change 7

Changed:(k) commit to ensuring access to legal aid for victims from the outset of civil or criminal proceedings and promote this approach globally, together with international partners; call for the incorporation of a gender perspective into all relevant policies, laws, procedures, programmes and practices in order to address specific barriers faced by women and girls, including limited awareness of rights, discriminatory attitudes and gender stereotypes within justice systems, and the insufficient availability of specialised services, particularly in rural and remote areas; promote the practice of assessing women and girls’ right to legal aid solely based on their own financial means, independent of their husbands’, partners’ or families’ income, which is especially relevant for cases of gender-based violence; highlight the importance of gender-disaggregated data on access to justice, case outcomes, legal aid usage and barriers, in order to support evidence-based policymaking;

(l) advance women’s leadership, equal participation and increased representation of women within the judiciary and its governing bodies and take active steps towards promoting the broad access of women from minorities and marginalised groups to the legal profession, with a view to dismantling structural barriers within the justice system and to fostering an equitable and representative judiciary, thereby ensuring equal opportunities;

(m) promote and advocate for concrete actions and measures to ensure women’s participation and leadership in decision-making in public life, including in the areas of foreign policy, defence and security and the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts and crises; underline the need for a common tracking methodology for collecting data on women’s participation in these sectors;