LETTER TO PES LEADERS
1 March 2005
Dear friends,
In my capacity as President of PES Women1, I am writing to inform you of our activities and ambitions for 2005 and of our message for international women’s day.
You will also find enclosed our new pledge card. We will launch this card officially on international women’s day, 8 March 2005. I would be grateful if you could support the women activists or the women’s section of your party to launch the pledge card on 8 March to ensure a common appeal from PES parties.
You will also find attached our work programme for 2005. Our four priorities for this year are:
- (1)Beijing +10 - preparation and follow-up of the review of the platform for action agreed ten years ago in Beijing. Please find the PES Women statement attached.
- (2)Mid-term review of the Lisbon strategy - preparatory work for and follow-up work on more and better jobs for women.
- (3)Gender equality in the workplace, in particular, reducing and eliminating the persistent pay gap between men & women and the need to increase the provision of accessible and affordable childcare.
- (4)The pursuit of gender equality within the PES and its member parties. Increasing the representation and visibility of women within our own political family is linked to the broader objective of the empowerment of women in society at large.
I would also like to inform you of our first yearly conference - “More and better jobs for women: an EU priority?” - which will take place in Brussels on Friday 18 March 2005. The conference will consider the gender perspective of the mid-term review of the Lisbon strategy.
I welcome any suggestions as to how we can help you with your work to ensure gender equality both within in your party, in your country and across Europe.
Best wishes
Zita Gurmai
President
PES Women
