Gender
:: Activities ::
At the global level, Education International has a Status of Women Comittee responsible for promoting women's interests at all levels of EI structures. Since 1998, women members of the EI Executive Board are de jure members of the Committee. The job of the Comittee is to formulate policies and recommendations to guide the Executive Board and the World Congress in areas concerning gender. Another body, called the EI Women's Caucus, is a special assembly of women union representatives held every 3 years at the EI World Congress. The Caucus participants discuss issues facing women in the trade unions, in education and in the society in general.
At the regional level, EI regions hold roundtables in every region. The aim is to develop and consolidate the communication networks between the women's groups of EI's member organizations, and to ensure implementation of the resolutions adopted during the World Congresses. The roundtables bring together women representatives from the different member organizations to address specific problems met by the women in each region. Rountables take place at least once in every region between EI's triennial World Congresses.
EI encourages its member organizations to lobby their national governments to ratify (as well as respect) several international instruments that protects gender equality, such as the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA). EI also encourages its member organizations to intensify their efforts at national, regional and international levels for the ratification and full implementation of the Conventions enshrined in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, including Conventions 100 (Equal Remuneration) and 111 (Discrimination), as well as Conventions 156 (Workers with Family Responsibilities), 175 (Part-Time Work), 177 (Home Work), and 183 on Maternity Protection, and for effective follow-up to the Conclusions of the ILO Discussion on Decent Work and the Informal economy (2002), and to the ILO Conference Resolution on gender equality, pay equity, and maternity protection (2004). The protection of women's rights in international legislation originates from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, which is intended to apply to all human beings, both men and women. Every 8 March is the International Women's Day, and EI organizes activities around the event.
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