These two highlights are: the next session of the Commission on Women Declaration and Platform Action Beijing March 2010 (Beijing+15) and the potential approval of the Gender Plan in the External Action of the EU.

We offer below a brief résumé of the seminar:

The Spanish Presidency en route to BEIJING+15

In March 2010 the revision of the Declaration of the Beijing Platform Action will be held in New York. In this context several Spanish cooperation agents participated to express their view and preparation for this revision.

The most relevant:

• The Campaign Move for Equality ha has issued a report on the consequences of the objectives of the Beijing Declaration for Spain and has reached a consensus with several Spanish organizations in order to have a clear advocacy agenda. These are the demands of what we have called Bolivia Consensus.
• The platform Gender Impact, Now ! ha has focused its advocacy in demanding that every law, decree or director´s plan have an associated report on gender impact. They demand the government a report on this issue for the national budget. One of the proposals regarding Beijing is to inform on Spain´s situation regarding The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and make it equal to Beijing declaration( which is a commitment). They demand a political law -binding Beijing+15.

Gender Plan in the External Action of the EU and Cooperation for Development

Starting January 2010, Spain will preside the European Union and in this framework, a round table was held with different agents and their views on this issue. Discussion was around the perspective of civil society from the point of view of the current EU Presidency, (Sweden), the voice of the South from Bolivia (coordinator for the Woman´s platform of Bolivia) the EU Secretary of International Cooperation and the Gender head for SECI/DGPOLDE.

The most relevant:

• The government is preparing a Gender and Development Action Plan for the presidency regarding contents, communication and calendar.
• Regarding the Presidency´s Agenda on Development related issues, the Deputy Director of the European Commission in Spain reported that the agenda was prepared including the intention to approve, communicate and carry out the Gender Action Plan. The central issues of Development will be ODM 1 (nourishment security), ODMs Health, ODM 3 and depending on the outcome of the Copenhagen meeting, ODM7.

For more information: www.mueveteporlaigualdad.org