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Gender equality conference in St Petersburg on combating violence against women

A new four-year co-operation programme: “Gender Equality Creates Sustainable Societies” between the gender equality sector of the Nordic Council of Ministers and North-West Russia has been launched.

Oct 04, 2011
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Photographer
Johannes Jansson/norden.org

 The main themes of the co-operation programme are gender equality training, zero tolerance against gender-related violence, gender mainstreaming as well active participation by men.

The co-operation programme was launched in St Petersburg in connection with a gender equality conference, Gender Equality Creates a Sustainable Society, which was arranged on 4th – 5th October by the Nordic Council of Ministers. During the conference Russian and Nordic politicians, government officials, researchers, representatives of NGOs and gender equality experts discussed and exchanged experiences about measures to decrease violence against women and help the victims. Annamari Asikainen, Chair of the Nordic Council of Ministers' Senior Officials Committee for Gender Equality in 2011, noted in her speech that “Violence against women is unfortunately present in all kinds of societies. However, together we can find methods to solve the problems.”

The Vice-Governor for the Government of St Petersburg, Luydmila Andreevna Kostkina, will open the second day of the conference. Nordic government officials and the Council responsible for implementing gender equality policy in St Petersburg will discuss the structures, instruments and legislation required to implement gender equality policy. According to the Finnish Ombudsman for Equality between women and men Pirkko Mäkinen, who spoke at the conference, it is important that gender equality is promoted by political actions, but also legislation is needed. "Intervention in discrimination and securing legal protection should be dealt with by legislation", she emphasized.

The conference is a part of the activities of Finland’s presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2011. It is arranged in co-operation with the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Information Office in St Petersburg.


Related topics:
Gender-equality
http://www.stm.fi/en/gender_equality

Finland holds the presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2011
http://www.stm.fi/en/ministry/international_cooperation/nordic/presidency

Related links:
Gender Equality Creates Sustainable Societies (The co-operation program. Norden publications ANP 2010:785)
http://www.norden.org/en/resolveuid/f15d7b72cc9cbd68ed9035df92da5cab

Contacts

More information:

Annamari Asikainen, Senior Officer, Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, tel. +358 50 512 5617, forename.surname@stm.fi
Mia Mäkinen, Project Coordinator, Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare, tel. +358 20 610 7261, mia.k.makinen(at)thl.fi
Maria Sagitova, Adviser, Nordic Council of Ministers, Information Office in St Petersburg, tel. +7 812 336 7580, ms(at)norden.ru

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