News International news

FAFCE Weekly news 5 feb 2016

FAFCE Weekly News

FAFCE 

Press release: Which strategy for equal opportunities for women and men?
On 3 February 2016 the European Parliament, gathered for its Plenary Sitting in Strasbourg, adopted a Resolution on the new Strategy for Women's Rights and Gender Equality in Europe post-2015, with 337 on 751 votes in favour of a joint text tabled by S&D, ALDE, GUE and Greens Groups. FAFCE gave its advice to MEPs before the vote and issued a press release after the adoption, highlighting negative and positive aspects of this resolution.Click here to read the press release in English. 

Briefing note on Surrogate Motherhood
Last week FAFCE issued a briefing note on Surrogate Motherhood in order to contribute to the ongoing debate, giving a glimpse of the actions taken by European institutions and present possible ways forward. It has been published in English, French and German. Not it has also been published in Italian inside the English section of our website. Do not hesitate to use it for your exchanges with policymakers, MPs and members on this issue. This note was published in France by the website Gènéthique and in Spain on the online magazine Actuall.com.

European Parliament

Plenary Session of the European Parliament
The February Plenary Session of the European Parliament took place last week in Strasbourg. You may click on this link to see the adopted texts. A Resolution on the systematic mass murder of religious minorities by the so-called ‘ISIS/Daesh’ was also adopted on Thursday stressing "that the so-called ‘ISIS/Daesh’ is committing genocide against Christians and Yazidis, and other religious and ethnic minorities, who do not agree with the so-called ‘ISIS/Daesh’ interpretation of Islam, and that this therefore entails action under the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide". This is the second time an international institution takes a so strong stand, using the term "genocide", after the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe last week. 

Europe

Paris, 2 February 2016: International Meeting against Surrogacy 
Last Tuesday in Paris an international meeting for the universal abolition of surrogacy took place in the National Assembly in Paris. Organised by feminists associations, this meeting ended with the proclamation of a statement, that you can read at this link. FAFCE also attended the meeting, represented by Mrs Génévieve Verdet (CNAFC), who was also interviewed by Zenit.it, together with our President, Antoine Renard. FAFCE Policy Officer Nicola Speranza was interviewed by Radio Vaticana on the same subject. 

Summer University on Human Rights
Inscriptions are open for the 23rd Summer University on Human Rights (which will take place online and in Geneva, Switzerland). Click here for more information on the programme and the inscription (link available only in Spanish and French). 

Church 

Pope's General Audience
On Wednesday 27 January Pope Francis held his General Audience in St. Peter's Square in Rome. Click here to read his catechesis.