The Thirty-Fourth Meeting of the Cultural, Educational and Social Affairs Committee was held in Moscow on 7-8 April  2010. The members of the Committee discussed the Draft Report and Draft Recommendation on “Protecting women against violence in the BSEC Member-States”.

Violence against women constitutes one of the biggest challenges to the advancement of gender equality and the protection of human rights. Violence affects the lives of millions of women worldwide, in all socio-economic and educational classes, cutting across cultural and religious barriers. It has a devastating impact on individuals, families, communities and countries and enormous social and economic costs globally, as well as for the BSEC region. It impedes the contribution of women to development, peace and security, and poses a serious threat to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Firm political will and a commitment to implement established standards is a sine qua non condition to eliminate violence against women, which is rooted in inequality and discrimination against women. Parliamentarians - particularly women - are well placed to influence mentalities at decision-making level, since they are in a key position for coordination between civil society and legislatures.

The Committee elected Mr. Kasim Dal (Bulgaria) as Vice-Chairman of the Committee for a 2 years’ term until April 2012.

The Thirty-Fifth Meeting of the Cultural, Educational and Social Affairs Committee will be held on 15-16 September 2010 in Bucharest. The main subject on the Agenda will be “Cultural Cooperation in the BSEC Region: Experiences, Opportunities and Challenges”. The Rapporteur on the Report will be Mr. Volodymyr Skubenko (Ukraine) and the Recommendation will be presented by Mr. Alexandros Dermentzopoulos, Chairman of the Committee.