The bi-annual Conference of INGOS is essential to the cooperation between the Council of Europe and civil society. Soroptimists attended the CINGO January session in force to defend women’s rights.
The CINGO, a crucial instrument for promoting women’s rights in Europe
The Conference of International NGOs (CINGO) is the key mechanism for co-operation between the Council of Europe and International NGOs. The CINGO holds two annual sessions, attended by INGOs holding participatory status, such as SIE. It represents civil society at the Council of Europe and works to promote participatory democracy and human rights.
Elections were on the agenda this month. Anna Rurka, President of the Conference of INGOs ,was re-elected for three years. Four Vice-Presidents were also elected, including former Gender-Equality Expert Anne Nègre. Anne’s position has been upgraded to “Vice-President in charge of Equality”, which is very good news for women’s rights!
“With its newly elected Standing Committee, the CINGO will gain fresh impulses. There is a commitment to more immediate reaction in case of violations of human rights and democracy, for more interaction with the other bodies of the Council of Europe and for a special focus on migrants, youth and gender”, reported SIE Representative to the Council of Europe Bettina Hahne.
During the session, the three thematic committees presented their new working groups, in which Soroptimists play a very special role.
Soroptimists represented in CINGO’s working groups
No less than 12 Soroptimists from Germany, Belgium, Denmark and France have been recruited by our Representative to the Council of Europe, Bettina Hahne. These women have the relevant knowledge and competences to represent Soroptimist in the Conference’s new working groups. Six of them were present at the January session of the Conference of INGOs and raised their voices in the first meetings of the new working groups. All 12 Soroptimists will ensure the inclusion of women’s perspectives at every level during the circa three-year term of the working groups.
Soroptimist presence was especially strategic at this CINGO, as each of the new working groups took the decision to nominate a gender rapporteur. “When I said in the plenum that I gathered expert members from my INGO from all over Europe for exactly this purpose and that half of them were present, many participants were impressed. Now everyone knows our organization (and me)!” said Bettina.
In addition, Bettina was asked to act as co-chair of the working group Gender perspectives in political processes. “I am busy getting the group firmly anchored in the Conference of INGOs and drafting a roadmap for the group’s activities in the coming three years” she says. Bettina also joined the working group Grassroots . She explains: “SIE is important to the CINGO as it is present in no less than 41 out of the 47 CoE member states, which is unusual for an INGO and gives SIE quite some weight”.
And more good news: the CINGO decided to use droits humains in French instead of droits de l’homme. Replacing the “rights of men” by “human rights” is a true linguistic victory for gender equality!
From left to right: bottom row: Bettina Hahne SIE Representative to the Council of Europe (Club Weinheim/Bergstrasse SID), Monika Holtschneider (Club Köln-Kolumba SID), Cornelia Woll (Club Villingen-Schwenningen SID), upper row: Susanne Bolduan (Club Lauterbach-Vogelsberg SID), Evelyne Bastin (Club Marche-en-Famenne SIB) and Ewa Gizicka-Fuks (Club Brande SIDK) absent in the picture: Frédérique Pecqueux (Club Strasbourg SIF)