Newsletter of the National Council of Women - Malta No. 98 January - March 2015 Published Quarterly

Transcription

1 Newsletter of the National Council of Women - Malta No. 98 January - March 2015 Published Quarterly

2 2 January - March 2015 Members of International Council of Women Founded 1888 Motto: Do unto others as ye would that they should do unto you. Kunsill Nazzjonali tan-nisa Pope Pius XII Flats, Mountbatten Street Blata l-bajda HMR 1579, MALTA Tel: /21 Tel/Fax: ncwmalta@camline.net.mt European Centre of the International Council of Women Founded 1961 In Special Consultative Status with the Economic & Social Council of the UN. Executive Committee Members 2014 President Mrs. Mary Gaerty 1 st Vice President Mrs. Grace Attard MQR Vice President Lara Tonna B.ED.(Hons), M.A. Youth and Community Studies (Melit) Vice President Ms. Pauline Azzopardi B.Sc.(Hons), A.C.I.I., PFS (Cert.) Chartered Insurance Hon Gen. Secretary Hon. Treasurer Members Viviane Cassar Legal Advisor Doris Bingley Nadyanne Mangion Mary Rose Zahra Tamara Gauci Therese Cassola Isabelle Camilleri Ms Doreen Micallef Dip MLS, BSc, MIBMS, PGCE Mercedes Schembri Wismayer MD Judith Debono Co-Opted Diane Xuereb Claudine Zarb LL.D Office Secretary Marie Demicoli Front Cover: Top photo - Award giving ceremony Wasting Food is wasting the Plant Bottom photo - Award Giving Ceremony for Volunteering at The President s Palace Valletta EDITORIAL Dear Colleagues and friends, January is always a time of reflection on the successes and challenges of the past year and on our hopes for the ensuing twelve months. No one really knows what the next twelve months have in store, but one thing is almost certain that the Editorial Team believes that the key to the success of this Newsletter depends on the equal partnership we have with the contributing readership. This issue brings you reports of three major conferences that were held during the month of November. The first conference was held at the House of Representative, this conference was in collaboration with NCPE and the OSCE office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. Two other Conferences, one entitled, A strategy for the reduction of Food Waste and the other, Women and Pensions: Creating Sustainable Pensions for Women in Malta, brought to light the need for more talks and seminars on these subjects. Also outlined in this newsletter is the partnership agreement on EU Funds , the struggle to eliminate Domestic Violence and the new Vatican initiative to Contents end modern slavery by 2020, declaring that human trafficking, organ trafficking and forced labour and prostitution are crimes against humanity, The Editorial Board s wishes, for the New Year is to continue publishing a newsletter full of information on current issues. Your participation at the Annual General Meeting will be greatly appreciated; you will find the Agenda on page 16. Marie Demicoli NCW Editorial Board Member Office Hours Monday to Friday: Membership Subscription Rates New individual membership Annual renewal Affiliated Organisations Associated Organisations Life membership Members and affiliated organisations are requested to keep their subscription fees up to date. Page 2...Editorial Page 3... President s Message Page 4... Women s Political Participation in Malta Page 5... Domestic Violence: Implementing the Istanbul Convention Page 6/7...Creating sustainable pensions for Women in Malta Page 8/9... NCW Activities Page 10/11... A Strategy for the Prevention and Reduction of Food Waste Page Launch of Partnership Agreement Page Promoting Well-being Page 13...Report of Euromed Summut 2014 Page Pope s Anti Salavery Drive gets Multifaith Support Page 15...Diary of Events Page 16...Forthcoming Events AGM AGENDA

3 January - March President s Message Dear Friends, As the year draws to a close, it s time to set goals once again. This will enable us to take stock of successes and gaps, trying to understudy the challenges before planning new resolutions for the coming year together with our affiliated organisations. In the coming weeks we shall be preparing for the Annual General meeting, which will be held on the last Saturday of January. As in previous years we shall all be finalising the resolutions. It is through these resolutions that the respective Ministers are made aware of certain issues that require attention and consequently the amendment of these issues. We urge you to always come forward with any concerns, that we might not have identified or are aware of. It is only through your identification of these problems, that we are able to start tackling them has been a year during which so many events have taken place, during the month of November, we had three very important conferences, NCW together with the OSCE office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the House of Representatives and NCPE organised a conference on, Women s Political Participation in Malta. NCW together with ACR (Association for Consumer Rights) held a conference about Food Waste. The need was felt to highlight the truth about the immense squander of land, water and energy, through food wastage. The country shall embark on this new project for various reasons, including EU regulations. The current topic of sustainable pensions, presenting the actual pension situation with regards to women was discussed during a conference organised by NCW and MSV Life. The full reports of these conferences are found in this newsletter and I am sure that you will find them extremely interesting. Whilst thanking all our sponsors, who helped us during 2014 without whose support NCW cannot contribute toward the benefit of the Maltese Society, we look forward to receiving your ideas and suggestions as NCW belongs to all and the success of NCW is the result of everybody s contribution. Wishing you and your families a prosperous New Year Mary Gaerty President Lejla Letterarja at NCW Centre

4 4 January - March 2015 Women s Political Participation in Malta The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the House of Representatives, the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) and the National Council of Women Malta (NCW Malta) organized a conference on advancing gender equality in elected office at the Malta House of Representatives on 3 November The conference brought together representatives from political parties, members of parliament, policymakers and academics, as well as representatives from civil society and the media. Together with these, there were International experts from the Czech Republic, Sweden and the United Kingdom who shared experiences and good practices from their own countries. The focus of the conference was to discuss ways to have more female representatives in Parliament. In his welcome and opening remarks, the Hon. Angelu Farrugia, Speaker of the House of Representatives, highlighted the participation of Maltese women in politics, where two of the nine presidents were women. Women s participation in politics is a key indicator of the quality of democratic culture, Speaker Farrugia said. Gendersensitive Parliaments, whose structures, operations, methods and work respond to the needs and interest of both men and women, are thus central to good parliamentary governance. According to the figures relayed by the Speaker of the House Anglu Farrugia at the beginning of the conference, since 1947, only 96 women contested the general elections. Only 16% of the candidates for the 2013 general elections were women. Out of 69 MPs, the House has five female Nationalist MPs and four female Labour MPs. Out of 25 Cabinet members, only two are women, with Helena Dalli as minister and Justyne Caruana as parliamentary secretary. On the other hand, female candidates shone during the MEP elections, where Malta s representation in the European Parliament is now led by four women MEPs and two males. Gender equality in elected office is the basis of democracy, said Nathalie Tagwerker, Deputy Head of the ODIHR Democratization Department. We call on Maltese stakeholders to explore ways for advancing women s political participation in Malta, by considering special legal measures, facilitating women s access to political parties, and actively recruiting women for political and public office at all levels. The promotion of women in decisionmaking roles should start within the political parties, because no societal change can take place effectively unless this goes hand-in-hand with political reform. Professor Josephine Ann Cutajar who prepared the Concept note for the confernce and presented her findings to the participants argues that the political parties are the actual culprits when it comes to female participation in politics or the lack thereof. Prof Cutajar said a lot of responsibility was down to the political parties: Are parties investing in female recruits? Are they giving them the necessary exposure, both through media visibility and party backing? We all know that candidates with the backing of the party get elected, irrespective of the visibility given by the media. She noted that none of the political parties in Malta have a female deputy leader and gender representation in Malta also failed at corporate level, in trade unions and at the University s leadership. One has to ask why women candidates did so well in the European Parliament elections but fare poorly during the general elections. Prof Cutajar pointed out that the EP elections show that the problem doesn t really lie in our electoral system, although Malta should explore how it might increase district magnitude to accommodate a proportional representative system This, she explained, could be done either by increasing the total number of parliamentary members while ensuring the number of districts remains the same, or reducing the number of electoral districts while maintaining the number of representatives. During their interventions, both former Labour MEP Claudette Abela Baldacchino and Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg spoke about their respective parties efforts in encouraging more women to enter the political scene. Both said what the Speaker said in his opening address that we need Gender-sensitive Parliaments. Hon Meg Munn, Member of Parliament, Representative of the Labour Cooperative UK stated that networks matter a great deal in political life while Ms Alja Van Heel, Gender Advisor, OSCE-ODIHR stated that if nothing changes, it will take 50 years to reach gender equality in politics. The Conference was closed by Hon Minister Dr Helena Dalli, Minister for Social Dialogue Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties. She agreed that we need more efforts to advance women s participation in political and public life. Education, mentoring and role models are ways of encouraging more women candidates for elections but above all there must be the necessary structures for balancing private and public life. Women s meaningful participation in all spheres in society, including leadership and politics, is essential to building and sustaining democracy, emphasized, Hon Dr Helena Dalli. Yet women still have a long way to go towards equal representation in positions of power and leadership, whether in corporate boardrooms or in parliamentary and presidential cabinets. The government initiatives that are being undertaken to encourage more women to take up leadership positions were outlined by Minister Dalli. The presentations of: Ms Ajla van Heel, Gender Adviser, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights; Ms Adina Trunk, Vice-president, EPP Women (European People s Party) Association, Sweden; Ms Jana Smiggels Kavková, Executive Director of Forum 50%, Czech Republic and Prof Dr Josephine Ann Cutajar, Director of University of Malta Cottonera Resource Centre, Senior Lecturer at the Gender Studies Department are to be found on Doris Bingley, Hon General Secretary, NCW Malta, ECICW President & ICW Board Member

5 January - March Implementing the Istanbul Convention On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the Commission on Domestic Violence organised this seminar to mark the ratification by Malta of the said convention in November of this year. The seminar was chaired by Dr Yana Micallef Stafrace. Legal amendments have been made to existing laws on domestic violence in Malta and new strategies have been adopted as a first stepping stone to implementation of this convention. The Council of Europe calls it a global tool to prevent and combat violence against women and girls and is not an end in itself; it is about safety from fear and violence. As in many areas of society, the main problem is how laws and regulations once in place can be monitored and adequately enforced. The main theme was to explore ways to put the policies, those existing, and others into place. Those sectors involved with the issue of domestic violence against women were invited to participate in the workshops with this main aim. They were well represented including a number of members of the Police Force, NGO s, Appogg, members of group SOAR, administrators of shelters and most importantly by survivors. Representatives from the Men s Forum against Violence were also present. NCW has always shown keen advocacy on this issue and has taken active part in the various national and international fora such as FRA. Dr Marceline Naudi, newly appointed head of the new Deparment of Gender Studies at the University Of Malta contributed to this convention being a representative for Malta in the EU. She referred to and explained various articles of the convention in her keynote speech where she talked about strengthening prevention efforts and service provision. Throughout the conference it was emphasised that domestic violence is a crime and is never justified. Education programmes on awareness must start at kinder level and continue on throughout all levels. Capacity building programmes for professionals are essential for continuing development in this field. As we mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women we recall that one year ago, when Commonwealth Heads of Government met in Colombo they reaffirmed their conviction that gender equality and empowerment of women are at the core of human development. The leaders of Commonwealth member states collectively agreed on the urgent need for policy attention on violence against women, which remains shamefully widespread. Our Heads of Government also denounced the dehumanising and cowardly use of sexual violence in armed conflict and as a weapon of war. They noted that, in addition to the long term physical and psychological trauma suffered by survivors, it undermines the social and economic wellbeing, development, peace and stability of communities and countries. The Commonwealth is committed to supporting conflict affected states in strengthening their capacity to prevent and respond to sexual violence in armed conflict. We seek to ensure that all relevant programmes in the fields of international peace and security, rule of law, gender equality, human rights, and the role of civil society address these issues and take into full consideration the needs and rights of women and children. We continue to encourage strengthening partnerships with governments, parliaments, national human rights institutions, ombudspersons and judiciaries. In Bangkok this week, the Secretariat is convening a regional consultation with UN Women and Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada to end impunity for violence against women and girls. This meeting will seek An area of great importance is safety, which was tackled by Dr Roberta Lepre. She is Director of Victim Support Malta and as a member of Guardian for Future Generations she is concerned with the protection of victims and prosecution of offenders. Many victims may not report the crime owing to fear for their safety and so suffer in silence. Workshops were held to explore issues related to: 1. Prevention, 2. Protection, 3. Prosecution Excerpt from the Convention; The Convention sets up a mechanism to monitor the implementation of its provisions by the states parties, which includes a group of independent experts (GREVIO) to protect and provide assistance to victims. Member states are expected to involve the various national agencies and actors concerned: the judiciary, the police, service providers, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), as well as national, regional and local parliaments and authorities. The setting up of national or relevant co-ordinating bodies is required to ensure the smooth co-operation of all actors and to facilitate international cooperation. Furthermore, the convention states parties have an obligation to co-operate with each other to the widest extent possible in order to prevent, combat and prosecute all forms of violence covered by the Istanbul Convention, and protect and provide assistance to victims. The monitoring mechanism of the Istanbul Convention represents a unique platform for progress both at national and international levels. It is expected to generate very valuable data, advice and support, thanks to the in-depth analysis of the various national contexts and the mobilisation of expertise and exchange of good practices. Strategising over problems and their solutions, the monitoring process will offer a vital forum to co-ordinate and to set a global agenda to eliminate violence against women. Vivien Cassar Education Committee Coordinator Commonwealth Secretary-General s statement on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women ways to strengthen equality laws and improve coordination between national human rights institutions, ombudspersons, prosecutors and police investigators. The Commonwealth challenges the issue of child, early and forced marriage through the sharing of best practices, strengthened advocacy and by addressing gaps in the implementation of strategies to eliminate this violation against girls. Today we renew our commitment to eliminating the scourge of violence against women and girls, and to creating environments in which women and girls can live, learn, work and play in safety, and fulfill their potential free from the fear of violence. Kamalesh Sharma Commonwealth Secretary-General

6 6 January - March 2015 Women & Pension A recent seminar organised by MSV Life, Malta s largest life insurer, in collaboration with the National Council of Women heard how the landscape of women s life experiences has changed and how this will impact their quality of life in old age. A panel of pension experts coming from different backgrounds put forward their angle on the subject and concluded that women, in particular, need to become more proactive in finding out what they would have to live on in retirement. More importantly, society needs to be aware of the measures they need to take now to ensure that they can maintain at least their current quality of life as they get older, with dignity and peace of mind once. In his intervention, which was an eye-opener for women attending the seminar, MSV Life CEO David G. Curmi said: It is about time we replace the terms First Pillar, Second Pillar and Third Pillar pension schemes and start talking about savings. People have to realise that having a dignified income when you grow older is not an automatic given that someone puts away for you, but is something you must strive to achieve and you must start to work on as soon as possible that s the only way to secure peace of mind and the decent life you worked for all your life. People need to wake up to this reality, as it will be a shock to them when they stop earning a living, and it is then too late to do something about it. That is not what one aspires to at an age when they can take a step back and enjoy life. Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Social Wellbeing and Director of the University of Malta Cottonera Resource Centre Dr JosAnn Cutajar explained that women had to become more conscious of what would impact their income in old age and because of the nature of their role as wives and mothers, they had to become more positively selfish to ensure they don t have to rely on their children to live through old age. Irrespective of their income, education and career, there are traits and compromises that are common in all women, said Dr Cutajar. To start with, women are statistically less paid than their male counterparts even for the same jobs; they tend to think of their family first spending their savings on their children s education and house improvements, for example and take gap years to bear and raise children and opt to work part-time or on reduced hours to look after the family. Separation and divorces are also realities that usually leave women with more responsibilities and less income, increasing their risks of living on the poverty line. All this would have a bearing on their share when they come to claim their State Pension in the future. In the best case scenario, the maximum one could expect to get is less than 12,000 annually, irrespective of how hard they worked and how wellpaid they were. For those who earned or worked fewer years, it would be significantly lower, not to mention widows, those who didn t work enough years to qualify for a pension or engaged in undeclared work, she said. Mr Curmi said the State had an obligation towards people who spent their life at work and contributed to the economy. It also needs to reward those who do not solely rely on State Pensions to live on at a later stage in life, even though there benefits are important and need to be maintained. One such incentive would be a savings scheme for employees who, unless they opt out, would automatically have a small part of their salary saved. This would be a low-cost solution which would not cost local employers anything and is simple to implement. The current Fringe Benefit Regulations are prohibiting employers from contributing but there is nothing to stop employers offering a voluntary scheme for the time being, he said. Linking retirement age to life expectancy and increasing the minimum wage were other measures that could eventually increase the pension pot, making State Pensions more sustainable.

7 January - March Creating Sustainable Pensions for Women in Malta Mr Curmi also called for increased financial education and incentives for voluntary savings. Savings are decreasing it is a fact that this is a generation of borrowers who want to consume today, rather than savers who think ahead. Pensioners are also increasing in ratio to people in employment. This spells out disaster as a situation is being created where retired people, who are living longer, may actually outlive their savings. The point was confirmed by MSV Life Chief Officer for Business Development Stuart Fairbairn who said that since State Pensions are under pressure, individuals need to take personal financial responsibility to avoid anxiety in older life, and to live in dignity rather than just survive. He said most people can t figure out how much money they would actually need to maintain their standard of living, which as a rule of thumb should be at least two-thirds of what you earn just before retirement. The population must understand that the earlier they start saving, the easier it is to reach the required level of income at retirement, and the Government has announced plans to help by introducing tax credits on personal retirement schemes, he said. Mr Fairbairn said that MSV Life would shortly be making an online calculator available to enable people to work out what their State Pension will be in the future and how much they should start saving today in order to provide them with the same standard of living they currently have. Director of Social Services Edward Buttigieg said working out how much you will get as a pension is the first reality check people should engage in; this will prompt them to become more active and participant in their own future. Once people do this exercise, you don t need to be a mathematician to realise that relying on a State Pension will not get you very far. Another speaker at the seminar was Anca Gunta, Vice President of the European Platform for Persons with Disability, who addressed the needs of vulnerable groups like people with disability and those who care for them. To get a decent pension, you need a decent job in the first place. For this to happen, legislation needs to be in place to curb discrimination and secure accessibility and availability of good jobs for disabled people. Policymakers and NGOs can go a long way to improve circumstances for persons with disabilities. Over and above that, you need an adequate social security system, she said. Concluding the seminar, Finance Minister the Hon. Edward Scicluna said that while there was no plan to increase the minimum wage, the government was offering incentives for women to join the workforce. This included improved maternity leave and childcare benefits, also available to the self-employed. He said that changing the tax bands meant a better return for the economy and the more a family earns the more government will compensate. He said even single parents could now choose to regularise their employment without losing their benefits. Worrying figures quoted by Minister Scicluna revealed that there are currently 21,000 women who are not recognised for a pension, compared to 1,500 men. The government is addressing this situation by giving individuals the possibility to buy backdated national insurance up to five years and giving the rest at least between annually. All in all, the core message of the morning was a very meaningful yet simple one: you need to take on financial responsibility by saving something now to secure a better future for yourself and your loved ones. For more information visit & www. msvlife.com/myfuture

8 8 January - March 2015 The National Council of Wo The Hon. Helena Dalli with MCVS Members Ms Samira Cook Gaines, White House Champion in Entrepreneurship Mentoring with Mary Gaerty and Doris Bingley Opening of the NGO Hub in Valletta 1 st Prize Winner & Participants Wasting Food is wasting the Planet Poster Completion The Prevention and Reduction of Food Waste Conference

9 January - March men Activities: Oct - Dec 2014 Women s Political Participation at the House of Representatives Lara Tonna NCW Vice-president - Mara Maltija fl-a ar 50 Sena ICW Board Members in Paris Women & Pensions Conference of NCW & MSV Life Anca Gunta, Vice President of the European Platform for Persons with Disability

10 10 January - March 2015 A Strategy for the Prevention and Reduction of Food Waste, Malta The Palace Hotel Sliema, Friday 21 November 2014 The Conference on The Prevention and Reduction of Food Waste was organised by the Association for Consumer Rights, Malta and the National Council of Women, Malta. The Conference was addressed by Hon Minister Leo Brincat, Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change. The Maltese Government is currently launching a Strategy on Sustainable Development with particular reference to Waste Management and Prevention of Food Waste. He spoke about the importance of sustainable development, with particular reference to the environment and climate change. He outlined the main components of the strategy that will address investing in prevention through education and training, inclusion of sustainable development themes in the National School Curriculum and educating the public. Referring specifically to food waste he spoke about the need to address the root causes through a holistic approach from production to consumption, including the intermediary stages of processing and distribution. Panel 1: Moderator Grace Attard, ACR General Secretary and EESC Bureau member The first speaker, Researcher Ms Ondine Gaerty, B.Sc (Hons), made a presentation on The Environmental Impact of Food Waste and the Effects of Awareness Campaigns. The study, which included data and statistics from a global perspective highlighted aspects such as the food wastage footprint, the carbon footprint, the water footprint and land use. The research highlighted the role of consumers and the need for more responsible consumption patterns. Dr. Hadrian Bonello, MEH, Health promotion delivered the presentation Reducing and Managing Household Waste, by Dr Anthony Gatt who had airport difficulties and could not return to Malta on time. The presentation explained the importance of the three Rs Reduce, Recycle, Reuse Statistics regarding food waste reveal that Europe: >100 million tones of FW per year * Europe: >40% is wasted at retail & consumer levels * Maltese throw away >22% of purchased food ** Food waste generation in Maltese households 55.8% 75.7 tones food stuffs destroyed in Malta ** Up to 84% of all household waste can be recycled Dr Bonello also explained Managing Food Stores and Planning with regards to Food Shelf Life which often are not understood with regards to Use by date and Best before date or best by date Ms Marie Briguglio, Department of Economics, University of Malta, PhD candidate made a presentation entitled: Reduction of Food Waste: The Carrot or The Stick, during which she addressed household waste from an environmental, social and economic aspect as well as current and future demographies. She presented a number of options that households need to consider in order to reduce costs and bring about social change in attitudes and practice The next speaker Ms Jeanette Borg, a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Mediterranean Agro-Ecosystems Management, Director Merril Tours Agro Tourism and lecturer at the MCAST Vocational College made a presentation on The Role of Agriculture in Malta and Waste Reduction. The presentation gave an overview of developments of agriculture in Malta, its impact on the environment, health, food security, medicine, recreation, knowledge and traditions. Referring to the three Rs, she spoke about aspects of waste to resource and how Malta is developing agri waste to agri riches which is also part of our tradition Panel 2: Moderator Grace Attard, NCW, EESC The keynote speaker Dilyana Slavova, President of the EESC Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment made a presentation on Food Waste as a Main Challenge of the EU Food Consumption and Production from an EESC perspective. The study provided statistics on the effects of food waste on the population from an EU and Global perspective and how the reduction of food waste is a significant step in combating hunger in the world. An analysis of food losses in the EU revealed that in industrialised countries, food waste is as high as in developing countries, throughout the whole food chain. She highlighted the need to identify and address the causes of food waste. The presentation also included a range of initiatives that the EESC is taking, from further research, to campaigns, to exhibitions and to an own initiative opinions on food waste, submitted to the EU Commission (NAT/570 Prevention and reduction of food waste) In the EU Commission Roadmap to a resource efficient Europe, several steps have been taken amongst which are measures to assess how best to limit waste throughout the food supply chain, (2013) developing a methodology for sustainability criteria (2014) among others In conclusion the presentation highlighted a number of best practices at global, national and local level, that can be adapted, encouraging Member States to address food waste in their National Waste Prevention Programmes. This can only be effectively done through the combined efforts of different stakeholders, farmers, the food industry, retailers, consumers and government with set targets and deadlines The next speaker, Mr Joe Attard, Representative of the GRTU, (General Retailers and Traders Union) made a presentation on The Role of Food Industrialised and Food Services for a Sustainable Strategy. He explained that a Sustainability GOAL involved all citizens

11 January - March as well as Government, Social partners, producers and retailers to enable citizens to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life without compromising the life of future generations. Corporate Social Responsibility Is essential to business contribution to sustainable development, which involves social, economic and environmental issues. He also spoke about a number of challenges that Malta faces and the need for a sustainable strategy. Ms Mary Gaerty, Director of Green Skips Group and NCW President made a presentation on The Challenges in Managing Food Waste. She described the process of recycling and reusing waste. She also gave a detailed explanation on how a biogas plant works, home composting and how households can make better use of compost with more modern facilities. In conclusion she also presented different targets that have to be reached at National and EU level: Phasing out landfilling by 2025 for recyclable (including plastics, paper, metals, glass and bio-waste) waste in non hazardous waste landfills corresponding to a maximum landfilling rate of 25% - European Commission. Measures aimed at reducing food waste generation by 30 % by EU Commission Review of EU Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC, the Landfill Directive 1999//31/EU Dr Vince Caruana, Centre for Environmental Education and Research at the University of Malta spoke about Education for All Ages: effective communication The presentation offered some very important concepts and quotations We have to transform our relationship with food, as a first step towards transforming political, economic and social policies. The personal and political are two sides of the same coin Businesses need to know there will be a continual source of food waste coming before they re going to make an investment in building things like anaerobic digesters, says Dana Gunders, staff scientist with Natural Resource Defense Fund. I m all for composting, says Rauch, But the absolutely best thing is to reduce the amount of food waste generated. Then distribute it to people who need it. Third is to distribute it to animals that we re going to eat because it s a better use of what s already committed in the carbon footprint. Next is composting and anaerobic digestion, and last is landfill which is the worst thing you can do. In concluding he stated that we need to communicate, to organise and build a popular movement to put pressure on governments and businesses to change their ways Conclusions and recommendations At EU level Given the urgency in dealing with the Issue of Food Waste, the Conference recommends That the EESC Group Three Various Interests Group present to the European Commission a proposal to designate a European Year to the Prevention and Reduction of Food Waste The EU Commission to draw up an informed and transparent framework to meet the increasing global demands without compromising sustainability That the EU Commission works in partnership with social partners and stakeholders for Sustainable European Food Consumption and Production The need for a definition and a Common EU methodology to quantify food losses and food waste Increase political will by setting agendas and goals Address the falling resources of food banks and the increasing demand for services. At Member State level The inclusion of training on this topic in the curriculum and ongoing training for food service professionals as well as in establishments for packaging designers More effective communication with consumers on accurate data of the causes of waste The sharing of initiatives of best practices that have already been take in various member States aimed at recovering locally unsold discarded products in order to distribute them to groups of citizens below the minimum income threshold Processors and retailers to develop guidelines to address avoidable food waste and to implement greater resource efficiency in their section of the food chain The need to communicate, to organise and build a popular movement to put pressure on governments and businesses to change their ways That retailers engage with food distribution programmes for citizens who lack purchasing power and to implement measures allowing products nearing expiry date to be discounted The need for more and clear information on Managing Food Stores and Planning with regards to Food Shelf Life which is often not understood Addressing habits of excess food buying The need of encouraging Member States to address food waste in their National Waste Prevention Programmes. This can only be effectively done through the combined efforts of different stakeholders, farmers, the food industry, retailers, consumers and government with set targets and deadlines In line with the Conference, a Poster Competition entitled Wasting Food is Wasting the Planet: Love Food Hate Waste for children aged between 8 and 13 years was organised for State, Private and Church Schools. The aim of the competition was to motivate the participation and creativity of the children and youth interested in gathering knowledge and develop action plans to combat food waste. Through this initiative, the National Council of Women, Environment Committee and the Association for Consumer Rights participated in the European Week for Waste Reduction from the 22 nd November 2014 till the 30 th November The Award-Giving ceremony was held at the NCW Centre on Saturday 29 November The Prize awarded to the first winner was sponsored by EESC Bureau Member Grace Attard, the second and third winners were sponsored by Merlin Publications and the special mention prize was sponsored by Hilton Malta. Grace Attard, NCW Vice-President, ACR General Secretary, EESC Bureau Member

12 12 January - March 2015 Launching of Partnership Agreement EU Funds A definition of wellness based on studies in the 1990 s (Sweeney, Witmer, Myers) of characteristics of healthy people, states: a way of life oriented toward optimal health and well-being in which body, mind and spirit are integrated by the individual to live more fully within the human and natural community. Healthy functioning within areas of life show that people with a high sense of well-being have a tendency to experience events in a positive manner. Five major areas of life known as life tasks comprise spirituality, self-direction, work and leisure, friendship and love (according to Adlerian Counselling approach for wellness). Within these there are components of sense of worth, emotional awareness and coping, nutrition and self-care, gender and cultural identity, sense of humour, problem solving and creativity which interact dynamically with various forces of family, community, religion, government, media and others. Wellbeing is related to balancing the different areas/aspects of daily living for life satisfaction and harmony. It is also related to the ability for recovery after negative events. The Family Forum of the President s Hon. Dr. Ian Borg, Parliamentary Secretary for EU funds, Ministry for European Affairs and the Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto launched the Partnership Agreement programming period for the EU Structural and Investment Funds on Tuesday 4th November, 2014 during the OP1 monitoring committee This was drafted following an extensive consultation process which started in 2012 and involved line Ministries as well as the economic and social partners, the civil society including environmental partners, non-governmental organisations and the general public. Following the public consultation process undertaken in 2013 in relation to the Partnership Agreement, Government assessed and took on board relevant feedback in relation to the Partnership Agreement. The document was formally submitted to the European Commission in April After Intensive discussions with the European Commission the process came to a conclusion in October This agreement will enable Malta to invest over 1 billion towards economic growth and jobs. Three Funding Priorities were identified: - Fostering Competitiveness through innovation and the creation of a businessfriendly environment. - Sustaining an environmentally friendly and resource efficient economy and - Creating Opportunities through investment in human capital and improved health and well being. The government will be investing in research, ICT and SMEs with a view to boost economic growth. Financial incentives to industry and SMEs, including SME initiative and investment in infrastructure for research and SME development including the development of incubation spaces amongst other things, will inevitable be high on this agenda. Dr Borg said that the Environment too, is expected to play a key role in the forthcoming period. This is a sector that has its own challenges and we will be seeking to address that. Government will be investing in renewable and energy efficiency, in waste, water, natural and cultural heritage. The urban development and measures designed to provide greener and pedestrian zones will be given due importance. Transport infrastructure such as the upgrading of Kappara Junction and other measures aimed at the decarbonisation of the transport sector will help in this regard. Promoting Well-being Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society is asking for members of organisations and individuals to take part in informal meetings in order to exchange ideas and experiences on what gives us a sense of well-being and what does not. President s Family Foundation meeting on wellbeing, 17 th October at Verdala Palace was attended by Doris Bingley, Marie Demicoli and Vivien Cassar members of the Executive Committee. This meeting was for couples or individuals over 60 years of age. In the coming months, similar meetings will be held for persons in other age groups Dr Peter Muscat was the facilitator for this meeting. Comments made will eventually be passed on to H.E. the President of Malta whose aim is to engage with society to promote peace and unity through such meetings and research. The gist of feedback comprised mainly about obstacles to enhancement of well-being and on what gives satisfaction. Various suggestions were made for improvement of services and to encourage active aging A sense of insecurity, amounting to fear by the elderly living on their own especially Finally, the Government will be contributing towards the expansion of human capital. Particular investment will focus on the creation of a more socially inclusive society which has the necessary skills to actively contribute within the labour market. This Government is committed to invest in improving the lives of citizens through investment. Investing in employment, education, social inclusion and health are a must, as is the investment in infrastructure in primary health care as well as training and capacity building measures for health professionals. This Partnership Agreement is an important milestone for the mobilisation of European Structural and Investment Funds Dr. Borg continued by saying that this Government remains committed to introduce various measures by the end of the year which will be beneficial for citizens and business and that will further stimulate economic development. By focusing on quality and on a clear strategic direction, the Government is very confident that it will be achieving Malta s EU 2020 targets. Doris Bingley, Hon General Secretary, NCW Malta, ECICW President at night time. Segregation owing to lack of mobility Non-personalised services cause feelings of isolation and lack of importance. So homes for elderly need to be small group focussed and possibly in the community. Home visits/phone calls, occasionally from social services care givers. Living independently at home gives feeling of wellbeing but more support needed. Spiritual and religious activities provided by parish communities are appreciated but more need to be encouraged to attend. Personal outreach programmes are more effective. Crafts and hobbies through occupational therapy initiatives especially active participation in such groups and homes for elderly Volunteering Sense of belonging, community, family relations, respect Contributing to society, feeling needed, experiences heeded, consultation Mixed age activities, getting on with younger age group. Vivien Cassar, NCW Education Committee

13 January - March The Economic Empowerment of Women in the Euro-Mediterranean Region Euromed Summit 2014 Of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institution Final Declaration The representatives of the economic and social actors and councils from the Euro-Mediterranean partner countries, meeting in accordance with the mandate conferred by the Barcelona Declaration of 1995 and extended under the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), held their 2014 meeting in Nicosia on 26 and 27 November. The participants Draw attention to the need to promote and encourage the involvement of women in economic life in the Euro-Mediterranean region; recognise that the persistently high unemployment rates among women in the Mediterranean region are a major challenge for socio-economic development, and call for women not only to be provided with access to more jobs but better, decent ones; Underline that women s economic empowerment in the Euro-Mediterranean region is a major factor in achieving equality between women and men; Call for women, especially in the Southern partner countries, to be facilitated access to new information and communication technologies (ICT), as an effective way to access information related to job vacancies, new trends in the labour market, marketing of products etc.; note that wider access to the new ICT would also improve women s employment opportunities by providing them with new skills and knowledge and also with a greater chance of reconciling work and family needs; Point out that the region s development, growth and competitiveness depend on making full use of its human capital at all levels and in all sectors of economic activity, and in this regard urge that women participate in mechanisms of good governance and decision-making, and in economic and local affairs; Express their utmost concern regarding the situation of women in conflict zones and refugee women and deplore the deterioration of women s rights in some of the Euromed countries; in this regard, they fully support the decisions taken at the 57th session of the United Nations ECOSOC Commission on the Status of Women, which focused this year on combating all forms of violence against women, and the recommendations of the UfM Parliamentary Committee on Women s Rights (Amman, Jordan, February 2014); Demand that all countries in the Euro-Mediterranean region ratify and effectively implement international conventions regarding the rights of women, including the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention and the ILO Convention number 189 on migrant domestic workers; Call on the EU and other international actors to promote and support women s rights and women s economic empowerment in their relations with all countries; Call for the participation of women as full members in the ESCs of the UfM Member States to be strengthened. Other areas of recommendations following discussions amongst all participants are On the political context: condemn all forms of violence taking place in the Euro- Mediterranean region; On developing dialogue with political authorities: underline the important role that economic and social organisations and councils, and organised civil society in general, should play in the political decision-making processes; On the fight against poverty and social exclusion call on governments, with support from the ILO and other international organisations, to develop an effective social protection floor, as this is an investment contributing to wealth creation and a key element in addressing the risk of poverty and promoting social inclusion, thus strengthening the potential for economic growth and social cohesion in the countries of the Mediterranean; On the role of the social economy and social entrepreneurship as a vehicle for growth: recognise the role that the social economy can play in fostering economic growth, eradicating poverty, building up sustainable local development, and improving labour market access and decent working conditions especially for women and young people, as well as for various categories of disadvantaged workers; On the economic and social situation of youth in the Euromed region acknowledge that young people are developing new participation platforms and mechanisms, which will need to be supported and integrated into civil dialogue together with existing economic and social actors and call for steps to be taken to ensure that young people are able to play an effective part in the decision-making process and generate a new climate of confidence and cooperation that supports the political and economic transition in the Mediterranean countries (a copy of the full document is available on request) Grace Attard, EESC Bureau Member

14 14 January - March 2015 Pope s Anti-Slavery Drive Gets Multifaith Support In this photo provided by Vatican newspaper L Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis, front row, third right, poses with religious leaders on the occasion of the signing of a joint Declaration of Religious Leaders against Modern Slavery, at the Vatican, Tuesday, Dec. 2, Religious leaders from a half-dozen faiths have signed on to a new Vatican initiative to end modern-day slavery by 2020, declaring that human trafficking, forced labor and prostitution are crimes against humanity. (AP Photo/L Osservatore Romano, ho) Close The Associated Press Religious leaders from a half-dozen faiths signed a new Vatican initiative Tuesday to end modern-day slavery by 2020, declaring that human trafficking, organ trafficking and forced labor and prostitution are crimes against humanity. Pope Francis was joined by the Hindu guru Mata Amritanandamayi, known as Amma, as well as Buddhist, Anglican, Orthdox, Jewish, Shiite and Sunni Muslim leaders in signing a joint declaration at an unusually high-profile ceremony inside the Vatican walls. The declaration commits the signatories to do everything in their power within their faith communities to work to free the estimated 35 million people enslaved across the world by In the eyes of God, each human being is a free person, whether girl, boy, woman or man, and is destined to exist for the good of all in equality and fraternity, the declaration read. Francis has made eliminating modern-day slavery one of the key priorities of his pontificate, inspired by his Kirsty Ebejer from Hamrun Sarah Pavia from Marsaxlokk New Members ministry in the slums of Buenos Aires. Earlier this year, the Vatican launched the Global Freedom Network, a multifaith initiative to encourage governments, businesses, educational and faith institutions to rid their supply chains of slave labor. One of the network s founding members, the Walk Free Foundation, estimates that five countries account for 61 percent of the world s population living in slavery: India, with an estimated 14.2 million people enslaved, China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Russia. Tuesday s ceremony, held in a palazzo in the Vatican gardens, added more faith leaders onto the network s initial roster. Francis sat between Amma, the ebullient Indian guru known for her marathon sessions hugging complete strangers, and the small, bald Sister Chan Khong, the first ordained monastic disciple of Zen Master Thich Hnat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist. Alongside them was the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, head of the 77 million-strong Anglican Communion, and Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi al-modarresi of Iran. Also present was a representative of Mohamed Ahmed El-Tayeb, grand imam of Al-Azhar University, one of the oldest and most revered centers of religious learning for Sunni Muslims. Their speeches were remarkable in demonstrating how different faiths all abhor slavery, but there were also some differences of opinion. The Anglican members of the network insisted that the declaration refer to forced prostitution, to highlight that more and more prostitutes today are victims of human trafficking and are not prostituting themselves by choice. Francis, however, believes no one willingly goes into prostitution. In the end, the declaration pulled off a compromise with a strategic use of commas to declare that: Modern slavery, in terms of human trafficking, forced labor and prostitution, organ trafficking and any relationship that fails to respect the fundamental conviction that all people are equal and have the same freedom and dignity, is a crime against humanity. VATICAN CITY Dec 2, 2014, 1:53 PM ET By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press Tania Ragonese from St. Julians Anna Bonanno from Pieta NCW Welcomes, Ejjew G andi New 2014 Affiliated Organisation

15 January - March Diary of Events October 01st Business Breakfast on the Pre Budget Document Mary Gaerty and Doris Bingley attended 02nd Nutrition talk by Dr Daniela Cassola at NCW Centre 03rd Malta s EU Story: How ten years of EU membership have changed the country at Dar l-ewropa 04th Australian High Commissioner unveiling of the Australian Plant Collection Mary Gaerty, Doris Bingley and Marie Demicoli 08th attended Promoting Zero Waste Conference Mary Gaerty and Grace Attard attended 09th - 12th EWL General Assembly & EIGE Conference in Lisbon Portugal Doris Bingli 12th Jum in-nanniet Quddiesa at San Venera Parish Church 14th Civil Society Committee Meeting at the Ministry for Social Dialogue Doris Bingley attended 15th Hilda Schembri Memorial Lecture Mary Gaerty attended 16th Meeting with the Hon Minister Helena Dalli MCVS Doris Bingley 17th World Mental Health Day Seminar on Children with Meaningful Behaviour President s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society at Verdala Palace. Doris Bingley, Vivien Cassar and Marie Demicoli attended 17th 22nd NCW participation in Aurora project in Sweden Mary Gaerty participated 20th Lifelong Learning Programme Final Conference on Upskilling of adult educators. Doris Bingley and Marie Demicoli attended Action for Breast Cancer Foundation Opening of New Premises Doris Bingley and Marie Demicoli attended Soroptimist International Public Forum End Sexual Violence in Conflict Doris Bingley and Marie Demicoli attended 23rd Victim Support Malta Training Sessions at Europa House Vivien Cassar and Jeanette Cassar attended 24th Laqgha Pubblika organized by MEUSAC The Hon Minister Leo Brincat, Mary Gaerty and Doris Bingley 28th SME Week. Mentoring at Cottonera Sports Complex Mary Gaerty attended 28th -2nd Nov. ICW Board Meeting in Paris Doris Bingley attended 29th Reception organized by the Ambassador for Turkey Mary Gaerty attended 31st Monitoring Committee Therese Cassola attended November 03rd Conference on Women s Political Participation in Malta, at the House of Representatives Valletta organised by OSCE-ODIHR, the House of Representatives, NCPE and NCW Malta 04th Today Public Policy Institute (TPPI) conference at the Chamber of Commerce Mary Gaerty attended 12th -14th 23rd Annual Volonteurope Conference 13th Men against Violence Meeting at NCW Centre 14th Dinner to bid farewell to Ambassador Rallis of the Hellenic Republic hosted by the Ambassador for Turkey. Mary Gaerty attended 18th Meeting of MCVS with HE The President of Malta Doris Bingley 21st Malta Communications Authority Annual Conference A Strategy for the Prevention and Reduction of Food Waste at The Palace Hotel Sliema organised by NCW and ACR Edukazzjoni u x-xoghol Minister of Education Evarist Bartolo at the Corinthia Hotel San Gorg 24th NCW Central Committee Meeting 28th Women and Pensions: Creating Sustainable Pensions for Women in Malta Conference organised by NCW and MSVlife at the Hotel Phoencia Floriana 29th Wasting Food is Wasting the Planet Poster Competition for Children Prize Giving Ceremony at NCW Centre 30th PN Kunsil Generali Mary Gaerty attended. Lara tonna December 01st Ms Samira Cook Gaines Entrepreneurship Discussion at The Chamber of Commerce Mary Gaerty and Doris Bingley attended 02nd Reception to welcome Ms Samira Cook Gaines in Malta by the American Ambassador Mary Gaerty and Doris Bingley attended 04th Train the Trainer Event by Ms Samira Cook Gaines at Access Vitoriosa 05th Opening of the new Malta Council of Voluntary Organisations NGO Hub by The Hon Minister Helena Dalli Mary Gaerty and Doris Bingley, Grace Attard 09th Lejla Letteraja at NCW Centre Award Giving Ceremony for Volunteering at The President s Palace Valletta Mary Gaerty and Doris Bingley attended 22nd Reception at the Auberge de Castille given by the Prime Minister and Mrs Muscat.

16 16 January - March 2015 FORTHCOMING EVENTS: Annual General Meeting, Saturday 31 January 2015, Shakespeare Hall, Victoria Hotel, Sliema AGENDA 8.30 Registration & Coffee 9.00 Opening prayers, Welcome and Notices. Nomination of Tellers 9.15 Minutes of the last General Meeting President s Address Annual Report by General Secretary Financial Report by Treasurer Election of Vice-Presidents, Officers and Members of the Executive Reports of Standing and Sectional Committees. Coffee Break Results of Election Reaffirmation of Policy Reaffirmation Protecting Children and Young People using the Internet Reaffirmation of Policy SMEs: A favourable business environment: supporting enterprise and job creation Reaffirmation Addressing Gender-Specific Medicine: a Major Challenge of the Future Reaffirmation Engaging men and boys in eradicating violence against women Adoption of Resolutions. (5 mins each) Regularisation of Gentlemen s Club - Malta Girl Guides Association (MGG) Setting up of a Pre-Conception Clinic Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses Providing and Co-ordinating Perinatal Mental Health Services - Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses Working Mothers and Breastfeeding - Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses Addressing the needs of Unaccompanied Migrant Minors - Emigrants Commission A Legal Framework for Social Enterprise in Malta - National Council of Women Developing Services to the Family - National Council of Women Addressing Undeclared Work - National Council of Women Restructuring of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) - National Council of Women Prevention and Reduction of Food Waste - National Council of Women Pensions Reform for Women - National Council of Women A National Gender Equality Strategy - National Council of Women Addressing the needs of Learning School Assistants - National Council of Women Correspondence. ICW, ECICW Other Matters Concluding Address by President End of AGM - LUNCH Notes: The full text of the resolutions will be available at the AGM. The following are the posts on the Executive Committee to be filled by elections 3 Vice Presidents, General Secretary Treasurer 3 Executive members All members and affiliated organisations are urged to attend. As only paid up members are entitled to vote, subscriptions should be renewed during the month of January or paid before the start of the AGM. Doris Bingley Hon. General Secretary, N.C.W. 10 December 2014 The National Council of Women would like to thank HSBC Malta for their support towards the Newsletter and their website.