Emakunde - Basque Institute for Women
Emakunde-Instituto Vasco de la Mujer is an autonomous body of the Basque Government that designs, promotes, advises, coordinates and evaluates equality policies and sensitizes society in order to achieve real and effective equality for women and men in the Community Basque Autonomous.
Emakunde, the Basque Institute for Women, is an autonomous body of the Basque Government which designs, promotes, advises on, coordinates and evaluates equality policies and raises awareness within society in order to achieve the real and effective equality of women and men in the Basque Autonomous Community.
The two most important areas of activity of the institute are, on the one hand, working with public administrations, consolidating the structures for promoting equality within them and promoting the implementation of gender mainstreaming measures in all public policies, and, on the other hand, working with society in general, promoting the empowerment of women, equality in private companies, the prevention of violence against women, offering advice and defence in cases of discrimination and raising awareness within society in favour of equality.
More information
Emakunde promotes, advises on, coordinates and monitors the policies of public institutions (health, education, economy, employment, culture, social services, security, urban planning ...) in relation to the equality of women and men. To this end, it prepares legislation, verifies reports on the potential impact of legislation regarding the situation of women and men, coordinates various committees and institutional networks that work to achieve equality, subsidises appraisals and plans regarding equality within local administrations, develops materials to promote governance for equality and imparts training in equality, among other activities.
Emakunde promotes measures for private companies and other entities to incorporate equality policies in their internal organisation and in the services they provide. In addition to advising and subsidising these for diagnostic studies and plans for equality, it presents annual awards to organisations that stand out for their commitment in this area. It also promotes the creation of pro-equality synergies in different organisations through forums, collaborative networks and other initiatives.
Emakunde is responsible for defending the rights of female and male citizens in situations of gender discrimination in the private sector, complementing the work carried out in the public sector by the Basque ombudsman (Ararteko) in this area. In order to correct these discriminatory practices or situations, it provides advice, conducts research, both ex officio or at the request of a party, facilitates negotiations and makes recommendations.
Emakunde encourages women to become aware of the inequalities that affect them and promotes their personal, collective and socio-political empowerment, through technical advice and financial support to women’s associations, support in networking with a gender perspective, promoting their active participation in the various sectoral bodies that maintain a dialogue with the government and through structures for political participation, such as the Advisory Committee of Emakunde.
Emakunde promotes programmes to prevent violence against women, proposes intervention policies, and coordinates and evaluates care services for women who suffer this type of violence, which are provided directly by government departments and the provincial and local institutions, in accordance with their respective competences.
Emakunde conducts workshops, courses and seminars, as well as campaigns, forums and communicative activities that seek to sensitize and raise awareness within society in favour of a change of values to promote the equality of women and men and the elimination of roles and stereotypes that prevent this. It also carries out studies and compiles statistics, produces publications and advises on the study and research of gender relations and their impact on society. The institute also works for the elimination of all forms of discrimination on grounds of sex, in the fields of advertising and communication, through the Advisory Committee for non-sexist advertising and communication, Begira.