Technical working groups
During 2023 and the first months of 2024, the Country Pact Governance Model was defined, unlocking the start of a new phase focused on consolidating its operational structure. Based on this framework, different Technical Working Groups were set up, having their lines of work planned, and specific projects were promoted by the Country Pact community itself. This process not only laid the necessary organizational foundations, but also opened up spaces for the different actors to interact, share visions, and assume common responsibilities.
The working groups have identified new topics and defined emerging challenges through peer-to-peer work, demonstrating remarkable adaptability and dynamism. The governance framework has facilitated this evolution, offering flexible spaces that adapt to the needs of each group and allow their initiatives to develop in a manner consistent with the overall objectives of the Country Pact.
This group originated from the reflection process carried out by the Emakunde Advisory Commission and the Basque Youth Council (EGK) in 2021.
In May 2024 the group defined its objective: to promote the creation of different joint political positions to influence public policy. With this goal in mind the group agreed to work on addressing women's sexual and reproductive health in relation to menopause and menstruation, and specifically on discrimination, social prejudices, and barriers for women generated around these two biological conditions, for the period 2024-2026.
LET'S TALK ABOUT MENSTRUATION AND MENOPAUSE PROJECT
Sexual and reproductive rights are crucial for millions of women. It is not just a matter of health and biology factors, but also of social and economic, and human rights. For this reason, the Intergenerational Group works on social perceptions and stigmas linked to women's life cycles, especially menstruation and menopause. These are the key points of the work carried out.
Diagnosis: Survey on Menstruation and Menopause
Women's sexual and reproductive health encompasses different stages and experiences that, although part of everyday life, it is still surrounded by silence, stigma, and lack of information. Among these different stages, menstruation, perimenopause and menopause continue to generate doubts, prejudices, and inequalities that affect women's health as well as their working, social, and emotional lives.
With this perspective in mind, a Survey on Menstruation and Menopause was conducted in February 2025, in which nearly 2,400 women participated. This has provided relevant results on how the different stages of the life cycle affect the women surveyed and how they perceive it in their lives.
Diagnosis: Human Library
Here you can discover 20 testimonials from women who reveal, in their own words, the fear and profound ignorance that still surrounds menstruation and menopause. During the creative process and recordings, all participants agreed on the same challenges: cultural pressure generates shame or fear—“To treat my condition, they told me I had to choose between my health and my culture”; incomplete and infantilizing menstrual education that women with disabilities in particular receive—“When I go to the doctor, they talk to my companion instead of me”; over-medicalization that ignores feminist and intersectional perspective—“They gave me the pills right away, without considering anything else”; and lack of information about one's own body—“What you know is because other women tell you”.
An honest and necessary portrait that invites you to listen, understand, and continue discovering. Click on the image to watch the videos and delve into their experiences.
Socialization: “Let's talk about menstruation and menopause”
On May 27th 2025, a conference entitled “Let's talk about menstruation and menopause” was organized as part of International Women's Health Action Day (May 28th) to share the results of the survey and showcase the work carried out in the human library.
The event aimed to share in an intimate and open way everything that the Intergenerational Group has discovered about how the different stages of women's lives are perceived socially and the stigmas that still surround them through surveys, activities, and even a human library. In addition to the diffusion of all the work that has been done, participants were able to enjoy a tour of several thematic “stations” dedicated to menstruation, cyclicality, the female body, and menopause.
Political advocacy: Working groups on “Let's talk about menstruation and menopause”
With the aim of gaining a deeper understanding of this issue and as part of the work carried out with the Intergenerational Group on menstruation and menopause, in 2026 the intergenerational group proposed to develop, together with key agents from each of the areas of work identified, a citizen proposal to be submitted to the political decision-making body established by the group, thus seeking to influence and advance the inclusion of the gender perspective in public health policies.
This process will be carried out collaboratively through the creation of several working groups. These will include both members of the intergenerational group and representatives from different disciplines related to each of the areas identified:
• Biohealth
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Changing Values
• Other Realities
• Feminist Movement and Women's Leadership
This group was formed after the international conference: Equality, Science, and Technology. For a Change of Paradigm held in October 2023.
Its main objective is to promote a paradigm shift in the field of science, technology, and innovation by incorporating a gender perspective across the board in order to respond to the challenges that arise in achieving a more just and equitable society.
In the Science, Technology, and Innovation Group of the Country Pact, two working subgroups have been set up. These groups seek to promote a paradigm shift in the Basque scientific and technological ecosystem, integrating the gender perspective in a structural and practical way from complementary perspectives.
Research Subgroup:
Its work focuses on strengthening the presence and mainstreaming of the gender perspective in the field of research, promoting the generation and transfer of knowledge with social impact. Its main line of work is the training and evaluation of professionals in the sector.
Equality Plans Subgroup:
It works to promote the implementation, improvement, and effective evaluation of equality plans in organizations linked to the STI system. Two main lines of work were identified: defining healthy work environments and equality plans as a tool for change.
The group, made up of the three Basque universities (Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea/University of the Basque Country, University of Deusto, and Mondragón Unibertsitatea), aims to strengthen equality in the university environment. With a shared vision and a firm commitment, this group works to consolidate a network that promotes cultural transformation and awareness of this issue within the academic community.
During the 2025/2026 academic year, the group reaffirms its role within the Country Pact, a framework that allows it to evolve flexibly and adapt to emerging needs and opportunities. In addition, collaboration with other related workspaces is strengthened, with the aim of sharing learning, generating synergies, and advancing in a coordinated manner toward common goals.
Some highlights for this academic year:
• Creation of a university equality network.
• Training in equality and organizational culture change.
• Visibility and public advocacy.
This working group focuses its efforts on understanding and addressing violence against women among young people, promoting research and critical reflection. It also fosters a collaborative ecosystem with educational, social, and cultural entities to share experiences and generate innovative solutions.
It also seeks to transfer this knowledge to the community, ensuring that its advances contribute to social transformation and reinforce the role of educational and community spaces as agents of equality.