Against a turbulent global backdrop of continued crisis and conflict, 2024 stood out as a year of political transition in Europe and Central Asia, with national elections held in numerous countries, including European Parliament elections in EU Member States. In many cases, nationalist, right-wing populist and conservative parties gained ground, narrowing political support for sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice (SRHRJ). Across the region, governments restricted civic space, and anti-rights actors continued to target people’s intimate rights and freedoms, with harmful measures being rushed through using opaque and anti-democratic processes in countries including Bulgaria, Georgia and across Central Asia. Meanwhile, polarisation around key issues such as sex work and gender diversity continued to pose challenges to civil society’s ability to unite and advance on SRHRJ in the face of the backlash.
Yet amid these challenges, 2024 brought real progress that showed what our movement can achieve through persistence and collaboration across sectors and national boundaries. The EU adopted a landmark Directive on gender-based violence—the first binding EU law in this area. France enshrined the right to abortion in its constitution, sparking similar debates across Europe and prompting the European Parliament to call for including abortion rights in the EU Charter. Belgium built on its full decriminalisation of sex work by introducing new legal and labour protections, while Sweden adopted a long-awaited law on legal gender recognition for trans people. Despite often difficult conditions, our Member Associations (MAs) and Collaborative Partners (CPs) played leading roles in defending SRHRJ, driving positive change, and ensuring care and dignity for all people.
Highlights of ENRO’s work in 2024 included mobilising around the EU elections to build support for our vision of an inclusive and intersectional feminist Europe, and accompanying diverse human rights defenders in the development and implementation of innovative approaches to counter anti-rights attacks. We proudly prioritised our allyship with marginalised communities whose rights to health, freedom and safety face the greatest threats, deepening our partnerships with LGBTIQ and sex worker-led organisations. We also supported our MAs and young people as they carried forward their vital work strengthening and implementing transformative approaches to advancing gender equality and preventing gender-based violence.
As the funding landscape, globally and in Europe, becomes increasingly difficult, we continued to act as the leading voice holding European donors accountable for their commitment to SRHRJ in their partnerships with the Global South. And we remained steadfast in supporting the resilience and impact of our MAs, CPs and young volunteers, through facilitating grants and resources, offering technical guidance and creating opportunities for our network to come together to learn, share and strategise in these unprecedented times. Looking ahead, we remain focused on building collective power and advancing SRHRJ in the face of growing challenges.
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