Luxembourg & Lithuania Ministers Discuss Gender Equality, Importance of Data

Luxembourg's Ministry for Gender Equality and Diversity (MEGA) has reported that Minister Yuriko Backes paid a working visit to Lithuania on Monday 30 September 2024.

The working visit began with a bilateral meeting with Justina Jakštienė, Lithuania's Deputy Minister for Social Security and Labour, who is in charge of gender equality issues. The Luxembourg ministry described this as a "fruitful" discussion centred around the economic case for sustainable investment in gender equality, the negative impact of discrimination against LGBTIQ+ people on their mental health and the exchange of good practices related to domestic violence and gender-based violence. During the exchange, Luxembourg's Minister for Gender Equality and Diversity recalled the importance of ensuring that victims of violence are not burdened by administrative, medical and psychosocial obstacles, and that Luxembourg, in order to facilitate holistic support, is currently working on setting up a centralised reception structure for victims of gender-based violence.

The programme also included a visit to the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), where Minister Backes had the opportunity to meet with the heads of the various departments of the institute as well as EIGE Director Carlien Scheele. During this exchange, Minister Backes stressed that Luxembourg remains firmly committed to working towards a more equal society and to achieving the "ambitious" government programme in the coming years. She congratulated EIGE on its data collection at EU and Member State level in various areas, such as representation at political and board level, remuneration and the ecological transition. In the coming weeks, the Luxembourg Equality Observatory, managed by the Ministry for Gender Equality and Diversity, plans to equip itself with a legal basis, stressing the need for accurate data to develop ambitious and effective policies.

Minister Backes also met with the Italian Ambassador to Lithuania, Emanuele de Maigret, at the "Red Bench", an urban monument present in many capitals, to stress the need to end violence against women in all its forms.