Legislative and policy framework

Article 28 of the Cypriot Constitution of 1960 enshrines the principle of equal treatment and the prohibition of any form of direct or indirect discrimination based on gender. In Cyprus, the promotion of gender equality through policy and legislation started in recent years. As a result of Cyprus’s harmonisation with the EU acquis communautaire, a significant number of legislative measures related to gender equality were passed. Gender mainstreaming is primarily influenced by EU directives and international conventions for the promotion of gender equality, such as the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Beijing Platform for Action.

Cyprus does not have an overall national law on gender equality but does have sectoral laws on specific aspects of gender equality in areas such as employment and vocational training, equal work and pay, access to commodities and services, and gender-based violence and domestic violence.

Building on the 2019–2022 national action plan on gender equality,[1] and several sectoral action plans on specific aspects of gender equality, the Council of Ministers in Cyprus introduced the 2024–2026 national strategy for gender equality, the first strategy of its kind. Following extensive consultations, the strategy mainstreams gender in a cross-cutting way across all ministries. Organised in 14 thematic areas, it specifies 64 targeted and implementable actions to be carried out over a three-year period.

Thematic areas of the 2024–2026 national strategy for gender equality[2]

  • Gender budgeting. Ensuring equitable allocation of public resources.
  • Employment. Ensuring equal access to employment, promoting balanced representation of women and men, and reducing pay and pension gaps.
  • Social policy. Strengthening an effective welfare state based on gender equality.
  • Health. Ensuring equal access to health based on the different needs of women and men.
  • Justice. Creating a gender culture in justice bodies and ensuring equal access to justice.
  • Foreign policy. Implementing gender approaches in foreign policy.
  • Education and culture. Shaping a gender-inclusive education and culture.
  • Sports. Empowering and recognising women in sports and dismantling gender stereotypes in sports.
  • Rural development, environment, climate change, energy and transport. Enhancing the visibility of rural women and women in agriculture. Developing gender-sensitive transport systems. Recognising the gender impact of climate and energy crises.
  • Research, Innovation and digital transformation. Empowering men and women and ensuring equal access to digital opportunities.
  • Defence. Creating an environment with greater sensitivity to gender dimensions.
  • Decision-making. Promoting balanced representation of women and men for fairer and more representative decision-making.
  • Mass media. Actively contributing to the formation of gender-inclusive standards, eliminating stereotypes and prejudices.

There is a policy commitment to gender mainstreaming in Decision No 61.649 of the Council of Ministers (2005). Based on this framework, the National Machinery for Women’s Rights (NMWR) ensures that gender mainstreaming is incorporated into all stages of the utilisation of the funds granted to Cyprus from the EU Cohesion Policy Fund. The NMWR is responsible for evaluating and certifying that projects funded by the EU Cohesion Policy Fund comply with national and EU legislation and policies on gender equality.

The promotion of gender mainstreaming in public administration is one of the main priorities of the government of the Republic of Cyprus. In July 2024, the bill ‘Commissioner for Gender Equality and Related Matters Law of 2024’ was enacted by the House of Representatives. The aim of the bill is to upgrade and institutionalise the role of the Commissioner for Gender Equality, gender focal points and the NMWR. Previously, a decision by the Council of Ministers in March 2023 established that every ministry and deputy ministry should appoint a gender focal point.

One of the most fundamental developments in Cyprus is gender mainstreaming in peace and security. The Republic of Cyprus adopted a specific national action plan for 2021–2025 to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, recognising that the female population is disproportionally affected by war, and the important role that women play in peacebuilding.[3]

Structures

Governmental gender equality bodies

Cyprus’s 1985 ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women provided the context for the establishment of a permanent government body for women’s rights and gender equality, with the Permanent Central Agency for Women being set up in 1988.

The Gender Equality Unit (Μονάδα Ισότητας των Φύλων) of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order (MJPO) is one of two governmental gender equality bodies in Cyprus. The unit plays a leading role in the overall promotion of gender equality at the national level and implements gender mainstreaming through its participation in several multidisciplinary committees of other ministries. The unit focuses on policies relating to family, children, violence against women, human trafficking, social inclusion, employment, demographics and women’s entrepreneurship. It also works to strengthen European and international relations, aligning actions with the Istanbul Convention, raising awareness and supporting gender-focused organisations in promoting gender mainstreaming and education and training programmes.

Recently, the unit evaluated the 2019–2023 national action plan on gender equality, noting significant advancements in gender equality.

Cyprus benefits from the presence of a second governmental gender equality body, the Commissioner for Gender Equality (Επίτροπος Ισότητας των Φύλων). Established in 2014, the commissioner is an agency that serves as the chair of the NMWR’s Council for Women’s Rights. Although housed in the MJPO together with the NMWR, the commissioner is under the authority of the presidency. At the end of each year, the commissioner submits an annual report with comments and recommendations directly to the President of the Republic. Following a decision of the Council of Ministers in July 2023, the commissioner was tasked with drafting, monitoring, coordinating and evaluating the 2024–2026 national strategy for gender equality.

Across both governmental equality bodies, there are eight personnel in total dedicated to the advancement of gender equality. The annual expenditure for the Gender Equality Unit is not available, while the annual expenditure for the Commissioner for Gender Equality is EUR 100 000, funded by the state budget.

Despite the establishment of these two governmental bodies, there is no formal mechanism for consultations with these bodies for the promotion of gender equality through policies, laws and programmes that do not directly involve a gender equality policy area. There is only a procedure for ensuring that gender mainstreaming is incorporated in all stages of the utilisation of the funds granted to Cyprus from the EU Cohesion Policy Fund.

Alongside the two governmental gender equality bodies, the NMWR serves as a policy-coordinating unit within the government and has been responsible for gender mainstreaming, among other tasks, since 1994.

Structures of the NMWR

  • Council for Women’s Rights. Chaired by the Commissioner for Gender Equality and composed of 19 women’s rights non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and trade unions.
  • National Committee for Women’s Rights. Composed of 69 organisations promoting gender equality, including all members of the Council for Women’s Rights and all public officers responsible for women’s rights within the ministries and agencies.
  • Interministerial Committee on Gender Equality. Composed of public officers who are focal points responsible for women’s rights within all ministries and the Planning Bureau.
  • General secretariat. Provides administrative and scientific support to the advisory institutions of the NMWR through the Gender Equality Unit.

Following the change of government in March 2023, the Council of Ministers decided that the Commissioner for Gender Equality would continue to chair the NMWR’s Council for Women’s Rights (Decision No 851/2023).

Independent gender equality body

The independent equality body in Cyprus is the Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights (ombudsperson) (Φορέας Ισότητας και Καταπολέμησης των Διακρίσεων), which was founded in 1991. The ombudsperson is an extra-judicial mechanism that has jurisdiction to investigate complaints of gender discrimination in the areas of equal pay and equal treatment in employment and vocational training, and accessing goods and services in the public and private sectors. The legal basis of the ombudsperson is Law Νo 42.1/2004, the Combating Racial and Certain Other Discrimination (Commissioner) Law.[4]

Functions of the Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights

  • Investigating complaints of gender discrimination in the areas of equal pay and equal treatment in employment and vocational training.
  • Providing assistance to victims of discrimination.
  • Accessing goods and services in the public and private sectors.
  • Preventing discrimination, promoting equality and raising awareness.
  • Attending meetings or other events of national human rights institutions of the United Nations member states, the Council of Europe and the EU.

The annual budget for the ombudsperson is not available. The Office of the Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights has 10 personnel, who spend approximately 25–50 % of their time working on gender equality issues.

Consultation with this independent body usually takes place on certain policies, laws or programmes when they are discussed before a parliamentary committee. The opinion of the ombudsperson is valued by members of parliament and is considered in the final decision on the issue at hand, resulting in appropriate adjustments in 50–75 % of cases.

Parliamentary body

The original Parliamentary Committee on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women was set up in 2006. A 2011 decision of the House of Representatives consolidated two separate parliamentary committees into the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women. This consolidated parliamentary committee examines law proposals and issues relating to equality and human rights. During its sessions, the committee frequently invites the Commissioner for Gender Equality and the MJPO to report on progress on gender equality issues, including progress on the implementation of national action plans and the national strategy for gender equality, and to discuss legislative proposals.

Consultation with civil society

Civil society in Cyprus participates in several committees and bodies focused on gender equality as established by law, such as the Council for Women’s Rights, the largest of the four bodies of the NMWR. The NMWR also participates in several multidisciplinary committees within other ministries dealing with issues such as family, children, violence against women, human trafficking, social inclusion and employment, and contributes substantially to ensuring gender is considered in the formulation and implementation of relevant policies. Civil society organisations also participate in consultations and committees addressing domestic violence, gender-based violence, and trafficking and exploitation of human beings.

Women’s rights organisations and other NGOs furthermore regularly participate in consultations during the process of preparing gender equality reforms, such as national action plans and legislation relating to women’s rights and gender equality. The Gender Equality Unit and the Commissioner for Gender Equality often involve women’s rights organisations and NGOs in the implementation of activities such as research, training, the preparation of guidelines and manuals, and awareness raising.

The 2024–2026 national strategy for gender equality envisages the establishment of a civil-society platform for the purpose of evaluating and monitoring the implementation of the strategy, composed of various bodies and organisations that contributed to the formulation of the strategy.[5]

The MJPO provides funding to civil society organisations for the development of programmes and activities that contribute to the promotion of gender equality, including combating gender-based violence, through the budget of the NMWR. In 2023, the ministry allocated EUR 205 871 in annual grants to the bodies of the NMWR, of which EUR 64 226 was provided for the funding of programmes upon application.

Additionally, the Commissioner for Gender Equality funds civil society projects and/or events related to the national action plan once or twice a year, with funds not exceeding EUR 5 000 per project/event.

Methods and tools

Note: the methods and tools listed in this section were the focus of EIGE’s 2024 assessment. If certain methods and tools are not mentioned in this section, this does not necessarily mean that they are not used by Cyprus.

Gender impact assessment

There is no obligation on public bodies to undertake an ex ante gender impact assessment when drafting laws, policies, plans or programmes. Similarly, impact evaluation is seldom used as a method for gender mainstreaming.

Gender budgeting

There has been limited action on introducing gender budgeting to the public sector.[6]

A gender mainstreaming handbook and action plan for public administration were approved and announced at the end of 2018, and training of a limited number of selected public administrators followed in 2019. While the handbook and action plan include elements of gender budgeting, this has not been supported by the adoption of a clear policy on gender budgeting in the public sector and the development of expertise and know-how. As a result, it cannot be claimed that gender budgeting is understood or has been implemented at any level.

Training and awareness-raising

There have been measures to promote the use of gender-neutral language. A guide adopted by Ministerial Decision No 83.337 highlights linguistic sexism in public documents and at the same time proposes practical ways of deconstructing it. The MJPO prepared an action plan for the implementation of the recommendations set out in the guide. The ministerial decision requires all ministries, semi-state organisations, local authorities and other public sector organisations to cooperate vis-à-vis the implementation of the action plan.

In addition, the Cyprus Academy of Public Administration implements training modules on topics such as gender equality in employment and vocational training in the public service, combating sexual harassment and harassment in the workplace, and gender mainstreaming in public policies, in the framework of the implementation of the national action plan on gender equality. Public administration staff are not legally required to take part in gender-related training sessions and only some of the ministries participate.

Moreover, the Commissioner for Gender Equality regularly organises and supports the organisation of conferences and training workshops on gender equality. The national strategy for gender equality includes a number of actions on the training of public service professionals from various ministries on an ad hoc basis.[7] Governmental employees at the highest political level are not involved in gender equality training.

Gender statistics

Although there is no legal obligation to collect sex-disaggregated data, most of the surveys conducted by the Cyprus Statistical Service, Cystat,[8] do collect data disaggregated by sex in accordance with EU regulations; therefore, most datasets are indeed disaggregated by sex. Cystat is responsible for collecting and publishing all sex-disaggregated data produced, although there is neither a formal mechanism nor a designated unit responsible for producing gender statistics. Publications are disseminated on an ad hoc basis and there is no specific website or section of a website dedicated to gender statistics.

Where survey data is available by gender, the disseminated results reflect this. Dissemination methods are at the discretion of survey project managers, with common methods including publishing data on websites and in print publications and information bulletins.

A compilation of indicators with disaggregated data on gender statistics was published for the first time in 2023 and will be updated on an annual basis.

Monitoring progress

Cyprus’ institutional mechanisms for gender equality and gender mainstreaming stand below the EU average but show progress compared with 2021.

Explore Cyprus' scores on the four key indicators on institutional mechanisms for the promotion of gender equality and gender mainstreaming developed to monitor progress on Area H of the Beijing Platform for Action.

Cyprus: Institutional mechanisms for gender equality and gender mainstreaming

References