Ashton: EU committed to promote womens rights

EU High Representative Catherine Ashton Saturday said women have made great advances, but there is still a long way to go to achieve a world free from gender-based discrimination."Long-term stability and development can only be achieved if violence and discrimination against women are addressed," she underlined in a statement to mark International Women's Day."The European Union remains committed to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women," she said and noted that about 200 projects and initiatives are currently funded by the EU around the world which aim to help women benefit from education and healthcare, to work and live free from violence and discrimination."The rights of all women and girls are a universal priority for the EU," she stressed and added that "where women prosper, societies prosper; where women suffer, so do the societies they live in." Meanwhile, "the International Criminal Court expressed its full support for the 2014 United Nations theme for International Womens Day: "Equality for women is progress for all." "We must all work together to unlock the potential of women, empowering them to be true agents of change playing fundamental roles at all levels of society," said the ICC based in the Hague in a statement.It noted that the ICC is the first, and thus far the only, major international judicial institution with the majority of its judges being female.Women play pivotal roles at the ICC. The First Vice-President of the Court, the Prosecutor, and the President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute are all women, as are nearly half of ICC staff, it said.