For the fourth year in a row, the European Commission has organized an international drawing competition on Gender Equality, which has been launched on the International Women's Day – 8 March 2010. This year's theme proposes to reflect on how girls and boys, women and men, can together make the world a better place.

The principle of equal treatment between women and men has always been an integral part of the EC Treaty and is now incorporated into all EU policies. The Commission also endeavours to incorporate a gender dimension into its development co-operation policy. Eight to ten year old children in developing countries are invited to express in a drawing their vision on the theme of gender equality.

The International Drawing Competition on gender equality has been run by the Commission since 2007 with great success. The Competition aims to mobilise and raise the awareness of both children and adults around the issue of gender equality as well as giving EU Delegations the chance to involve the relevant national and local authorities in the planning and implementation of the competition, in close collaboration with local schools.

Children from Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Latin America, Mediterranean and Middle East, other European Countries including the Eastern Neighbours of the EU and Pacific islands will send their drawings to EU Delegations, for a first pre-selection. The final selection will then be made by a jury of European children of the same age range, in one of the European schools in Brussels.

The contest has been launched on the International Women's Day (8th March). Participants must send their drawings before 14th May. All the documents related to this contest can be downloaded at the website of the European Commission.