OSCE Mission to Montenegro organizes discussion on gender mainstreaming with mayors and municipal representatives
The Mission to Montenegro organized a discussion in Podgorica on 7 June 2017 focusing on the gender mainstreaming commitments of Montenegro’s municipalities stemming from the Memoranda of Understanding on gender equality that were signed between the Mission, the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and all 23 municipalities between 2007 and 2015.
Some 25 municipal representatives highlighted the challenges they still face in mainstreaming gender and shared ideas on how to overcome these with the aim of achieving gender equality in public and political life at the local level.
Opening the event, Head of Mission Maryse Daviet, underlined the Mission’s long-term partnership with Montenegro on the demanding path of gender equality. “The Memoranda of Understanding enabled us to co-operate in economic empowerment, participation of women in public and political life, equal access to health services, as well as the creation and implementation of strategic policy documents at the local level,” she said.
Minister of Human and Minority Rights, Mehmed Zenka, reiterated that women need more support in both public and political life. “Women need to be empowered in order to have equal rights,” he said.
Director of the Human Resources Management Authority, Svetlana Vukovic, reminded participants about the importance of fully including her institution in the development of national strategic documents. “In order to achieve equal participation, we need to include institutions that are dealing with education and capacity building,” she noted.
Secretary General of the Montenegrin Union of Municipalities, Refik Bojadzic, emphasized the good steps taken at the local level but also the many challenges that remain. “We need to focus on creating conditions for the participation of women in public life, especially in decision making,” he said.
The event will be followed by a workshop for Municipal Gender Focal Points on gender responsive budgeting.