OSCE Mission and OSCE/ODIHR support Montenegro’s parliament in drafting an action plan on gender sensitivity
The first activities of an action plan to create a more gender-sensitive national parliament in Montenegro were drafted during a workshop in Podgorica on 18-19 April 2016 organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro in co-operation with the Parliamentary Committee for Gender Equality and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
The event gathered 18 participants, including members of parliament and representatives of the parliamentary service, institutions and civil society, who, led by experts, drafted the first activities of the action plan. The plan covers six key areas: leadership and commitment, gender-balanced representation, gender-sensitive legislation and policy, parliamentary services and infrastructure, gender awareness in parliamentary culture, and parliament as a promoter of gender equality. Participants set the end of the year as the goal for finalizing and putting the plan up for adoption for the new convocation of the Parliament for the first quarter of 2017.
“The on-going gender mainstreaming of the Montenegrin Parliament is a significant step forward in translating our written pledges into actual reality,” said Dan Redford, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro. “In particular, I am delighted to hear that the development of a roadmap and subsequent drafting of their action plan have been initiated by the parliament. This has to be the clearest indicator that its implementation has great chances of success and becoming ‘mainstream’ in the truest sense of the word.”
Nada Drobnjak, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee for Gender Equality highlighted the fact that the drafting of this important document and its subsequent adoption will make the Montenegrin Parliament a leader and pioneer in the region, and beyond.
In 2015, the Mission and ODIHR, in co-operation with the Committee for Gender Equality developed a roadmap towards a gender-sensitive parliament which served as the basis for the development of the action plan. The development and the adoption of the action plan is one of the measures initiated and included in the action plan for strengthening the legislative and oversight role of Montenegrin Parliament.