OSCE-organized forums across Albania create networking opportunities for women

SHKODRA, Albania, 5 February 2010 - The final in a first series of regional forums for female leaders in political and public life, organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania, concluded in Shkodra today.

The Shkodra forum and earlier meetings held in Tirana, Korca, Vlora and Gjirokastra gathered women who are active in government, public institutions and civil society.

"Reducing gender inequality at all levels of government and public life remains a key topic in Albania. It is a goal that all national and international partners alike are willing to work toward," said Renate Herrmanns, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania.

Female Members of Parliament and senior central and local government officials discussed how to achieve a broader participation of women in all spheres of political and public life, and how to strengthen women's skills. The forums also facilitated co-operation and information exchange among women in line with the objectives of the National Strategy on Gender Equality and Domestic Violence.

"These forums strive to encourage the active participation of women in the electoral process and to increase the capacities of female candidates and politicians. This way, elected women and female candidates will become a lobbying power and make public authorities more responsive to women's needs and requests," Filloreta Kodra, the Deputy Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, told participants at the Shkodra forum.

The forums are part of a three-year OSCE Presence project, financed by the Swedish and Dutch governments, that aims to enhance women's role in governance.