OSCE Mission in Kosovo helps improve women’s access to property

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo organized a series of workshops between 17 March and 1 April 2015 focusing on women’s rights to property. The workshops were designed for representatives of the Environment and Spatial Planning Ministry, municipal officials for gender equality, urbanism and cadastre, communities and return, as well as civil society.

The workshops trained the participants on the procedural aspects of property registration and equal access to properties for both men and women. The trainees will go on to serve in a pool of trainers to conduct further awareness-raising and outreach visits to women in rural areas and women caucus groups.  

“One of the reasons behind gender inequality is directly linked with the unequal enjoyment of property rights. Without inheriting properties women often find themselves in economically dependent position,” said Head of OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger.

“Only eight percent of registered property owners in Kosovo are women. That is why the Mission is trying to improve this situation and encourage sustainable change in attitudes and practices that continue to limit women’s equal enjoyment of their property and housing rights,” Schlumberger added.

Participants also discussed a draft manual prepared by the Mission, including materials such as background information, case studies, exercises and teaching tips to facilitate future trainings and outreach visits. In addition, the Mission is developing a catalogue with the mechanisms available to ensure that women have equal access to property and housing rights. Both of these publications will be launched in the second part of 2015.  

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is mandated with human and communities’ rights protection and promotion, democratization, and public safety sector development.