Regional experiences and good practices to advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda shared at Tirana workshop co-organized by ODIHR and OSCE Presence in Albania

Good practices to advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda were shared and actively discussed at a regional workshop on 4 July 2017 in Tirana, organized by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Presence in Albania.

The aim of the workshop was to share lessons learned and regional experiences in drafting national action plans for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

The event gathered 20 participants (14 women and 6 men) from the Ministries of Defence and the Albanian Armed Forces, Foreign Affairs and Social Welfare and Youth.

“The path of women in the defence sector is full of obstacles and challenges. The adoption of a UNSCR1325 national action plan in Albania will help unlock new opportunities for women by introducing changes at a systemic level,” said Manushaqe Shehu, the first woman Brigadier General in Albania.

At the workshop, experts from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia discussed their experiences with Albanian state representatives and civil society.

“Because of our multi-layered institutional framework, the implementation of UNSCR 1325 has been challenging in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Kika Babic-Svetlin, senior adviser at the Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Yet we have learned from our mistakes and are building on that to advance the agenda. Today, this can serve as an inspiration to other countries in the OSCE region.”

The event included plenary discussions and working groups, where co-ordination mechanisms, monitoring and evaluation tools, and co-operation with civil society were discussed.

“The OSCE Presence in Albania is fully committed to contributing its expertise to the technical development of the UNSCR 1325 national action plan. While the list of actions to be undertaken is long, the efforts invested in diversity and equality will in the long run foster increased trust and confidence in state institutions,” said Ambassador Bernd Borchardt, head of the OSCE Presence Office in Albania.

The workshop built on ODIHR’s mandate to support participating States in their efforts to implement the OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on “Women in Conflict Prevention, Crisis Management and Post-Conflict Rehabilitation” and the OSCE 2004 Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality.