Mission promotes participation of women in National Minority Councils in Serbia

The OSCE Mission to Serbia and the Centre for Women Support, civil society organization (CSO) from Kikinda, held on 17 December 2015 in Šabac, north-western Serbia, a conference on the status of minority women in their communities, with specific reference to decision-making opportunities within the National Minority Councils (NMCs).

The members of NMCs, women activists from national minority communities, women political leaders, members of CSO Academy of Women Leadership, representatives of state institutions and other relevant stakeholders shared best practices in fostering gender equality within the Councils. Participants also had an opportunity to elaborate ways to strengthen relations with minority women and explore the potential for setting up the NMCs’ women network.

“Representatives of the NMCs are able to promote integration as guarantors of a minority’s distinct culture, language, education, and the media. They can play a constructive role in helping Serbia promote the rights of persons belonging to national minorities and in enabling their active participation in public affairs,” said Michael Uyehara, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia. “The NMCs should develop gender sensitive policies in their areas of competence to help the process further develop.”

In 2015, through its project on fostering gender equality in NMCs, the OSCE Mission has ramped up its efforts to empower minority women to exercise their roles as members of NMCs and has focused on mainstreaming a gender perspective in the Councils’ work.