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Women politicians, members of parliaments,
diplomats and civil society representatives from across the Western
Balkans together with UN Women, made a strong call for women’s equal
participation in peace and security processes.
The conference in Istanbul, highlighted the
underrepresentation of women in peacebuilding and democratic
governance in the Balkans. Women shared their visions, experiences,
challenges, successes and agreed on common goals. They identified
obstacles hindering the peacebuilding processes and reconciliation,
agreed to withstand them.
Edita Tahiri, a Kosovan politician who was the
only woman negotiator in the Balkans during and post conflict said,
“There are challenges for women but my experience in international
peace negotiations in the past 20 years, surrounded by men, show
that women can make a huge difference and breakthrough in reaching
peace agreement. Women can manage men’s egos, which may become
harmful in reaching peace deals.”
Attendees expressed concerns about current
security challenges in the region and called for urgent responses.
“Despite all the efforts to stabilize the region
for years, regrettably we nowadays observe tendencies to reaffirm
criminal policies of the past and even war criminals. We, women from
Balkans must take strong position to condemn such policies and
policy makers. Sonja Biserko, Head of Helsinki Committee for Human
Rights, Serbia said.
Participants agreed that stability and EU
integration is needed to prevent the negative trends getting visible
in the region. Women from across the region, including from Bosnia,
Kosovo[1], Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia and Albania emphasized that it is crucial to move
beyond commitments and make gender-inclusive peace processes a
reality.
UN Women Representative Flora Macula said, “I was
in Kosovo during the war and now in Bangladesh working with refugees
from Myanmar. I see that women are not yet on the table, this must
change.”
Conference provided a platform for dialogue among
women parliamentarians from Kosovo and Serbia to exchange views on
the final phase of the Brussels dialogue. Parliamentarians called
for inclusion of women in negotiating table, necessarily, while
emphasised that the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia should
be the one that ensures stable peace in the region.
All urged for the effective implementation of UN
resolutions on Women, Peace and Security.
“Women affected by war are the biggest advocates
for peace. They should not be left alone,” said Memnuna Zvizdić, a
Bosnian activist.
Local peace-building through empowerment of women
was considered a critical process in the consolidation of peace and
prosperity. The participants thus reaffirmed their commitments to
continue working for bottom-up peacebuilding. Regional cooperation
of women is serving as a driving force for reconciliation,
development and European integration.
The conference also addressed the relevance of
women’s access to justice and transitional justice with a focus on
women survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), stating
that international justice should be put in place and perpetrators
punished for durable peace. “Access to justice for survivors of CRSV
is an urgent priority for women all over the Balkans. RWLSEE is
helping forge a unified path toward justice and empowerment,” said
Maxine Marcus, International War Crimes Prosecutor.
Women diplomats attending the Conference, Ulrika
Richardson, UN Resident Coordinator for Kosovo and Karin Hernmarck
Ahliny, Swedish Ambassador in Kosovo, congratulated RWLSEE for its
efforts and dedication to advance gender equality and push for a
future in which women and men will stand side by side to achieve and
preserve stability and peace. “We encourage you to stay in course
and continue your noble and peacebuilding mission,” they affirmed.
Regional Women’s Lobby in Southeast Europe
(RWLSEE) continuously advocates for enhanced collaboration among
women from the Western Balkans and increased empowerment of women in
democratic governance and peace-building processes.
For further information, please contact
Diana Cekaj-Berisha, RWLSEE Coordinator: +38344124466 and email:
coordinator@rwlsee.org
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