Peja, 11 September, 2023
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, today participated in a panel discussion within the Summer School on Gender, Economics and Politics, at the University of Peja “Haxhi Zeka”.
With the key topic “Gender Equality”, Prime Minister Kurti emphasized to the audience that as state institutions we have a responsibility to promote the feeling of solidarity among citizens. He emphasized that this requires the active involvement of all members of society.
“When we talk about emancipation, it is not only about the liberation of women, but also about the education of men. Let’s educate men, so they can be allies in the fight for gender equality. Women are not meant to fight this battle alone. They must do it together with men, that’s why emancipation, education of men about the importance of gender equality is needed”, said the Prime Minister.
For equal opportunities and rights, continued the Prime Minister, as a government we have emphasized the importance of scholarships within the STEM-Science, Technology, and Engineering and Mathematics program, to eliminate a social gap in the labor market. He also added that for just 21 months out of 37,350 jobs, 50.3 percent are employed women, while more than half of those who have benefited from “Superpuna” are also women.
The “Government for the Family” program has enabled 603 women to be beneficiaries, while more than 34,000 pregnant women have been supported, in which case 90,000 women have opened bank accounts for the first time. Prime Minister Kurti repeated that we do not see women only as mothers or as mothers, but women should have as much time as possible for themselves, and financial support for them and for children contributes significantly to everyone. As he added that until now we have supported businesses that are owned by women with the value of the subsidy close to half a million euros, while the value of the enabled credit exceeds three million euros. And in agriculture for 2021, we have distributed subsidies to 1325 women beneficiaries.
He said that our goal is to dismantle the structures that help exploit inequality, while we must strive for active participation, where women not only have a seat at the table, but also a voice in decision-making.
“Therefore, let’s not be satisfied with that, let’s imagine a world where equality and justice are not aspirations, but lived realities. Let our actions be guided by the principles of economic equality and social solidarity, freedoms and rights, inclusion and active participation”, he concluded.
The Summer School on Gender, Economics and Politics is a five-day program that brings together students and young leaders interested in exploring the intersection between gender and economics. NDI will organize the Summer School in September for a selected group of young people. The program will recruit 25-30 young people between the ages of 18 and 29. Through lectures, workshops and discussions, participants will become familiar with key concepts and theories of feminist economics and gain a deeper understanding of how gender affects economic systems and outcomes.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Dear Ms. Edi Gusia, Deputy Head of the Agency for Gender Equality,
Dear Ms. Nancy Soderberg, Director of the National Democratic Institute in Kosovo,
Honorable Rector Armand Krasniqi at “Haxhi Zeka” University here in Peja,
Dear Ms. Diana Gashi, professor at the Faculty of Economics,
Dear Professor Ermond Beqiri,
Dear participants of the Summer School on Gender, Economy and Politics,
Dear Ms. Alma Shehu, Vice Chancellor at the University of Peja, as well as Professor Ermond Beqiri,
I am very happy and honored that we happened to be here among you to discuss a topic that is both fundamental and decisive for a prosperous society that creates sustainable development, but at the same time well-being that leaves no one behind.
In our journey towards a more just and progressive country, we must first recognize that solidarity and cooperation are the cornerstones of progress.
As institutions of the state, civil society, we have a responsibility to promote the feeling of solidarity among citizens, especially when it comes to gender equality.
Solidarity for my belief is solidarity in action. The work is the proof of solidarity. And in this aspect, two very important elements in making action of the feeling of solidarity are sympathy and empathy. So we must have sympathy for the other, but also empathy. Not only pity for someone’s plight but also imagining ourselves in the other’s position, because pity as such can mean a kind of distance. The other is in a difficult situation, I’m sorry, but she or he is there and I am here.
Meanwhile, empathy is a step further than sympathy, than pity, because it requires the subject, the person, to imagine himself in the position of the other. And I believe that solidarity is essentially sympathy and empathy, but it is feelings that become action. And I believe that this is very important for gender solidarity towards gender equality.
Women must support women and together they must invest in programs and courses that promote gender solidarity.
Emancipation is not a one-way street, but requires the active involvement of all members of society. When we talk about emancipation, it is not only about the liberation of women, but also about the education of men. Let’s educate men, so they can be allies in the fight for gender equality. Women are not meant to fight this battle alone. They must do it together with men, therefore emancipation, education of men about the importance of gender equality is needed.
The struggle for women’s liberation is multifaceted and requires a broad-based approach and analysis that takes into account the ways in which gender-based oppression intersects with other forms of oppression, including race, class, and geographic origin.
However, inclusion alone is not enough. We must strive for active participation, where women not only have a seat at the table, but also a voice in decision-making.
Moreover, we must be alert to the fine line between discrimination and exclusion. Let’s not replace one form of oppression with another. Instead, let’s build a society where exclusion is replaced by inclusion and discrimination is replaced by equality. Because, paradoxically, people who are discriminated against seem privileged to those who are completely excluded. Therefore, those who are excluded consider that at least you, who are being discriminated against, are included. But we must not agree to either exclusion or discrimination.
So, let’s fight exclusion with inclusion and discrimination with equality. Because patriarchal power, which oppresses, is interested in the internal inequalities through which it extends its rule, setting groups against each other. For example, contrasting middle-class women with poor women, contrasting rural women with urban women. This is the way that the union towards the realization of equality is impossible. Therefore, both inclusion and equality are needed.
Many feminist authors are emphasizing that it is time for a new paradigm, which, in addition to rights and freedoms, also includes economic demands with social justice and challenges the existing hierarchies.
The aim is to dismantle the structures that help exploit inequality. We do not seek to replace one way of oppression and exploitation with another, but to create a society based on equality.
In this journey, we must recognize the interconnectedness of struggles, because there is a system that thrives on inequality and exploitation, and that is a profoundly undemocratic system.
As a government, we are committed to our work so that in our society we all have not only equal rights, but also equal opportunities. Since education is the field that enables the empowerment of women, as a government we have emphasized the importance of scholarships within the STEM-Science, Technology, and Engineering and Mathematics program, to eliminate a social gap in the labor market.
On the other hand, out of 37,350 new jobs in just 21 months, 50.3 percent are employed women and even from the Superpuna program, more than half of those who have benefited are women.
The “Government for the Family” program has made it possible for 603 women to be beneficiaries, since this program has meant not having any family without someone employed. I know that it may sometimes seem incorrect, but in Kosovo there are many families who have no one employed, who live either on social assistance or on remittances from the diaspora. And we have put special emphasis on not leaving any family without someone employed, and among them are 603 women who have benefited from this program, i.e. “Government for the family”.
Over 34,000 pregnant women have been supported, a total of over 350,000 children, i.e. under the age of 16, and 90,000 women have opened bank accounts for the first time. We do not see women only as mothers, or as mothers, but women should have as much time as possible for themselves, and financial support for them and for children contributes significantly to everyone. We know that it is both parents, there is also the father in addition to the mother, but every empirical study and our practical experience shows that when we give money to families, it is better to give it to the woman than to the man. We have supported businesses that are owned by women with a subsidy value of close to half a million euros, while the value of the enabled credit exceeds three million euros. And in agriculture for 2021, we have distributed subsidies to 1325 women beneficiaries. These achievements demonstrate our commitment to promoting equality and empowering women.
So, in conclusion, let’s not be satisfied with that, let’s imagine a world where equality and justice are not aspirations, but lived realities. Let our actions be guided by the principles of economic equality and social solidarity, freedoms and rights, inclusion and active participation.
I congratulate you for this summer school, for this organization you do and thank you for your attention.
Last modified: September 12, 2023