Pristina, 24 September 2014
Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Edita Tahiri participated in the International Conference of the Regional Women’s Lobby on the topic ” the road towards to empower women in politics, peace processes and EU integration”, held in Saranda, Albania on 18 and 19 September in 2014.
In this conference, Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri, who is also the Chairperson of the Regional Women’s Lobby of South Eastern Europe, during her speech spoke about the importance of further strengthening women in decision making and peace processes in the spirit of UN resolutions and European policies for gender equality.
“Regional Women’s Lobby (RWLSEE) is a unique model in the region, which has brought together women leaders from politics and civil society to work together to enhance women’s role in key decision-making processes and peace processes at national and international levels. Women are shown as an important factor for building peace and stability in the region, considering their potential and vision to deal more with the future and less with the past, but of course by never forgetting the tragedy which happened in past “- said Ms. Tahiri and added that” The Government has paid great attention to gender equality policies and the empowerment of women and their participation in peace processes and among the illustrations it is the fact that the Chief negotiator for Brussels dialogue comes from the feminine world , which is a rare case in the region and the world, “said Ms. Tahiri.
She asked for more commitment from governments and society in general to support the strengthening of the role of women in government institutions and international organizations in leadership, emphasizing that regional women’s lobby can serve as a good example of mutual empowerment between women of different countries.
In this conference attended by prominent women from the region and the world, the participants agreed on a joint statement which will be sent to the relevant addresses, in order to seek greater support for women’s role in decision-making processes, peace and European integration. The integral text of the Declaration is as follows:
DECLARATION OF SARANDA
(Saranda, 19 September 2014): More than 70 prominent women politicians and civil society activists from Western Balkan countries were gathered together in the city of Saranda in Albania on 18 and 19 September 2014, in the International Conference “The road towards to empower women in politics, peace processes and EU integration “, to discuss and agree on a set of recommendations, how to enhance the role of women in peace processes and security in the region and political decision-making. Special attention was given to EU integration and peace agreements.
The conference was organized by the Regional Women’s Lobby for Peace, Security and Justice in South Eastern Europe (SEE LRG), in partnership with the Office of UN Women and with the support of the Swedish Government and the Albanian Government.
Among participants of the senior level were Edita Tahiri, Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo; Englantina Gjermeni, Minister of Urban Development and Tourism in Albania, Dijana Vukomanovic, Vice President of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS); Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir, UN Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia and appointed representative of UN Women of the Republic of Turkey; Elisabeth Rehn, former Minister of Finland. Ulrike Lunacek, Vice President of the European Parliament participated through a video statement.
SEE LRG, in cooperation with UN Women and all participants attending the conference represented the following recommendations:
1. Integration into the European Union is a peaceful project which has the potential to transform relations between countries and peoples in the Western Balkans towards a sustainable peace and stability, by accelerating the process of integration in the EU countries, while urging countries to strengthen European reform and help them reach their goals.
2. To continuously lobbying for EU enlargement process and to explain society that enlargement is a chance for the Western Balkans to join the western part of Europe, and to support the empowerment of women through the implementation by each country of policies and EU standards. Also, to call for increasing the role of women in the EU integration processes.
3. Participants re-emphasized their support for Dialog Brussels by calling for full and effective implementation of all agreements reached until now. Successful implementation implies an inclusive process that engages all levels of society and public institutions. Particular attention should be paid to inter-ethnic dialogue between Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo. Knowing that the Brussels agreement is beneficial to everyone at the same time by contributing to peace and stability in the region. Brussels dialogue can also serve as a peacebuilding model to resolve remaining differences in the region. Women’s role in this dialogue must achieve a growth in all ongoing peace processes and in those to come in the future. It should be focused more in the future and less in the past and shall serve as a guiding light to lead us towards a peaceful and stable society.
4. LRG SEE represents a success model of cooperation and peace-building in the region and should be included as partners in peace processes in the region, by being a model and for other peace processes in other regions in the world.
5. Women still remain under-represented in politics and decision-making. We call for more women representation in government, the leadership of the political parties in parliament and in local government as mayor. We encourage women to be more active in seeking a role to leadership positions in political parties and should not be waited to be offered positions in management. Parliamentary groups of women in parliament and various networks between women politicians and women’s civil society organizations should be useful towards the goal of empowering women.
6. Along with proper legislation to protect and promote gender equality, should be more affirmative policies nationally and internationally, to support and encourage more women to gain leadership positions in politics, since women have the capacity to take over management positions for improving society.
7. There should be more effective cooperation between women in politics and civil society organizations and the role of women in civil society must recognize and respect. Civil Society Women’s Organization should be supported with more resources and funding from state budgets.
Preparation of young women leaders to serve as agents of change by creating a regional academy, where LRG SEE shall play a crucial role.
Last modified: July 31, 2022