Opening the public hearing, Meho Omerovic, Chairman of the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality, said that it was held on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. He opined that women with disabilities are discriminated against on multiple grounds.
Antje Rothemund, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, said that the Istanbul Convention is the first official binding document demanding zero-tolerance for violence against women. She said that the Council of Europe recommends the ratification of the Convention and commended the National Assembly’s ratification of the Convention. Rothemund added that violence against women is a breach of human rights and it is the state’s duty to protect women.
Asya Varbanova, Director of the UN Women Office in Serbia, stressed that, besides women’s human and social rights, the Convention also deals with their economic status. Listing the basic obligations of the signatories of the Istanbul Convention, Varbanova said that the three chief areas the CEDAW deals with are the implementation of laws, policies and strategies in the area, protection of marginalised groups and hate directed against said groups.
In her introductory address, Brankica Jankovic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Policy, said that the Istanbul Convention is the first international instrument offering comprehensive protection of women’s rights. She spoke about the interactive dialogue between the delegation of the Republic of Serbia and the CEDAW at the Committee’s session in Geneva.
Speaking of the Istanbul Convention, Stana Bozovic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Policy, stressed that no country can reach an acceptable level of democracy as long as its citizens’ human rights are threatened and if it lacks gender equality.
Suzana Paunovic, Director of the Serbian Government Office for Human and Minority Rights, spoke of the implementation of the recommendations of the UN CEDAW Committee with a special focus on the relevant authorities and priority activities.
Biljana Brankovic, independent women’s rights researcher-consultant, presented the basic obligations of the Istanbul Convention signatory countries and the current situation in the Republic of Serbia.
Speaking of the National Assembly’s role in the implementation of the recommendations of the UN CEDAW Committee and the Istanbul Convention, Tamara Tripic, member of the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality, stressed that the Convention is binding for all levels of government. She said that the National Assembly should both implement the Convention and monitor how it is implemented at all levels.

The public hearing was organised with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) via project Strengthening the Oversight Role and Transparency of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, conducted in cooperation with the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.