On 22 October the Gender Equality Committee held a sitting in the form of a roundtable to discuss the Gender Equality Bill.

The sitting was chaired by Gordana Paunovic-Milosavljevic, Committee Chairperson, who, in her opening address, pointed out the importance of passing this law, stressing that Serbia is the only country in the region to lack such a law.

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic applauded the initiative to hold the roundtable and share opinions on the Bill so as to improve some of the solutions. She stated that the Bill had been included in the agenda for the next National Assembly session.

Assembly Speaker Djukic-Dejanovic said that according to this year’s data women in Serbia are in a less favourable position than men, adding that the employment rate of the male population amounts to 58.7%, compared to 43.4% for the female population. She added that women suffer the consequences of longstanding discrimination, neglect and stereotypes in both private and public life.

The National Assembly Speaker said that it is Serbia’s constitutional and international duty to pass this law, listing the need for greater respect of human rights and social democratisation as some of the reasons.

The representative of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Snezana Lakicevic-Stojacic, reminded that this was the fourth version of the law which provides the normative framework for the implementation of a thorough equal opportunities policy.

Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic pointed out that the Bill does not stipulate that the local self-government units should secure employees or mechanisms to ensure the implementation of the equal opportunities policy. Representative of the Gender Equality Directorate Natalija Micunovic briefed the participants of the roundtable on the Directorate’s activities in the drafting of the Bill, and the Dean of the Nis Faculty of Law Dr Nevenka Petrusic provided an expert analysis of the Bill.

The Committee members expect that the new law shall contribute to improve gender equality and inspire a more active equal opportunities policy for men and women.

Cuban Ambassador to Serbia Mercedes Martinez Valdes took part in the roundtable and talked about her country’s progress in ensuring gender equality. She said that Cuba is the second country in the world in female representation in the Parliament.

The roundtable was held in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).