The Conference aimed to present the results of the Women’s Parliamentary Network, types of cooperation with the provincial and local gender equality mechanisms and the plans for future networking and cooperation.

Women’s Parliamentary Network coordinator Marija Obradovic opened the Conference dedicated, she said, to the empowerment of Serbian women for political and social activism. Obradovic said that the Conference gathers about 200 Serbian councilwomen in order to provide them with guidelines and models on how to take more active part in important life issues and how to improve their work at the local level. The Women’s Parliamentary Network coordinator also emphasised the importance of encouraging women to be more active in the decision-making process.

Addressing the assembly, National Assembly Secretary General Jana Ljubicic said that the National Assembly had passed a great many laws aimed at improving the position of women in Serbia. She said that, at the moment, the Serbian Parliament has 84 women MPs – which is 33.60% of the Assembly, making Serbia 23rd in the world. The National Assembly Secretary General opined that the Women’s Parliamentary Network, comprising women MPs irrespective of political affiliation, is a clear indicator teaching all the MP how they should fight for the citizens’ well-being.

The participants of the Conference were also addressed by Luca Bianconi, advisor and Head of the Political Section of the European Union Delegation to Serbia, Peter Burkhard, Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, and Irena Cerovic, Executive Director of the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence.

MP Dubravka Filipovski presented the Women’s Parliamentary Network to the participants of the Conference. Stefana Miladinovic presented the Women’s Parliamentary Network’s Activity Report, Activity Rulebook and Activity Plan. National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gordana Comic spoke about the goals of the Second National Conference of the Women’s Parliamentary Network.

In the working part of the Conference the MPs tackled issues such as: economic empowerment of women, women and European integration at the local level, women’s inequality, dialogue between women and men and women’s health. Afterwards, they presented final recommendations and future steps.

The Conference was attended by MPs, councillors in local authorities, representatives of local self-governments, representatives of international and civil society organisations, diplomatic corps and the media.

The Women’s Parliamentary Network held its Second National Conference in cooperation with the OSCE Mission to Serbia and the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence.

You can watch the Second National Conference of the Women’s Parliamentary Network here:

• introduction
• working group “Economic empowerment of women”
• working group “Women’s inequality”
• working group “Women’s health”
• working group “Women and European integration at the local level”
• final recommendations and future steps