The study visit was realised by the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence with the financial support of the European Union Delegation, Finnish Embassy in Serbia and the OSCE Mission to Serbia, as part of project Women for Democracy and Equality – increased participation of women in political decision-making and effective implementation of equal opportunities policies.
The study visit and said project aim to empower women in politically important positions, within political parties and the National Assembly, resulting in a more effective participation of women, boosting the implementation of equal opportunities policies and generating support for gender sensitive development. Finnish women MPs have taken part in the project from its very beginning and have participated in three educational seminars in Serbia.
In the course of the visit, the National Assembly delegation met with the Speaker, Secretary General and other representatives of the Finnish Parliament and parliamentary committees, representatives of executive and local authorities, the Ombudsman, as well as the civil sector and exchanged experiences in specific issues such as: the composition of the Finnish Parliament and scope of the parliamentary committees, functioning of the Finnish Parliament’s women MPs’ network, ensuring equal pay for women and men, how to react to instances of domestic violence, development of services at the local and regional level for the protection of victims of domestic violence and similar.
The realisation of the activities envisaged by the project should continue in the upcoming period.