The coordinator of the Women’s Parliamentary Network of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and MP Stefana Miladinovic said that every modern democracy is grounded in equality, with gender equality being the most important test of social equality and justice. She also said that the development of equal opportunities policy is very important for Serbia with its strategic commitment to European integration. In the drafting of the Women’s Platform, the Women’s Parliamentary Network was given a particularly important role and has managed, according to the coordinator, in its two years of existence, to show a brand new image of political reality in which the members have managed to highlight ideological differences as an advantage of the network. She also listed some of the results of the Women’s Parliamentary Network, the most important being the two national conferences resulting in over 50 councillors’ networks in Serbia and the Conference of Women Parliamentarians of South-East Europe, attended by 25 women parliamentarians from 12 countries, that took place three days ago in Belgrade.
The members of the Women’s Parliamentary Network Dijana Vukomanovic, Dubravka Filipovski and Gordana Comic also took part in the presentation of the Women’s Platform for the Development of Serbia. Vukomanovic said that the perception of women’s power is changing, Dubravka Filipovski urged the women and men parliamentarians to sign the Women’s Platform, while Gordana Comic said that the Women’s Platform should become an integral part of all political party programmes.
Among others, MP and member of the Women’s Parliamentary Network Aida Corovic and the Chairperson of the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality Meho Omerovic also took part in the presentation.
The Platform was the result of the 2014 conference in Palic attended by a great many women from different institutions, parliaments, the academic community, civil society, private sector, political parties, trade unions and the media.
The gathering was organised by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation with the support of the Serbian Government’s Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit.