Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces in Montenegro Trains its Staff on Gender in Security Sector

From 12 to 14 December 2012, a seminar titled “Gender in Security Sector” was held for fourteen representatives of Montenegro’s Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and EU Integration, and civil society in Pržno. The Seminar was co-organized by the Montenegrin Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, and UNDP/SEESAC’s regional project “Support for Gender Mainstreaming in Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans” (Gender Equality in the Military).  The aim of the seminar was to raise awareness on gender equality among the security sector ranks and to provide participants with the basic training skills.

Ms. Radmila Djakonovic, the gender focal point in the Montenegrin Ministry of Defense, presented the activities related to the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325. She emphasized that the regional Gender Equality in the Military project provides a platform for exchange of information, further enabling cooperation among the ministries implementing UN RS 1325. UNDP/SEESAC Project Officer, Danijela Djurovic, acquainted the participants with the results and activities of the project.

During this three-day seminar, participants learned about the concept of gender equality, they were acquainted with the domestic legal framework in the area of anti-discrimination and gender equality and were provided with an overview of statistical data on the position of women in Montenegro, including indicators on the participation of women and their roles in the MoD and AF. Presentations, as well as group work and discussions among participants and experts were used to pass on and solidify the knowledge on these subjects. The Seminar featured experts from across the region as guest-lecturers.
 
In addition, a presentation was held on the international legal framework for gender equality with the specific focus on the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the Convention on Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the relevant NATO directive on gender in the military.  

Experiences in developing and implementing action plans for the implementation of the UN SC Resolution 1325 in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were shared with the participants.  Irena Boskovic, coordinator of the Gender Equality Department introduced basic training skills to those representatives of the MoD and AF who will in the future take on the role of trainers.
 
As part of the raising awareness session, an American film “Iron Jawed Angels” was played to the participants. The film examines the women’s’ fight for political freedom and right to vote in the USA at the beginning of the century.