Ministries of Defence and the Armed Forces in the Western Balkans reaffirmed their commitment to regional cooperation on integrating gender perspective into defence policy
12-13 April 2022
The 14th Regional Meeting of the Gender Equality Mechanisms (GEMs) in the Ministries of Defence (MoDs) and the Armed Forces (AFs) in the Western Balkans was held in Skopje on 12 and 13 April, with a total of 20 participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia, and the Republic of Serbia.
During the two-day regional meeting the gender advisers, gender trainers, decision-makers, and commanding officers presented progress, discussed and planned activities related to gender equality policies in defence.
The regional meeting of GEMs was opened by Mr Bashkim Hasani, Deputy Minister of Defence of the Republic of North Macedonia, H.E. Henrik Markus, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Skopje, and Ms Sanja Bojanic, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in North Macedonia.
Deputy Minister Hasani emphasized the importance of regional cooperation on gender mainstreaming in the security sector in the Western Balkans, which has been supported by UNDP SEESAC since 2012. He particularly underlined the evident progress made in the MoD of North Macedonia as a result of the regional project, which was also confirmed by the Second Regional Study on the Position of Women in Armed Forces in Western Balkans. The gender awareness among employees in the MoD of North Macedonia has improved. A notable rise has also been seen in the representation of women in the Army of North Macedonia: “There are 10.15% of women in the Army, 16.54% of women among military officers, and 39% of women at the decision-making positions in the MoD of North Macedonia”, said Deputy Minister Hasani in his opening address.
H.E. Henrik Markus commended the Western Balkans MoDs for the progress made in achieving gender equality, which was presented at the Ministerial Conference A Way Forward on Gender Equality in the Defence Sector in the Western Balkans in December 2021, when the joint Ministerial Declaration on Support for Gender Equality in Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans was signed. “I am confident that the joint activities envisaged in the Declaration will contribute to further integrating women into the Armed Forces in the Western Balkans ’’ Ambassador Markus stated.
Ms Sanja Bojanic, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in North Macedonia, highlighted the importance of the regional approach to advance gender equality in defence by facilitating knowledge exchange and planning of joint activities aligned with the MoDs’ priorities. Ms Bojanic congratulated the four MoDs on the joint Ministerial Declaration, which will assure the continuation of the regional cooperation in support of gender equality in defence.
At the 14th Regional Meeting of GEMs, the MoDs shared information and planned activities that would support gender-responsive and evidence-based policy, grounded in the recommendations of the Second Regional Study on the Position of Women in Armed Forces in Western Balkans. A planning session was dedicated also to strengthening internal complaints mechanisms in line with the regional Handbook on Preventing and Responding to Gender-Based Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, and Abuse. Furthermore, the findings of the Regional Youth Perception Survey – Values and Attitudes while considering future professions were presented, and follow-up actions were agreed upon.
On the second day of the regional meeting, UNDP SEESAC reported on the progress of the regional Study on Integrating Gender in Military Education and Training, which is being developed by four MoDs in the Western Balkans. The Study will map the policies and examples of good practice for mainstreaming gender in military education, as well as propose relevant recommendations based on the findings.
The Regional meetings of GEMs also serve as a platform for information sharing and knowledge exchange among other Western Balkans countries. In that respect, the participants of the 14th Regional meeting of GEMs had the opportunity to learn from Major General Manushaqe Shehu, Deputy Chief of General Staff of the AFs of Albania, about integrating a gender perspective into defence policy in the Ministry of Defence and AFs of the Republic of Albania.
Additionally, Brigadier General Mirsad Ahmic, General Inspector in the MoD of BiH shared his experience on strengthening gender equality mechanisms in BiH through leadership and building integrity.
The Regional Meetings of Gender Equality Mechanisms in the MoDs and AFs in the Western Balkans are organized through the “Strengthening of Regional Cooperation on Gender Mainstreaming in Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans” project financed by the governments of Norway and the Slovak Republic. With the support of SEESAC, the project provides the MoDs and AFs in the Western Balkans with a platform to share knowledge and develop policies contributing to ensuring long-term and sustainable inclusion of the gender per