Gender Trainers Review Their Results and Learn how to Advocate for Gender Equality in MoDs and AFs
The third meeting of the Regional Network of Gender Trainers in the Ministries of Defence (MoDs) and the Armed Forces (AFs) in the Western Balkans was held on 20 October 2015 in Belgrade. The meeting was organized by UNDP SEESAC with the aim to enable networking, information sharing and knowledge exchange among gender trainers.
Twenty eight representatives of the MoDs and AFs in the Western Balkans, participated in the meeting and presented their activities aimed at raising gender awareness and strengthening capacities of MoDs and AFs to integrate the gender perspective in policy and practice. The overview of activities covered the period since the last regional meeting in June
2015. In addition to this, gender trainers analysed their role in MoDs and AFs, their impact, and planned future activities.
Back to back to the 3rd meeting of the Regional Network, a two day Gender Policy Advocacy Workshop was organized on 21 and 22 October 2015 in partnership with DCAF, Centre for Security, Development and Rule of Law. The workshop was organized for sixteen gender trainers who finalized the Gender Training of Trainers Course in 2015 with the aim enhance their capacity to advocate for
gender equality in the MoDs and AFs.
The two-day workshop increased gender trainers’ capacities to analyze and develop gender policies in the security sector reform context and to advocate for gender equality in their own working environment. The workshop was designed to build upon trainers’ previously gained knowledge with special emphasis on bolstering their advocacy skills through practical examples.
About THE GENDER EQUALITY IN THE MILITARY PROJECT
SEESAC's Gender Equality in the Military: Strengthening of Regional Cooperation on Gender Mainstreaming in Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans project aims to create a more conducive environment for the advancement of women in the military in the Western Balkans. With this as its goal, SEESAC is supporting the Ministries of Defense in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in their efforts to ensure better integration, retention and professional development for women in the armed forces; stronger participation of women in decision-making; and gender sensitive change in their organizational cultures.