Ministries of Defence from the Western Balkans Visit the Swedish Defence University

UNDP SEESAC organized the study visit to the Swedish Defence University on 21 of April 2016 for representatives of the Ministries of Defence (MoDs) and the Armed Forces (AFs) in the Western Balkans to learn about the process of integrating the gender perspective and UNSCR 1325 into military education and training.

Brigadier General Bengt Axelsson, Vice Principle of the Swedish Defence University, in his opening remarks said that inclusion of gender in military is the question of will, knowledge and leadership.

“When the military integrates the gender perspective, there will be no structure in society left with old patriarchal order”,  professor Robert Egnell, Head of the Strategy, Security and Leadership section at the Swedish Defense University, told the Western Balkan delegation as they attended a lecture on how to incorporate gender into military education. 

“Once you put the gender glasses on, there is no way back”, professor Egnell emphasized. 

The program of the study visit focused on how the UNSCR 1325 and gender perspective were integrated in to  Swedish Defence University, looked at the academic approach to integrating gender in military operations, in particular integrating gender and UNSCR 1325 in officers’ education and cadets training and gender and international law. During a Combined Joint Staff Exercise in Enköping, the participants visited Gender Advisors at operational and tactical levels and learnt more about future plans on the gender perspective and UNSCR 1325 in the Swedish Armed Forces.

Participants of the study visit included decision makers and persons responsible for development of military education and training from MoDs; and gender focal points from the MoDs and AF. 

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, Republic of 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 culture.