SEESAC Organizes 4th Advanced Seminar on Gender Equality for Serbian Military Academy Cadets
On 29 April 2014, UNDP/SEESAC organized the 4th and final Advanced Seminar on Gender Equality for Serbia’s Military Academy cadets.
The advance course was developed specifically in response to a request made by the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia, prompted by the high interest expressed by the Military Academy cadets who attended the four basic gender awareness (GA) seminars held during the second half of 2013.
The advanced seminars were developed with the aim of further increasing gender awareness among cadets who took part in the basic GA course and advancing their understanding of gender perspectives in the military.
Nine (9) female and fourteen (14) male Military Academy cadets attended the 4th seminar which focused on the following topics: gender and security sector reform; gender equality mechanisms in the Ministry of Defence; the position of women in the Serbian Armed Forces based on the data gathered through the study on the Position of Women in the Armed Forces in the Western Balkans; and gender equality in multinational operations.
Cadets actively participated in the seminar exercises and showed great interest, especially in topics related to the practical aspects of integrating women in the Armed Forces. They were particularly keen on learning more about the gender perspective in peacekeeping operations.
In their evaluations, cadets described the seminar as very useful and educational. Furthermore, they appreciated the opportunity to have a candid discussion with the instructors.
Three previous advanced gender equality seminars were held on 27 March, 3 April, and 16 April of this year.
The Advanced Seminars on Gender Equality are organized within the framework of the regional project Gender Equality in the Military: Strengthening of Regional Cooperation on Gender Mainstreaming in Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans.
ABOUT THE GENDER EQUALITY IN THE MILITARY PROJECT
SEESAC's Gender Equality in the Military 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, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia in their efforts to ensure better integration, retention, and professional development for women in the armed forces. SEESAC also works to foster women’s participation in decision-making, as well as gender sensitive change in the organizational culture of the military.