The Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) member organization, Okarina e Runikut, held two advocacy meetings in the Municipality of Skenderaj, where participants discussed Gender Responsive Budgeting and the role of equal participation of women and girls in local government.

The first meeting was held with Ms. Besarta Meha-Ademi, the Director of Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Tourism, who provided support toward women’s participation in entrepreneurship.

About 20 participants discussed together about Gender Responsive Budgeting and the importance of supporting women and young women of this municipality.

Participant Ermira Hyseni, while appreciating this opportunity for conversation, raised the need for women to be informed about holding public hearings.

“The lack of information regarding the public hearings has left us behind, so we didn’t have the opportunity to ask for our needs to be in the work plan of the Directorates. Therefore, I request that this information to be announced in the official website of the Municipality, also through the local media”, she said, among other things.

Based on the requests arising from this meeting, the representatives of Okarina e Runikut submitted the Document with Recommendations for improving and strengthening the participation of women in local politics to the Chairperson of the Municipal Assembly, Adelina Spahiu,

Spahiu vowed that this document would be reviewed by municipal councilors and the executive.

In addition to this municipality, Fetije Smakaj from Okarina e Runikut also held a meeting in the Municipality of Vushtrri where she talked with members of the Municipal Assembly, activists and local organizations to promote women’s participation in politics and decision-making processes, as well as the importance of implementation of Gender Responsive Budgeting at the municipal level.

Assemblywoman Adelina Syla-Sadiku vowed to use her voice to promote Gender Responsive Budgeting. She also expressed her support for this initiative, as well as that she will share with women the opportunities to participate in public hearings.

Among other things, they talked about the local elections of 2021 in the Municipality of Vushtrri.

This initiative was made possible thanks to the support received from the European Union (EU) Office in Kosovo, through the KWN initiative “Strengthening Women’s Participation in Politics”.