We thank EULEX and the Working Party on the Western Balkans Region (COWEB) for the opportunity to share about KWN and our members’ work to empower women’s rights groups; increase women’s participation in politics and a gender perspective in laws and policy-making; address gender-based violence in line with the Istanbul Convention; empower women economically through legal reforms and addressing gender-based discrimination at work; further women’s access to healthcare; and transform gender norms through education, including childcare availability.
We requested COWEB members’ support to:
1) ensure diverse women have a seat at the table during Pristina-Belgrade Dialogue and that EU Special Envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, consults women’s rights groups as per UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and EU commitments to it, as per KWN’s letters;
2) ensure that EU regulations make stronger commitments to furthering gender equality, including clear targets and budget allocations (noting IPA III as a missed opportunity);
3) encourage the Kosovo government to adopt needed legal and policy reforms and allocate budget for implementing the Istanbul Convention in close consultation with women’s rights activists as experts; and
4) expedite visa liberalization to truly realise European values of intercultural exchange and peace-building.
