After more than a year of political uncertainty and institutional delays, Kosovo finally has formed a new Government, opening the way for long-awaited reforms and legislative processes to move forward.

The Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) today has sent a letter to Prime Minister Albin Kurti congratulating him on the formation of the new Government. At the same time, the Network expressed concern regarding the small percentage of women appointed as ministers. KWN recalled that the Law on Gender Equality mandates equal representation of women and men in decision-making (50%), stressing that balanced representation is both a legal obligation and fundamental to democratic governance.

Moreover, as the new Government prepares to rapidly move forward with substantial reforms and new legislation, KWN urged the systematic integration of gender equality and women’s rights across all policy areas. The Network called for several urgent legal and policy changes, including: the adoption of a new Labour Law aligned with the EU Work-Life Balance Directive; the establishment of clear gender equality indicators within Kosovo’s Reform Agenda under the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans; the institutionalisation of gender-responsive budgeting within forthcoming public finance laws; greater investment in care services, towards enabling women’s labour force participation and transforming unpaid work into paid labour; and the establishment of a dedicated budget line within the Agency for Gender Equality to support diverse women’s organisations, especially in light of the current funding crisis.

The Network expressed its readiness to cooperate closely with the new Government and all ministers to continue protecting, promoting and advancing women’s rights in Kosovo.

Read the full letter here.