On February 24, 2021, with masks on and social distancing measures in place, the Kosovo Lobby for Gender Equality (KLGE) gathered to discuss “Women and Local Elections”.
Representatives of government institutions, local and international organizations, members of the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), and women engaged in politics discussed and shared their experiences regarding women’s participation in politics at the local level.
During this meeting, participants discussed the achievements, challenges and necessary advocacy needed to increase the representation of women in politics and decision-making processes.
KWN Executive Director, Igballe Rogova, started the meeting by mentioning the importance of these discussions for unification amongst organisations and creating energy to continue the joint effort of achieving gender equality in Kosovo.
“This year we need even more inspiration. There was a big change in the parliamentary elections, but we have local elections ahead and we need to get back to working towards it without wasting time. Even in local elections we want to see brave and courageous women. Today we will discuss how we can support them during the working groups”, said Rogova.
During the introductory remarks, Atifete Jahjaga, President of the Republic of Kosovo 2011-2016, congratulated KWN and the KLGE for their continued activism in getting more women involved in politics.
“In the elections of February 14, we proved that we can hold democratic elections, and serve as an example for the countries in the region. […] We noticed in the original electoral lists that no party intended to achieve equal gender representation, but only reach the 30% quota, as required by the Law on General Elections. Only the minimum criteria were applied, and because of this we have an under-representation of women at the local levels of government”, said Jahjaga.
Albulena Zaimi, Program Manager for Education, Austrian Development Agency (ADA), said she appreciates the work of KWN and the long-term efforts that have already begun to yield tangible results.
“We pay special attention to the principles of gender equality, which functions as equal participation of women in economic and social life. ADA started its cooperation with KWN before 2012, supporting the empowerment of KWN member organisations as well as the empowerment of women in politics and decision-making,” said Zaimi.
Next, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, MP, gave a historical perspective of her own journey into politics with the help of KWN.
“I started my journey for Gender Equality with an invitation from Igballe Rogova (Igos), two decades ago, in 2002. We love and are very personally inspired by politics.We can contribute not only to the country we came from, but to the whole state, to the whole of Kosovo. For me, it was not important how I would end up (career wise), but how I could contribute to a country that was broken and devastated “, said Kusari-Lila to the audience.
Participants like Mihrije Suka, Deputy Mayor of Suhareka and Rezarta Delibashzade-Krasniqi, Executive Director, Democracy for Development (D4D) stated this meeting was necessary to achieving solidarity among actors working for women’s rights.
The second part of this meeting brought together members of the KLGE in working groups, where attendees identified key points for future advocacy to improve the position of women in local politics.
This meeting was supported by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).
