American students from Danish Institut visit KWN

05.10.2015

Last week KWN welcomed five students from the Danish Institute for Study Abroad’s Justice and Human Rights program. Mimoza Pachuku, the Manager of Kosova Women’s Fund at Kosova Women’s Network (KWN), explained the roots of KWN, its history and activism throughout the years. 

Since the student’s field of study is Humanitarian Law and Armed Conflict they were interested to know about KWN’s engagement in gender based violence. As this is one of the main pillars of KWN’s strategy 2015-2018, they were informed about the nation-wide research KWN is conducting on gender based violence and sexual harassment; the creation of the National Council for the Survivors of Wartime Sexual Violence, the #TakeBackTheNight initiative of FemAct; and the initiatives of KWN members on local level regarding gender based violence. 

Several students, after they got informed regarding KWN’s work and activities expressed their interest to intern for KWN.

18.06.25

Workshop Held on Social Services, Rights, and Other Mechanisms 

12.06.25

Activists Engage in President’s Global Forum on Women, Peace and Security  

30.05.25

WCSOs Ask: What’s the Real Cost of Specialised Services for Gender-based Violence?  

30.05.25

Budget Red Lines: Community Session Calls for Action on Menstrual Poverty 

30.05.25

The Institutional Crisis Continues to Contribute to Discrimination Against Women 

29.05.25

Preventing and Protecting Blind Women and Girls in Kosovo from Violence 

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October Brings Third Edition of FemART

01.10.2015

Centre for Promotion and Community Artpolis is organizing a Regional Women’s Artists Festival (FemART) for the third time in Prishtina. FemART will start on 7 and will go on until 12 October. 
  The program of the Festival will contain different themes such as: human rights, LGBT, reproductive health, women’s economic empowerment, violence against women etc.
   Similar to previous years, this edition will also contain artistic creations, including theatre plays, movies, concerts, book promotions, fashion, installations, street art, poetry, workshops, and other forms of art creations from feminist women and men artists from Kosovo and region, including: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Turkey. The deadline for application was open from 24 August until 15 September. Even though the Festival doesn’t have a competitive nature, the program will be chosen from different artists and activist and will take place in different locations such is cultural institutions, cinemas, and other different spaces. 
   The agenda and the places will be online very soon in FemART official page. The festival will be open and will have free for all interested citizens. 

18.06.25

Workshop Held on Social Services, Rights, and Other Mechanisms 

12.06.25

Activists Engage in President’s Global Forum on Women, Peace and Security  

30.05.25

WCSOs Ask: What’s the Real Cost of Specialised Services for Gender-based Violence?  

30.05.25

Budget Red Lines: Community Session Calls for Action on Menstrual Poverty 

30.05.25

The Institutional Crisis Continues to Contribute to Discrimination Against Women 

29.05.25

Preventing and Protecting Blind Women and Girls in Kosovo from Violence 

GIZ and MLSW Launch New Project on Youth Employment

30.09.2015

On September 30th, Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Ministry for Labour and Social Welfare (MLSW) signed the agreement for the lauch of a new innovative project on youth employment. The project, titled Youth Employment Promotion in Kosovo (YEPiK), has a twofold overall goal of: 1. increasing the employability of youth; and 2. increasing their awareness of existing opportunities in their municipalities. The project aims to achieve these goals by enhancing the existing employment infrastructure in three pilot municipalities: Gjakova, Ferizaj, and Vushtrri. This will be done by offering support to employment (EOs) centers and vocational training centers (VTCs) directly. 
    In her opening remarks, project leader Emily Cullom, stated that the project “can and will go directly into action”, emphasizing her happiness about the cooperative nature of their agreement with MLSW and local authorities.  Subsequently, Minister Abrashi of MLSW, stated that “we need quick and concrete results”, adding that the premise of YEPiK is exactly that. One of the specific focuses of this project will be to increase the employability and employment rates of young women. 
KWN representative Donjeta Morina was present at the meeting and KWN looks forward to the success of this project. 

18.06.25

Workshop Held on Social Services, Rights, and Other Mechanisms 

12.06.25

Activists Engage in President’s Global Forum on Women, Peace and Security  

30.05.25

WCSOs Ask: What’s the Real Cost of Specialised Services for Gender-based Violence?  

30.05.25

Budget Red Lines: Community Session Calls for Action on Menstrual Poverty 

30.05.25

The Institutional Crisis Continues to Contribute to Discrimination Against Women 

29.05.25

Preventing and Protecting Blind Women and Girls in Kosovo from Violence 

KWN organized a training on Gender Mainstreaming in Public Policies.

Activists Aim to Mainstream Gender in Public Policies

21.09.2015

On 21 Sep., KWN trained member organizations, representatives of the Kosovo Lobby for Gender Equality and FemACT members on how to mainstream gender in public policies.
During the first part of the workshop, participants learned basic concepts related to gender mainstreaming from Nicole Farnsworth and Donjeta Morina from KWN. They explained the various forms of public polices (e.g., laws, strategies and action plans), as well as gender mainstreaming, gender analysis and gender responsive budgeting. Gender mainstreaming, defined as the integration of a gender perspective in all public policies, is a crucial instrument for achieving gender equality. Participants can use gender mainstreaming in analysing the impact of various public policies on men, women, girls and boys.
 Then, they detailed steps that should be taken in order to mainstream gender and discussed different practical examples. Any new public policy could potentially impact men and women differently, so conducting a gender impact analysis to inform draft policies is important. An example discussed was that of a public policy that would cut salaries of primary healthcare sector employees in half. This seemingly “neutral” policy would impact women more, as women are employed in the public health sector in much higher numbers than men. Another example included increasing car taxes, which would disproportionally impact men (as there are more men drivers in Kosovo).
 “This is a very new approach of analysing public policies,” said a participant. “It will be very useful for our future work at the local level.”
After lunch, participants divided into several groups where they discussed specific public policies and sought to mainstream gender in them. The documents and laws discussed included: the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for the Ministry of Economic Development; the Education Strategic Plan in Kosovo; the Labour Law; the Draft Law for Registration and Records of the Unemployed and Jobseekers; the Budget of Fushe Kosove; and the Gender Action Plan for Dragash Municipality. Participants worked directly on each document, preparing recommendations from a gender perspective that they later presented orally to the entire group. Among the recommendations presented were the following: 
  • Disaggregate all information by gender in public policies, including laws, budget documents, strategies and administrative instructions;
  • Specify terms, such as “women and men”, instead of using general terms like “citizens” and/or “persons”;
  • Analyse labour market demands for women and men before launching the Draft Law for Registration and Records of the Unemployed and Jobseekers;
  • Encourage more women to register at Regional Employment Centres (RECs); Add a gender annex to annual budget documents and raise awareness among citizens to participate in public hearings. 
Participants were very active and interested in learning how to mainstream gender. They also obtained ideas from other participants regarding advocacy activities and initiatives that have already begun in other municipalities.
The aforementioned recommendations, among others made directly on policy documents, will be used by KWN, its members and KLGE to inform future policies from a gender perspective, especially considering that most of the aforementioned policies can still be influenced.This workshop was supported by the European Union Office in Kosovo.

 

 

18.06.25

Workshop Held on Social Services, Rights, and Other Mechanisms 

12.06.25

Activists Engage in President’s Global Forum on Women, Peace and Security  

30.05.25

WCSOs Ask: What’s the Real Cost of Specialised Services for Gender-based Violence?  

30.05.25

Budget Red Lines: Community Session Calls for Action on Menstrual Poverty 

30.05.25

The Institutional Crisis Continues to Contribute to Discrimination Against Women 

29.05.25

Preventing and Protecting Blind Women and Girls in Kosovo from Violence 

Open Door and Ruka Ruci

18.09.2015

21.06.24

Public Call for Applications for Capacity Building and Sub-Granting in Gender and Climate Change Financing

19.12.18

Organization of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy of Kosovo (OPDMK)

19.12.18

Women’s Association “Aureola”

19.12.18

The Midwives Association of Kosovo

19.12.18

Handikos Mitrovica

19.12.18

Psychotherapists in Action

The Association Psychotherapists in Action

18.09.2015

21.06.24

Public Call for Applications for Capacity Building and Sub-Granting in Gender and Climate Change Financing

19.12.18

Organization of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy of Kosovo (OPDMK)

19.12.18

Women’s Association “Aureola”

19.12.18

The Midwives Association of Kosovo

19.12.18

Handikos Mitrovica

19.12.18

Psychotherapists in Action

The Foundation for Education and Development (FED)

18.09.2015

21.06.24

Public Call for Applications for Capacity Building and Sub-Granting in Gender and Climate Change Financing

19.12.18

Organization of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy of Kosovo (OPDMK)

19.12.18

Women’s Association “Aureola”

19.12.18

The Midwives Association of Kosovo

19.12.18

Handikos Mitrovica

19.12.18

Psychotherapists in Action

Today, political entities in Kosova, signed the Declaration on the Inclusion of Women in Electoral Management.

Political Entities Sign Declaration on the Inclusion of Women in Electoral Management

16.09.2015

On 16 September 2015, political entities of the Republic of Kosova signed the Declaration on the Inclusion of Women in Electoral Management. The ceremony was organized by the Institute Democracy for Development (D4D).
    By signing  this Declaration, political entities have commited to tackle the issue of gender inequality in electoral processes. While this Declaration was signed by representatives of 10 political entities that attended the ceremony, it will be open for signature for one month, enabling others who could not be present today to sign it.
     The signed declaration aims to increase women’s participation in electoral management bodies from the national level, local level and in the polling stations. At the national level, it aims at achieving a participation of no less than 40% and up, until there is equal gender participation for both genders. Further, the declaration entails the commitment of political entities for producing strategies and plans for increasing women’s participation and improving the gender structures inside parties.
      The signing of the Declaration on the Inclusion of Women in Electoral Management is an activity that D4D has developed in cooperation with International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and aims to raise awareness of society on benefits of equal gender participation in electoral processes.
     Additionally to the  political entities, representatives of institutions, accredited embassies in Kosovo, international organizations and civil society, including Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), were also present at the ceremony of signing the declaration.
 

 

 

18.06.25

Workshop Held on Social Services, Rights, and Other Mechanisms 

12.06.25

Activists Engage in President’s Global Forum on Women, Peace and Security  

30.05.25

WCSOs Ask: What’s the Real Cost of Specialised Services for Gender-based Violence?  

30.05.25

Budget Red Lines: Community Session Calls for Action on Menstrual Poverty 

30.05.25

The Institutional Crisis Continues to Contribute to Discrimination Against Women 

29.05.25

Preventing and Protecting Blind Women and Girls in Kosovo from Violence 

Gender Coordination Group Discusses Women’s Property Rights

14.09.2015

 Coordination of the many organizations, donors, and government agencies working on women and property rights has been identified as a major need. Organizations working on similar causes need to be informed about each other’s activities, towards improving cooperation. The Gender Coordination Group (GCG) for Property Rights Program (PRP) was reactivated this year, building on the platform that existed last year.
    GCG members include people from different sectors, including civil society, government and donor agencies, that are working in areas relevant to property rights and women’s rights. Members meet bimonthly to discuss and plan activities regarding women’s property rights.  GCG’s mission is to develop activities that will help strengthen legislation and court procedures to better protect women’s property rights; change cultural attitudes and behaviours about women’s property rights; and promote opportunities to engage as economic actors.
   On 2 Sep. GCG held a bimonthly meeting co-hosted by the Agency for Gender Equality and the USAID-funded, TetraTech-implemented Property Rights Program. GCG members presented activities held in recent months. They also made plans regarding the future. 
   The Property Rights Program presented information about Social Behaviour Change Campaigns (SBCC), which are campaigns that use data, as well as creative ideas to focus on changing or positively influencing social norms in support of long-term, sustainable behaviour change within a population. The presentation sought to get GCG members “on the same page” regarding the meaning of SBCC, so that if they initiate joint campaigns in the future, all group members have a shared understanding and approach.To this end, participants also completed a questionnaire regarding SBCC, identifying their existing knowledge and what they would like to learn about SBCC during an upcoming workshop organized by the Property Rights Program.  
   Other information shared during this meeting included:

  •  KWN shared the information for the campaign “I Dare to Speak” which aims to inform citizens about their legal rights, particularly women’s rights, and existing gender equality mechanisms through artistic plays, monologues, and songs.
  • ATRC has an open call for Rapid funds (max $25,000), which will be open through 2017. Through this initiative, ATRC is going to fund organizations that need “ad hoc funds” for a campaign or to react to an emergency; ATRC also gave two grants to BIRN and Advocacy Center For Democratic Culture (ACDC).
  •  A representative from the Ombudsperson’s office said that the office is ready for cooperation and to help with cases for women’s empowerment.
  •   Sabrije Bytyqi from parliament assembly said they are pushing further cases regarding gender equality and that they will continue to do so.
 The next meeting of GCG will be in November. Participants were encouraged to be in contact and to share information regarding their activities related to women’s property rights via email in the meantime. 

18.06.25

Workshop Held on Social Services, Rights, and Other Mechanisms 

12.06.25

Activists Engage in President’s Global Forum on Women, Peace and Security  

30.05.25

WCSOs Ask: What’s the Real Cost of Specialised Services for Gender-based Violence?  

30.05.25

Budget Red Lines: Community Session Calls for Action on Menstrual Poverty 

30.05.25

The Institutional Crisis Continues to Contribute to Discrimination Against Women 

29.05.25

Preventing and Protecting Blind Women and Girls in Kosovo from Violence 

Gender Equality Officers Hone Skills in Gender Budgeting

11.09.2015

With the new Law on Gender Equality (Law 05/L-020), Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) has become a legal obligation in Kosovo. While GRB is now required of all budget organizations, only a few have the institutional know-how on how to properly institutionalize GRB, a strategy for mainstreaming gender in budget documents and processes.
    Fortunately, every budget organization (every ministry and every municipality) has a Gender Equality Officer (GEO), responsible for mainstreaming gender in all policies, strategies, and budgets. On 9 September, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) in collaboration with the Agency for Gender Equality (AGE), organized a training on GRB for GEOs of all ministries and municipalities in the Republic of Kosovo.
Edi Gusia, Head of the Division for Monitoring and Evaluation at AGE, and Igballe Rogova, Executive Director of KWN opened the workshop. They emphasized the importance of GRB for ministries and municipalities.
    During the workshop participants reviewed legal and practical definitions of GRB; learned a methodology for “doing” GRB that has already been piloted in two municipalities and two ministries in Kosovo; received information regarding the requirements of the Budget Circular for 2016/02; heard the experience of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in including GRB in an annex to their 2016 Budget; and subsequently had the opportunity to apply what they learned in a practical exercise: reviewing medium term budget planning documents and 2016 budgets from a gender perspective.
Nicole Farnsworth and Donjeta Morina from KWN led the workshop, assisting GEOs during the practical exercise.
    “Your ministries and municipalities depend on you in this process,” said Donjeta Morina. “Your expertise can help integrate GRB in all budget documents and processes.” She emphasized that GRB is a critical tool in bringing forward issues of gender equality Kosovo-wide.
KWN hopes that by using the skills developed through the workshop GEOs can better support their respective budget organizations in collecting data disaggregated by gender, which will inform the medium term budget planning documents starting in January.
    Indeed Edi Gusia encouraged all GEOs to collect and send to AGE a brief report on wages and salaries expenditures for women and men; wages and salaries expenditures based on the level of pay for women and men, towards identifying whether women and men tend to be concentrated at different decision-making levels; and subsidies and transfers by women and men beneficiaries. Such a gender analysis of these key budget categories is a crucial first step in identifying inequalities so that they can be addressed through medium and long-term planning in the future.

18.06.25

Workshop Held on Social Services, Rights, and Other Mechanisms 

12.06.25

Activists Engage in President’s Global Forum on Women, Peace and Security  

30.05.25

WCSOs Ask: What’s the Real Cost of Specialised Services for Gender-based Violence?  

30.05.25

Budget Red Lines: Community Session Calls for Action on Menstrual Poverty 

30.05.25

The Institutional Crisis Continues to Contribute to Discrimination Against Women 

29.05.25

Preventing and Protecting Blind Women and Girls in Kosovo from Violence