KWN Participates in “Women and Politics” Roundtable

21.01.2013

On 16 February 2011, in Hotel Prishtina, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) organized a “Women and Politics” roundtable with visiting Albanian women leaders. The aim of the Albanian delegation comprised of 23 women from political parties, women’s forums, civil society and media, was to exchange experiences in politics, challenges faced during campaigns and new strategies for successful advocacy; establish new contacts; and expand women’s networking regionally.

Participants share lessons learnt with women involved in political organizations, including the importance of addressing political differences in order to focus in issues of similar interest; the need for a common, powerful voice in political debates; and ways for overcoming political pressure from party leaders, etc. The panelists from Kosovo, Flora Brovina, Member of the Parliament of Kosovo, and Igballe Rogova from the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) recommended empowering women’s voices, furthering democratization within political parties, strengthening discussions on women’s position in politics and other issues.

Panelists from Albania included Mirela Roshi from the Socialist Party, Irini Shehu from the Democratic Party and Edlira Çepani from AS@N NGO. They mentioned similar topics, as well as the insufficient promotion of women in media, as a key factor contributing to the limited number of elected women in parliament. There were also discussions among other participant women.

Participants expressed their willingness to meet again in Kosovo or Albania. Through networking and information-sharing, they believed common challenges could be overcome. At the end of the meeting, NDI-Albania thanked KWN for their contribution in 2008 towards encouraging a network among women in politics and civil society in Albania.

01.07.25

“The Shirt of Freedom”: A Theater Tour Amplifying Women’s Voices Against Violence 

27.06.25

Art, Activism and Healing Flourish at FemArt 2025  

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 

© Copyright, 2022. Kosovo Women's Network. All rights reserved.

Donate Contact

KWN Publishes Report Monitoring the Implementation of UNSCR 1325

21.01.2013

On 5 Dec. 2007, KWN publicly released its report Monitoring Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 in Kosovo at the Grand Hotel in Prishtina. This research report resulted from interviews with key figures in public life in Kosova, including politicians, civil society activists, UNMIK staff and other persons in leading positions in Kosovar institutions. The report documents and evaluates the implementation of UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in Kosova.

Many people attended the public release, including KWN member organizations, media, officials from governmental institutions and representatives from international offices in Kosova. The speakers included Regional Manager for UNIFEM Osnat Lubrani, UNIFEM Project Manager for Kosova Flora Macula, Shqipe Krasniqi from the Agency for Gender Equality, KWN Executive Director Igballe Rogova and Dafina Beqiri, a KWN researcher who contributed to writing the report.

Participants decided to prepare a work plan in cooperation with legal and gender experts based on the recommendations made in this report. KWN later organized a working group that compiled a work plan, which outlined concrete steps that Kosovar institutions can take towards implementing Resolution 1325. KWN held a meeting on 8 Mar. 2008 at the Grand Hotel attended by member organizations, gender experts and government representatives where the plan was finalized.

01.07.25

“The Shirt of Freedom”: A Theater Tour Amplifying Women’s Voices Against Violence 

27.06.25

Art, Activism and Healing Flourish at FemArt 2025  

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 

The “Women Propose” publication outlined women’s recommendations for political party platforms.

KWN Campaign Encourages Political Parties to Work for Women

21.01.2013

The Kosova Women’s Network (KWN) Political Parties Work for Women Campaign aimed to incorporate women’s preferences and ideas into political parties’ electoral platforms for the 2004 general elections. To do this, from November 2003 through March 2004, the Network organized meetings with women from all of Kosova’s 30 municipalities. Women from politics, civil society and all ethnic communities in Kosova participated.

As a result, 30 Women’s Advocacy Groups were formed – one representing each municipality. The groups met with women in each municipality to discuss the priorities and concerns they had for their communities. More than 1000 women attended these meetings. Based on their discussions, the Women’s Advocacy Groups drafted platforms of women’s political preferences, which were submitted to political parties.

KWN and OSCE organized a roundtable to present the campaign’s results and to promote the publication “Women Propose,” which included women’s recommendations. Shqipe Pantina was KWN’s Campaign Coordinator. The wide media coverage at the local and national level contributed greatly to the campaign’s success. The campaign was supported by the OSCE Democratization Department with technical assistance from STAR Network of World Learning and UNIFEM.

01.07.25

“The Shirt of Freedom”: A Theater Tour Amplifying Women’s Voices Against Violence 

27.06.25

Art, Activism and Healing Flourish at FemArt 2025  

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 

Regional Activists Strategize, Present Documentary on UNSCR 1325

21.01.2013

In April 2005, women activists from the region gathered in Skopje, Macedonia with support from UNIFEM to share information and strategize about how to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in the region. This came after two prior meetings on the same topic in Prishtina in January 2004 and Sarajevo in October 2004.

During the meeting, RTV21 screened a documentary that was made during the regional workshop in Sarajevo. This was the first documentary film ever produced on UNSCR 1325. In the film, regional women leaders spoke about the importance of the Resolution and how they have used it.

The documentary was aired on RTV21, as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and New York by UNIFEM and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) at the United Nations. After airing the film, RTV21 organized a debate in which KWN members and government representatives discussed the film and the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Kosova.

01.07.25

“The Shirt of Freedom”: A Theater Tour Amplifying Women’s Voices Against Violence 

27.06.25

Art, Activism and Healing Flourish at FemArt 2025  

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 

Women Support Peace-building in South East Europe

21.01.2013

On 19 April, at the “Summit of Women for Sustainable Peace in South East Europe,” the Regional Women’s Lobby for Peace and Security in South East Europe, including women politicians and civil society representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, and Kosova, met in Vienna. During the meeting, they discussed the political situation in their countries and how women could influence peaceful solutions to political conflicts in the region. Participants created a strategy for 2007. The summit concluded with a statement written by the Regional Women’s Lobby, which they sent to the United Nations Security Council. The declaration stated:

The Lobby expresses its grateful support to Ahtisaari’s proposal on the future status of Kosovo; the Lobby encourages the Security Council to guarantee that the new resolution on Kosovo recognizes the right to human security for all women and men as the foundation for sustainable peace in Kosovo and the region; the Lobby welcomes the higher standards set by Mr. Ahtisaari’s proposal on the protection of the rights of all ethnic and religious communities and their full integration in Kosovar society, and; the Women’s Regional Lobby recognizes the right of displaced citizens to return to Kosovo, and that the Government of Kosovo should support their integration.

KWN took the responsibility for organizing the logistics and proceedings of the Regional Women’s Lobby meeting, with financial support from UNDEF and UNIFEM.

01.07.25

“The Shirt of Freedom”: A Theater Tour Amplifying Women’s Voices Against Violence 

27.06.25

Art, Activism and Healing Flourish at FemArt 2025  

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 

Women in Black Network Serbia, KWN Form Women’s Peace Coalition

21.01.2013

The Kosova Women’s Network cooperated with Women in Black Network Serbia to form the Women’s Peace Coalition on 7 May 2006. The coalition, comprised of activists from Kosova and Serbia, seeks to make women’s perspectives more visible in the political affairs of Serbia and Kosova. Striving toward just and sustainable peace, the Women’s Peace Coalition works for the inclusion of women in peace-building processes as equal partners. Founded on women’s solidarity, it is an independent citizens’ initiative that crosses national, ethnic, and religious borders, barriers, and divisions. The coalition has received ongoing support from the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

In its first major action, the coalition issued a statement to inform Kosova’s final status negotiations on preservation and protection of cultural heritage sites in Serbia and Kosova. In a letter to the negotiation teams, the coalition stressed the need to identify and preserve cultural sites like churches, mosques, and cathedrals from physical degradation and political exploitation. “Cultural sites are linked to the cultural heritage, history and communities of all ethnic groups, and thus all ethnic groups have the right to share, preserve and protect these heritage sites,” the statement said.

Throughout 2006, the Women’s Peace Coalition wrote letters to and met with key decision-makers, namely UN Secretary General Envoy in Charge of the Negotiations on the Future Status of Kosova President Martti Ahtisaari. Thus, the coalition contributed to the implementation of UNSCR 1325 by making women’s voices heard in peace processes.

September marked a historical moment for sustainable peace in Kosova, Serbia, and the region.
The Women’s Peace Coalition held a three day conference on “Women, Peace and Security” in Struga, Macedonia to bring visibility to the work of women peace activists in creating stable and just peace in the region. The conference occurred parallel to the official negotiations on the final status of Kosova. In a joint statement, sixty Kosovar and Serbian women’s peace activists concluded that peace in the region is not possible without the active participation of women. Further, they supported the independence and territorial integrity of Kosova as a civil state with a functional legal system. They also demanded that the needs of all citizens, women and men, form the basis for peace and security in Kosova; that the relevant institutions adopt a concept of human security, especially from a gender perspective, according to UNSCR 1325; and that women be included in all decision-making processes at all levels.

Opposing official politics that bring divisions and conflict, the Women’s Peace Coalition made plans to continue building trust, women’s solidarity, and mutual support toward the creation of lasting and just peace in the region.

During the conference, the coalition created a one-year action plan. The plan called for increased dialogue between women of all ethnic groups from Serbia and Kosova through encounters and discussions about security for vulnerable groups, Kosova’s final political status, and women’s involvement in decision-making. Women-led organizations with similar missions in Serbia and Kosova made plans to hold more networking and joint activities. Organizations also planned to further support women’s human rights, especially reproductive rights.

The numerous agreements reached among the Serb and Kosovar participants during the conference demonstrated how negotiation processes surrounding Kosova’s final status missed opportunities for peace by failing to involve women.
In a historic moment, Women in Black Network Serbia representatives apologized for the crimes and terror committed in their name by the Serbian regime against Kosovar Albanians. The apology was broadcast on Radio Television Kosova, marking the first public apology made for crimes committed against Albanians during the war. Activists noted the importance of official apologies in the healing process as a necessary prerequisite for sustainable peace.

08.04.14

KWN Releases 2013 Annual Report

07.04.14

KWN Organizes Workshop: “Women Advocate Locally”

03.03.14

Members Gather for Bimonthly Meeting

05.02.14

Individual Member Innovative in Supporting KWN

04.02.14

Members, Stakeholders Evaluate Positively KWN’s Work

07.01.14

KWN Exchanges Experiences with Activists in Austria

KWN representatives Violeta Selimi and Igballe Rogova describe the “Women Propose” Campaign at a press conference with OSCE representative Sven Lindholm and Barbara Burri from the Swiss Cooperation and Development Office.

Women Propose Campaign Encourages Women’s Participation in Elections

21.01.2013

A continuation of KWN’s earlier Political Parties Work for Women Campaign, the Women Propose Campaign continued to promote greater and more effective participation of women in the fall 2004 elections, both as voters and as candidates from all political parties. The campaign consisted of a series of public meetings that brought together women candidates and citizens in each municipality. Violeta Selimi was the Campaign Coordinator. The campaign was supported by OSCE and the Swiss Cooperation and Development Office (SCDO), with technical assistance from STAR Network of World Learning and UNIFEM.

01.07.25

“The Shirt of Freedom”: A Theater Tour Amplifying Women’s Voices Against Violence 

27.06.25

Art, Activism and Healing Flourish at FemArt 2025  

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 

KWN Launches New Ethical and Accountability Code

20.01.2013

In 2006 KWN became the first network of non-governmental organizations in Kosova to adopt a code of conduct. Our members acknowledge that transparency and accountability are qualities non-profit, nongovernmental organizations must possess in order to demonstrate to citizens, partners, and donors that organizations work in service to the public.

Therefore, all 80 of our member organizations consulted in the drafting process and then signed the new Kosova Women’s Network Ethics and Accountability Code, agreeing to meet the high standards of transparency and accountability within the code. The code includes six basic principles: Mission and Program, Good Governance, Human Resources, Financial Transparency and Accountability, Civic Responsibility, and Partnerships and Networking.

KWN provides individualized and group support to members toward implementing the code. Thus, the code helps members build their capacity as organizations toward a more sustainable future. Fulfilling the principles within the code will make them stronger organizations, so
they can secure public trust and better support for their future work. By empowering our members, we gain strength as a network. In addition, by establishing clear standards for our members, we set an example for other non-governmental organizations and can continue to demand accountability and transparency from Kosova’s governing authorities as well.

08.04.14

KWN Releases 2013 Annual Report

07.04.14

KWN Organizes Workshop: “Women Advocate Locally”

03.03.14

Members Gather for Bimonthly Meeting

05.02.14

Individual Member Innovative in Supporting KWN

04.02.14

Members, Stakeholders Evaluate Positively KWN’s Work

07.01.14

KWN Exchanges Experiences with Activists in Austria

KWN Meets Women Activists from Liberia, Afghanistan and Congo

20.01.2013

Through its “Building Peace” project, founding organization Medica mondiale, based in Germany, cooperated with its Kosovar partner, Medica Kosova, to organize a one week meeting of sister projects from Liberia, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

During a weeklong visit to Kosova, representatives of these countries, their German colleagues, and the ISIS European (International Security Information Service) representative met with KWN in Prishtina. The meeting aimed to introduce women’s rights activists from these countries. KWN also shared its experience of establishing the Network after the war, as well as efforts toward including all ethnic groups in KWN activities. KWN Executive Director Igballe Rogova welcomed the representatives from Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Afghanistan. She emphasized the need for women’s will and strength in building powerful networks that prevent political influence from donors and extend beyond ethnic and religious boundaries.

Rogova offered examples from the Network’s work in carrying out advocacy campaigns and other activities. The participants were inspired and encouraged by KWN’s experiences.

08.04.14

KWN Releases 2013 Annual Report

07.04.14

KWN Organizes Workshop: “Women Advocate Locally”

03.03.14

Members Gather for Bimonthly Meeting

05.02.14

Individual Member Innovative in Supporting KWN

04.02.14

Members, Stakeholders Evaluate Positively KWN’s Work

07.01.14

KWN Exchanges Experiences with Activists in Austria

KWN Members Hone Skills in Proposal Writing

20.01.2013

Since KWN began, members have requested a workshop on Project Proposal Writing. In response to members’ demands, KWN organized two such workshops in Prishtina on 6-7 and 10-11 December, respectively.
“We really need workshops like the one on Project Proposal Writing,” said Bahrie Deva from the Association for the Education and Care of the Family in Gjakova, a KWN member organization.
The two-day interactive workshops covered project proposal writing basics, including project proposal content, results-based management, stakeholder analysis, problem analysis and problem trees and the hierarchy of objectives within a logical framework. The more than 50 participants took home concrete skills in project proposal writing.
“Even though I have quite a lot of experience in the NGO sector, when writing project proposals I used to mix goals with objectives. After this workshop, I can differentiate them and tell which is which,” said Ola Syla from Women’s Association Light of Krusha, another KWN member.
The workshop was led by KWN staff members who possess experience and expertise in proposal writing: Nicole Farnsworth, Albertina Binaku and Zana Rudi.

“This workshop has helped me and my colleagues a lot and has been the first of its kind for us,”

said Kadrije Tahiraj from the Centre for Protection of Women and Children in Drenas. “We appreciate it and the fact that KWN organized it for free for us. We know that in other places in the world, you must pay to participate in such workshops.”
In addition to offering free of charge follow-up mentoring to members when they write future project proposals, KWN staff plan to offer follow-up workshops in risk analysis, monitoring and evaluation in 2013.
Based on members’ requests, KWN also organized a one-day workshop on Budgeting and Financial Management on 20 December. KWN Finance Manager Besa Shehu led the workshop, which included budget planning for projects, financial management, controls, reporting, Excel formulas, and calculating salaries, including tax and pension contributions.
KWN will offer additional capacity-building opportunities for its members in 2013, based on members’ requests. These services are provided to KWN members as part of the KWN Capacity Building Program, funded by Kvinna till Kvinna.

08.04.14

KWN Releases 2013 Annual Report

07.04.14

KWN Organizes Workshop: “Women Advocate Locally”

03.03.14

Members Gather for Bimonthly Meeting

05.02.14

Individual Member Innovative in Supporting KWN

04.02.14

Members, Stakeholders Evaluate Positively KWN’s Work

07.01.14

KWN Exchanges Experiences with Activists in Austria