Kosovo Women's Network

“Drugëza” Commits to Creating Friendly Jobs in the Municipality of Skenderaj

23.11.2021

On November 3, the member organization of Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), “Drugëza Artisan Association”, in Skenderaj, held a meeting with 15 representatives of civil society organizations, under the “Creating Friendly Jobs” initiative, funded by the 15th round of the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF).

The meeting brought together organizations working for women’s rights, who discussed the need to update the legal framework in Kosovo, in line with the EU Work-Life Balance Directive.

Trainer Kaltrina Veliqi, explained the concepts of this directive, friendly workplaces and the adaptation of the directive to the legal framework of Kosovo.

“If the directive would be adapted to the laws of Kosovo, then this would automatically affect the growth of the number of women in the labor market. “In the moments when suitable environments are created in the workplace, i.e. friendly workplaces, then it is also easier for women to apply for more jobs”, she added.

In addition, Lumnije Rexhepi – Micinaj from the NGO Community Support Initiative stated that directive trainings are very important, and the implementation of the directive is vital for Kosovo.

“Directives and creating environmentally friendly workplaces are very important as many women are withdrawing from the job market because they have to take care of children and other older family members. This is not right. “Therefore, the creation of friendly jobs and the implementation of the directive will help regulate these issues,” she said.

Also, Xhevat Jashari from the Institute for Good Governance and Rule of Law stressed that this would enable parental leave to be used by both parents.

The second part of the session was dedicated to the challenges of employed women in Kosovo, the role of civil society in improving working conditions for women, and a joint discussion of what could be done further in the context of Skenderaj for this directive.

This initiative is expected to include several other meetings that will include the Advisory Committee on Human Rights and Gender Equality and the Committee on Economic Development. After these meetings, the recommendations will be submitted to the Municipality of Skenderaj, to consider what can be done further in creating friendly jobs.

This initiative was supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) through KWN’s “More Choices: Gender Responsive Family Policy for the Private Sector in the Western Balkans and Moldova” funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of the Austrian Cooperation Agency.

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

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Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

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Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

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16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness and Strengthening Advocacy

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KWN Strongly Advocates for Women’s Rights During EU Advocacy Week

19.11.2021

From 11-19 November, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) participated in the European Union (EU) Advocacy Week, an annual practice organised with support from the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation.

These days involved fruitful discussions with the EU regarding its commitments to and engagement in furthering gender equality in the Western Balkans (WB) and beyond.

During these meetings, KWN member and partner organisations from the region advocated jointly and individually regarding several issues crucial to furthering gender equality and addressing issues undermining women’s rights in the WB.

KWN along with two member organisations, the Kosovo Centre for Gender Studies (KGSC) and Mitrovica Women Association for Human Rights (MWAHR), prepared and reported together on developments and shortcomings related to:

Gender-based violence, especially in the context of COVID-19;
Gender-based discrimination in labour;
The lack of women in politics and decision-making processes;
The Women, Peace and Security Agenda and lack of involvement of women’s civil society organisations (WCSOs) and diverse women in all levels of the Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue; and
The EU Accession process from a gender perspective, focusing on the European Commission’s (EC) Kosovo Report 2021, the EU Gender Action Plan III (GAP III) and the Country level Implementation Plan (CLIP) for implementing GAP III in Kosovo.

Key meetings were with:

Member of Parliament (MEP) Malin Björk;
Djordje Bojovic, Assistant to MEP Viola Von Cramon – Taubadel (Greens Rapporteur for Kosovo, Delegation to Serbia)
New Acting Director of the Western Balkans Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) Michela Matuella;
Director General Desk Officers – Gabriella Francis – Rule of Law and Politics in Kosovo, DG NEAR and Plamena Halacheva – The Head of European Integration, Political Affairs, Media and Information Section at the EU Delegation to Montenegro;
DG NEAR Official; and
Charlotte Isaksson, Gender Adviser, European External Action Service (EEAS).

During discussions, Plamena Halachevapraised KWN and its members’ continuous engagement in this process and asked KWN to share further recommendations for continuously improving gender mainstreaming throughout all sectors of the EC Report.

Moreover, DG NEAR Official ez –highlighted KWN’s best practices utilised in supporting the EU Delegation in Kosovo in drafting the CLIP.

“The work of KWN with CLIPs could be the best experience in the region, as well as for other world countries,” she said. “KWN has been working hard for such a long time now with the EU Delegation in Kosovo. They know how the Delegation works, the challenges that exist and what can be done to solve these challenges, as well as to address the requirements related to gender equality.”

Other EU representatives also congratulated KWN, KGSC and MWAHR for their hard work. They considered WCSOs’ work as substantially important to improving the gender perspective in all sectors and fields.

KWN is thankful to the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation for supporting WCSOs in their endeavours and advocacy for women’s rights in the WB. The EU and Sida also have supported to KWN in terms of supporting activists’ time to research and prepare evidenced-based policy proposals for informing the EU Accession process from a gender perspective.

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

18.12.25

Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

18.12.25

Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

18.12.25

16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness and Strengthening Advocacy

17.12.25

Moving Forward Together: Making Transport Accessible for Everyone

EULOC Viti Visits Women Entrepreneurs; They Pledge for Family-Friendly Policies

19.11.2021

Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) member organization, EULOC Viti, on 19 November visited a company led by Valbona Ajeti, in the village of Sllatina e Eperme in the Municipality of Viti. The women discussed the possibilities of creating family friendly workplace in this company.

Founded and let by a woman, the Grasep company is known as one of the most successful in this municipality. It has 15 full time women employees from the village Sllatine e Eperme and the surrounding villages.

About 15 women who have started some small businesses were informed about the steps to follow when starting a business. They also discussed in details the creation of family friendly workplace.

Valbona Ajeti, the director of the company Grasep, stressed that the women staff in this company were always offered flexibility of working hours.

“It was very important for me to hire women in order to help them financially. Also, all women who used to work here, or those who still work, were allowed to go home during working hours if they have a sick child or someone else needed them. We are considering the possibility to create conditions for mothers to take their babies to the office for breastfeeding, or to allow them to go home during the breastfeeding time,” she said.

Whereas, Arlinda Sahiti, Director of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development in the Municipality of Viti stated that the success of this company is very important.

“Creating a family-friendly workplace would make everyone’s lives easier, it would create new jobs for women, and reach a work-life balance. This is very important for us and we need to focus on working more in this direction,” she said.

Furthermore, the participants discussed the other challenges that this company has had due to the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities to find a market and other difficulties in providing sufficient means for employment.

The initiative “Promoting Family Friendly Policies at the Local Level” was supported by the United Nations Population Fund in Kosovo (UNFPA) via KWN’s initiative “Expanding Choices: Gender-Responsive Family Policies for the Private Sector in the Western Balkans and Moldova,” financed by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of Austrian Development Cooperation.

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

18.12.25

Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

18.12.25

Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

18.12.25

16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness and Strengthening Advocacy

17.12.25

Moving Forward Together: Making Transport Accessible for Everyone

KWN Members Draft the Feminist Strategy

15.11.2021

Representatives of over 100 member organizations of the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) gathered in Durres, Albania for a three day (November 12-14) workshop on planning a KWN feminist strategy.

On the first day, Igballe Rogova, Executive Director of KWN, started the meeting by highlighting the importance of such gatherings for women’s unity towards achieving gender equality and increasing solidarity.

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“During these days we will work together to draft a feminist strategy, and we can only achive our goals when we work and implement it together. We must never forget that solidarity remains the main pillar of feminism”, said Rogova, among others.

Further, Ines Leskaj, Executive Director of Women’s Empowerment Network in Albania, in her welcoming speech mentioned that cooperation between women’s rights organizations throughout the region remains vital in strengthening the feminist movement and beyond.

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Meanwhile, Shqipe Malushi, Activist and Member of the KWN Advisory Board, discussed with the participants about the welfare of feminists. Speaking from her decades of experience, Malushi recalled that the well-being of feminists remains a vital pillar for the movement.

The second day of the workshop continued by sharing experiences and opinions, in five working groups, divided as follows;

Solidarity between activists;
More young women involved in the feminist movement;
Transformation of norms: changes in the early education of children;
Public opinion on feminism;
Access and inclusion of women from rural areas.

This workshop is supported by one of KWN’s longtime supporters, the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation.

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19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

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Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

18.12.25

Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

18.12.25

16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness and Strengthening Advocacy

17.12.25

Moving Forward Together: Making Transport Accessible for Everyone

Kosova Women’s Fund Supports Eight Organisations with Nearly €80,000

15.11.2021

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Today, the Kosova Women’s Network (KWN) announced grant awards of the Kosova Women’s Fund’s (KWF’s) 16^th grant round. For the first time, it will provide core support to eight KWN member organisations committed to furthering women’s rights and gender equality in Kosovo by Sigrid Rausing Trust, in the amount of €79,740.

The grants given for core support will directly contribute to implementing the current KWN Strategy for 2019-2022, established by KWN members to address together the main gender inequalities that they identified in Kosovo.

KWF 16^th round grant beneficiaries supported include:

Blind Women of Kosova Committee – €10,000.00
In Time – €10,000.00
Lawyers Association Norma – €9,998.00
Moravski Biser – €9,762.00
NGO “Drugëza” – €9,993.00
NGO “Gruaja Hyjnore – €9,998.00
NGO “Me dorë në zemër” – €9,999.00
Women’s Alliance for Integration – €9,990.00

KWN’s KWF provides small grants to women’s organizations that do not have access to other sources of funding and who seek to work for women’s rights and gender equality, prioritising funding for groups working in rural areas and/or marginalized persons. Since 2012, KWF has allocated 224 grants, supporting 111 organizations, with a total amount of €1,200,519.

In addition to Sigrid Rausing Trust, in 2021, KWF also receives support from the European Union Office in Kosova, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Austrian Development Agency, and the United Nations Population Fund in Kosovo.

28.03.25

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08.11.24

Press Release – Recommendations for the Kosovo Parliament

05.11.24

Response to Klan Kosova – Do Not Promote the Perpetrators

04.11.24

Violence Against the Minor is Intolerable – KWN Calls for Justice and Immediate Action

31.10.24

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Letter to the Chairman of the Assembly of Kosovo, Glauk Konjufca

Women Workers Unite Helps Women Claim Their Rights following Gender-based Discrimination

12.11.2021

“Losing a job during pregnancy, because of my condition, especially in times of a global crisis, is very stressful,” a woman worker recalled.

She was fired from her job at a bank in Skopje when her employer learned that she was pregnant.

Amid the global pandemic, the most vulnerable groups of women have faced the greatest risks of gender-based discrimination and rights violations. Meanwhile, at the height of the pandemic, North Macedonia lacked an antidiscrimination, law and its expert equality body the Commission for Protection of Discrimination, was not functioning. This hindered access to justice in cases of discrimination. The lack of legal and institutional support has further hindered women’s access to justice in cases of discrimination.

Once the worker learned that she had been wrongfully terminated, she approached the Helsinki Committee (MHC) for assistance, concerned about the process of seeking justice. She learned about the Helsinki Committee’s work through Facebook post regarding a case of termination of pregnant worker’s employment contract which ended up successfully with the Committee’s help.

“It’s frustrating that access to justice is expensive and slow,” she said. “I wouldn’t be motivated to initiate court proceeding by myself. You gave me motivation, willingness and financial security to initiate the court procedure,” she continued.

Meanwhile, her case has inspired other women to claim their rights. Namely, after informing the public about this case, more than 10 women approached MHC’s office for legal aid regarding pregnant workers’ rights, termination of pregnant workers’ employment contracts, rights of the pregnant workers regarding night time and overtime work.

This initiative provided free legal aid to victims of gender-based discrimination at work. Further, infographics, monthly posts and videos contributed to raising awareness and informing the public about gender-based discrimination against women at work, which led more women workers to seek assistance from the Helsinki Committee.

Another woman worker employed in the textile industry in Shtip informed the Helsinki Committee that as a mother of children under 10 years of age was fired as a result of which her salary for April and May 2020 was reduced to only 50% of the total salary. She was paid only 7.500,00 denars (approximately 120 EUR), insufficient to cover her everyday costs, particularly considering that she lives in a four-member household with two children.

The Helsinki Committee submitted a complaint to the State Labour Inspectorate. After conducting an inspection, it found irregularities in the employer’s work and ordered the employer to pay the employee the full salary.

“With the Helsinki Committee’s help, the employer paid me the full amount of my salary for the months when I had to stay at home and take care of my child,” the employee happily reported.

Since 2020, the Helsinki Committee have documented a record number of beneficiaries seeking assistance as part of their “Women Workers Unite” initiative.

“With support of Reactor and KWN, MHC successfully raised the public awareness about the phenomenon of gender- based discrimination at the workplace, informed many women workers about their rights but also stimulated them to seek for justice in case of their breach.“, said one of the MHC counsellors.

They have provided free legal aid in 33 cases involving 36 women workers as beneficiaries, initiated 10 administrative procedures and one court procedure for gender-based discrimination at work.

The Helsinki Committee’s initiative “Women Worker Unite!” has improved women’s access to justice in cases of gender-based discrimination at work and raised women’s awareness regarding the mechanisms that exist to protect them.

This “Women Workers Unite” action has been supported by the Reactor, Kosovo Women’s Network and their partners through the Action “Furthering Women’s Labour Rights”. This Action is financed by the European Union and co-funded by Swedish International Development Cooperation.

The new Law on prevention and protection from discrimination entered into force in October 2020 and the Commission for prevention and protection from discrimination started being operational in February 2021. The victims of discrimination now have a proper access to the protective mechanism from discrimination.

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

18.12.25

Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

18.12.25

Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

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17.12.25

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DSK holds activities for the involvement of persons with disabilities in decision-making

12.11.2021

Down Syndrome Kosova Organisation (DSK), branch in Ferizaj, has started the activities of the initiative “Involvement of persons with disabilities in political decision-making”. In the framework of this initiative, meetings were held with members of Down Syndrome Kosova, and the organisations Hendifer, Handikos, and Pema, as well as with the parents of these members.

In the first meeting with members, the manager of DSK in Ferizaj, Jetbardha Selmani, said that it is important that such issues are discussed so that institutions have a clear picture of the current situation, and people with disabilities become part of local decision-making.

“The purpose of these meetings is to highlight the situations you face every day. In a meeting with officials of the Municipality of Ferizaj they told us that they do not have a plan for the inclusion of people with disabilities in political, cultural, and social life, so any of your comments is appreciated, because it will be forwarded to the municipality”, she said.

Member Ekrem Karaliti said that it is important to be consulted on various projects in the municipality of Ferizaj.

“I would be involved in drafting laws and policies that affect my daily life, because no one knows better than us the situations we face,” he said.

Whereas, in the meeting with the parents of the members of Handikos, problems that are an obstacle for the social and economic advancement of their children were raised.

Ibadete Ibrahimi, talked about the main challenges she faces for her son’s education.

“Our main problem is the lack of school transportation, but also for various activities in the centres where children are registered. Also, teachers, students, and everyone else, should be made aware of accepting people with disabilities in society, and not bullying them”, she said.

From three meetings held with members, and three with parents, numerous recommendations were made for the municipality of Ferizaj, such as: access to education, lack of assistants and individual plans, lack of a day centre, road and public institutions infrastructure, fund for recovery abroad, higher pensions for people with disabilities, etc.

The next activity of Down Syndrome Kosova is to present these recommendations to local institutions in Ferizaj.

This initiative of the 15th round of the Kosova Women’s Fund is funded by the European Union Office in Kosovo.

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

18.12.25

Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

18.12.25

Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

18.12.25

16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness and Strengthening Advocacy

17.12.25

Moving Forward Together: Making Transport Accessible for Everyone

KWN and UN Women Send The Recommendations for 2022 Budget Appropriations: Gender Responsive Budgeting Is Required

08.11.2021

Today, on 8 November, Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) together with UN Women have sent a public letter to the deputies of the Republic of Kosovo, listing the recommendations for the Law on Budget Appropriations for 2022. Addressing these recommendations is vital to furthering the institutionalization of gender responsive budgeting.

Given the important legislative role of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo in representing the common good, KWN and UN Women expect that these recommendations will be pushed forward in the budget hearing. The recommendations are based on a thorough analysis of the draft budget approved by the Government, as well as on various gender research and analysis by KWN and UN Women. Only by considering these recommendations can we ensure that public funds contribute to the further advancement of gender equality in Kosovo.

We recall that gender responsive budgeting requires allocation of funds to address the potentially different needs of women, men, boys and girls, identified through gender analysis. The Law on Gender Equality also makes gender responsive budgeting mandatory for public institutions in Kosovo, including municipalities, ministries, and other budget organizations.

Key recommendations include:

Insist on receiving and reviewing a thorough Gender Impact Assessment of the Law on Budget Appropriations for 2022, in line with Kosovo Gender Impact Assessment standards as required as part of the Regulatory
Request expertise and invite the Agency for Gender Equality and independent gender experts including WCSOs with expertise in gender-responsive budgeting, including KWN, to participate in the Parliamentary Committee on Budget and Transfers, and Committee for Human Rights, Gender Equality, Missing Persons and Petitions hearings on the draft Law on Budget Appropriations for 2022, to provide insight from a gender perspective prior to adoption. This is particularly important considering the insufficient public consultations that occurred prior to the draft law. The government is obliged to consult CSOs in a minimum of two weeks as per the Regulation on Minimum Standards for Public Consultation Process.
Ensure and monitor investment in the care economy, which can create thousands of new jobs in Kosovo. Creating new childcare options creates more employment opportunities, allowing more women to join the labor force due to increased availability. Increased chilcare availability also improves children’s educational outcomes as well as contribute to state revenues.
Allocate resources for implementing the Istanbul Convention, including for hiring more social workers in order to better handle heavy caseloads (including of persons suffering violence); for vehicles and other resources to carry out their work; and for establishing emergency services for cases of sexual violence.
Ensure government expenditures related to addressing COVID-19 are based on sufficient gender impact analysis, towards addressing the needs of diverse women and men. Invest more in related social infrastructure, amid other recommendations in KWN’s “The Pandemic knows no Gender”?.

Kurse, listën e plotë të rekomandimeve mund ta gjeni së shpejti në faqen e RrGK-së www.womensnetwork.org

KWN and UN Women remain ready to support gender-responsive budgeting.

28.03.25

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08.11.24

Press Release – Recommendations for the Kosovo Parliament

05.11.24

Response to Klan Kosova – Do Not Promote the Perpetrators

04.11.24

Violence Against the Minor is Intolerable – KWN Calls for Justice and Immediate Action

31.10.24

The Irresolute Resolution? After 24 Years, Resolution 1325 Remains Valid but Under-implemented

17.10.24

Letter to the Chairman of the Assembly of Kosovo, Glauk Konjufca

Sarah Alexandra George: Fundraising for KWN Made my Experience in Kosovo even more Meaningful

04.11.2021

During September, Sarah Alexandra George, together with other KFOR members, organised a charity event to raise funds for Kosova Women’s Network (KWN).

Sarah speaks to KWN and elaborates the inspiration behind this, and what was the best part of this experience.

“When I came to Kosovo as a soldier with KFOR, I was committed to understanding more about women’s lived experiences. I trained as a Gender Focal Point (GFPs) with the Nordic Centre for Gender in Military Operations: there are a number of GFPs within KFOR to ensure that the gender perspective is taken into consideration in our work.”, says Sarah, who is genuinely passionate about the global feminist movement and empowerment of women.

The more she read and understood, the more she wanted to contribute to a charity or organisation that she felt was really making a difference for women in Kosovo and that’s how she found KWN.

Seeing KWN Lobbying for Women’s Rights

She further speaks about the fundraising event and how it motivated her even more.

“At our fundraising event, Igo [KWN Executive Director, Igballe Rogova] talked about the work of KWN and the essential impact it has on women in Kosovo. At one part Igo was talking about the lobbying KWN is doing to try and change sentencing laws and the recent femicide of Marigona Osmani and she choked up with emotion.”

Here, Sarah recalls- she found herself also tearing up seeing her pain.

“It is the shared pain of all women in the face of injustice. For me the best part of the experience was seeing women fighting back, fighting for a better future, fighting for justice.”

The Unique Experience of Visiting KWN Office

During the same month, she also visited the KWN office where the official fund handover took place.

A remarkable experience, according to her.

“It was so amazing to be able to bring the money we raised over in person, to visit the offices and learn more in person about the vital work KWN does. I was really impressed by the breadth of experience and in-depth research knowledge of the team and it was great to hear that team members are furthering their education overseas and returning to KWN to share their new training”, she adds.

She certainly feels like she is part of the KWN diaspora.

“I am looking forward to fundraising for KWN back in the United Kingdom and more trips back to Pristina to visit my new KWN sisters. “

KWN Sustainability Fund- The Place to Donate for Furthering Gender Equality

Acknowledging that the €3,692 raised during this event will go to the KWN Sustainability Fund which helps cover basic expenses, and support important programmes for gender equality in Kosova, she shares how this contribution enriched her entire journey in Kosovo.

“One of the reasons we picked the Sustainability Fund was reading about the work of the Centre for Protection of Women and Children in Drenas, which helps survivors of sexual violence with family counselling and coping with frozen trauma.”

She links this with one of the things that the Me Too movement highlighted-only few of sexual violence survivors speaking openly without stigma and shame.

“Many women around the world have still not been able to share their stories or deal with their trauma and the trauma inflicted on women during the Kosovo war was unimaginable.” she adds.

For her, being able to help the Fund, made her time in Kosovo even more meaningful.

“I want the women of Kosovo to know – you are not alone. We are all around the world and we see you.”, she concludes in a positive note.

You too can become a supporter and help strengthen the women’s rights movement in Kosovo. DONATE to the KWN Sustainability Fund and help us cover crucial costs and support important programs.

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

18.12.25

Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

18.12.25

Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

18.12.25

16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness and Strengthening Advocacy

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KWN Calls: Vote for More Women in Local Elections

03.11.2021

In recent days, the Kosova Women’s Network (KWN) has conducted the field campaign “Vote for more women in local elections”, and through social networks has called on voting women in local elections, which will be held this Sunday, October 17, 2021.

About 80 volunteers, for five days (October 11-15), talked to citizens in 23 municipalities in Kosovo going door-to-door to discuss with women and men voters the importance of voting more women in local elections.

Prior to this campaign, KWN publicly called on political parties to respect the Law on Gender Equality (LGE), providing equal opportunities for women and men.

Given that neither the parties nor the institutions implemented this law, then it is up to us as citizens to elect as many women as possible in the municipalities.

KWN has campaigned in the field for this issue even in previous years’ elections, and will continue to support, protect, and promote the rights and interests of women and girls, regardless of their political, religious, ethnic, or sexual orientation.

We also recall that supporting women’s participation in politics and decision-making is part of KWN’s 2019-2022 Strategy. KWN values elections as a fundamental element of a democratic state and gender equality as a vital right of each of us, so we consider it more than necessary and important that citizens are given equal opportunities.

Lack of democratization and low participation of women within most parties unjustly deprives women of participation and contribution in decision-making. So, on October 17, whichever list you choose, vote for more women in your municipality!

Vote for equality!

This campaign is implemented as part of the initiative “Strengthening Women’s Participation in Politics“, and is supported by the European Union (EU) Office in Kosovo.

KWN member organisations supporting the implementation of this campaign:

Active Females of Gjakova – Gjakovë

Centre for Education and Development “Elita” – Lipjan

Family Care and Education Association – Gjakovë

Female Emancipation Association ALMA – Pejë

Hendifer – Ferizaj

Independent Women’s Association “Hareja” – Rahovec

Local Reforms Organisation (EULOC) – Viti

Mitrovica Association of Persons with Disabilities “Handikos Mitrovica” – Mitrovicë

NGO Drugëza – Skënderaj

NGO Women’s Centre for Rural Development – Novobërdë

NGO Women’s Centre “ATO” – Vushtrri

Organisation of People with Muscular Dystrophy of Kosova (OPMDK) – Prizren

Psychotherapists in Action – Gjilan

Ruka Ruci – Fushë Kosovë, Graçanicë, Partesh, Ranillug, Kllokot, Leposaviq, Mitrovicë e Veriut, Zubin Potok – Zveçan

Women’s Alliance for Integration – Prishtinë.

28.03.25