International Conference “Gender Equality and European Integration” , Belgrade 12-14 December 2008

The Regional Conference on “Gender Equality and EU Integration”, organized by the Gender Equality Directorate of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies of the Republic of Serbia, was held from 12 to 14 December 2008, in Belgrade. The conference was attended by representatives of Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Vojvodina, etc. the participants were greeted by the Serbian Minister of Labour and Social Policies.
The conference aimed at enabling the countries of the region to exchange experiences in the field of gender, institutional mechanisms and their coordination, harmonization of national legislations with EU standards, reflecting the best practices.
The Albanian delegation was represented by Ms Ana Xheka – Director of Policies and Equal Opportunities at the MoLSAEO, who spoke on “Gender equality and women empowerment in Albania”, focusing on achievements related to gender equality and the fight against domestic violence. An overview of the women situation in rural areas, and recommendations given for future improvement stirred a special interest among the participants. Every country made a presentation of their gender situation, particularly of the institutional structures responsible for gender, policies, legislation, and donor coordination.

An agreement was signed at this conference between the Serbian Minster of Labour and Social Policies, and the UNDP on fight against domestic violence.

At the end of the conference all the countries of the region agreed to co-operate and coordinate their activities with all the relevant stakeholders for reaching gender equality.
One of the main recommendations was: Lobby for establishing a fund-raising network for implementing gender equality policies in all the countries of the region.