change font size

print version

copyright

Other languages:

Life in Kosovo: Women’s Regional Lobby Conference

13 11 2008  This week Life in Kosovo debated the Regional Women’s Lobby for Peace, Security and Justice in South-East Europe.

To discuss these issues was the following panel:

Edita Tahiri, head of the Regional Women’s Lobby for Kosovo ;
Gordana Sobol from Croatia;
Vera Markovic from Serbia;
Igballe Rogova, representative of civil society in Kosovo;
Slavica Strikovic of Montenegro;
Irena Pockova of Macedonia ;

Talking about the Regional Women’s Lobby, Kosovo’s President, Fatmir Sejdiu, declared in a report given before the show that this was a good initiative. “Their regional cooperation is a very good idea, along with their influence in politics. What these women do is irreplaceable”, said Sejdiu.

In a similar tone, Osnat Lubrani, head of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM, said the lobby could develop into a stabilizing force for the region.

“The lobby aims to provide a different type of analysis of the political situation,” he said. “It’s like a thermometer in showing how people in society feel about politics.”

The Regional Women’s Lobby for Peace, Security and Justice in South-East Europe was formed in June 2006 out of a group of politically involved women in Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. [not Serbia?]

Tahiri said they had taken important steps in proactive politics with a view to answering major regional questions.

Asked why there was a need for a women’s lobby, Sobol, a parliamentary deputy in Croatia, said regional cooperation among women politicians and others in civil society was the key. “We have common problems, despite specific political differences,” she said.

Markovic said the lobby set its themes during their two [annual?] meetings and conferences. “This is the time when we see what the main problems from each country are,” she said.

“Although there are usually contradictions in our viewpoints at the beginning, we give each other enough space to argue our various perspectives and establish consent.”

Pockova said like women’s lobbies in the European Union and Israel-Palestine, the regional lobby has found common points to work on, such as Euro-Atlantic integration. “Our aim is to be involved in decision-making processes to ensure peace and stability in the region,” she said.

Tahiri said although there were similar organisations elsewhere in the world, this organization was different, because the Balkans is a specific region.

“Our past has been characterized by turmoil, wars and genocide,” she said. “We survived harsh political changes in our region, and will soon be taken as an example in other regions”.

Tahiri also said the lobby existed to overcome political barriers inherited from the past on issues like Kosovo. “The lobby supported Kosovo’s independence when our countries didn’t,” she said, “which shows women can be a factor for positive change”.

Asked whether political pressures have impeded their initiative, considering the Balkans is not famous for positive initiatives, Markovic said any interference had been very small compared to the scale of the whole project.

Sobol said they were now trying to set priorities, owing to the large number of problems that the region has. “One challenge has been relations between Kosovo and Serbia and contact establishing among Serbian and Kosovo Albanian women. It is important to find links that connect us,” Sobol said.

Rogova pointed out that there had been considerable difficulties in establishing the lobby. “The starting point for this lobby was the specific relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

As women were not represented in the negotiations between the two sides, we saw this as an opportunity to make women’s voice heard in the region”, said Rogova.

According to her, civil society groups from the different countries helped women’s representatives with input. “We lobbied for Kosovo’s independence but are now looking to expand our scope and give our contribution on other issues in the region,” Rogova said.

Sobol added that the lobby includes women involved in politics and civil society. “This is a good formula as it involves representatives from both politics and civil society,” she said.

“The lobby was founded because women are largely neglected in decision-making, and we don’t want to remain on the margins”.

Talking of their achievements, Markovic mentioned the lobby’s unanimous stance on elections and crises occurring in different regional countries.

“Recently we came up with a joint declaration, which is an indicator that we can reach consensual decisions without disagreements or what people tend to think of as one’s loyalty toward one’s state”, said Markovic.

According to Markovic, relations between Kosovar and Serbian women had revealed that muscles and military force alone did not make changes.

“During the negotiations on Kosovo’s status settlement, we had meetings with Martti Ahtisaari, Franck Wisner and Wolfgang Ichinger to make our voice heard”, said Tahiri adding that the lobby was promoting a new way for women to be empowered in the region.

For Tahiri, women’s marginalisation in society and from decision-making was a worldwide phenomenon, reflecting the strength of patriarchal attitudes.

Markovic pointed out that those countries that make most use of women’s potential, which is 50 per cent of their entire potential, are more prosperous and developed than the rest.

“We have made a solid contribution in law towards gender equality. Now we won’t sign any regulation that doesn’t foresee the equal representation of both genders, or at least a 40-per-cent representation by women,” added Sobol, talking of recent Croatian experience.

Tahiri said the lobby was trying to change traditional concepts of national security. “Our region has suffered from hegemonic concepts, which have impeded the evolution of mankind.

There is a need to establish peace and security in this region, and women will have their own part in the process,” added Tahiri.

Talking further of the lobby’s achievements, Sobol declared that the attendance at their conference of the president of a state, referring to the visit of Kosovo’s President Sjediu, indicated how much respect they now enjoyed.

According to Tahiri, Kosovo’s representative, the lobby was now transcending the regional level. “We have built up good cooperation with the European Union,” Tahiri noted, adding that the lobby had recently appealed for the swift deployment of the EU rule of law mission, EULEX, throughout Kosovo.

Debating what regional women can do as leaders to improve the current political situation, the latest conference decided to make Bosnia and Macedonia its new focus, following an initial focus on relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

“Politicians invited to our conference were surprised to hear our analyses on women’s security and on political issues”, said Rogova, adding that when male politicians talked about security, they tended merely to refer to military issues and borders.

Tahiri said the lobby now had its structure, platform, mission and vision to proceed with fresh activities.

“Considering the history of the region, we expect peace to come slowly to our region, but we have come up with a recipe how to work on different issues”, said Stirkovic.


Highlight of the week:

A report prepared by Muhamet Harjullahu revealed how Serbs and Albanians trade together in the public market of Kamenica, citing this as the best local example of multiethnic cohabitation.

Albanian and Serb traders said their joint work goes very well, but the municipality of Kamenica had not been working properly to offer them better conditions.

“The municipality should ensure the necessary infrastructure for trade”, said Sabri Basha, an Albanian trader in the market.

“I am not bothering anyone and nobody is bothering me; we are just doing our work”, said Persa Stankovic, a Serb trader in Kamenica market.

Right after the segment “Kosovo’s Son-in-Law”, BIRN broadcast the municipality debate “Life in Dragash”


Life in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television, RTK and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. It is broadcast every Thursday, starting
at 20:20