15Jun2016
Closing UNDP SEESAC Conference on Gender Equality in Military
Closing conference of the UNDP SEESAC project Strengthening of Regional Cooperation on Gender Mainstreaming in Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans took place on 15 June 2016 in Belgrade. The project implementation has started in March 2012 and it gathered the Ministries of Defence (MoDs) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia in close partnership and with the support of UNDP’s SEESAC initiative.
The key results include the continuous facilitation of regional cooperation on gender equality in the military, enabling regular information sharing and knowledge exchange among MoDs and armed forces (AFs) in the region, as well as the development of joint solutions to existing challenges. It contributed to raising gender awareness in the MoDs and AFs, strengthening gender equality mechanisms, and implementing of gender responsive human resources measures. The project improved the working conditions for women and strengthened career prospects for women in the military.Apart from presenting the results of the project, the aim of the conference is to foster cooperation through dialogue and knowledge exchange among selected MoDs in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States on advancing gender equality in the military. It will also discuss further practical implementation of UNSCR 1325 and gender equality in the military. The Conference will gather representatives of the MoDs and members of the AFs in the Western Balkans and representatives of selected Ministries of Defence from Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States; as well as representatives of intenrational (UNDP, NATO, OSCE, UNWOMEN, the Nordic Centre for Gender in Military Operations) and non-govermental organizations, including CENTRE.