22Oct2014

Working to Incorporate Gender into Military Education and Training Curricula

The Regional Meeting on including Gender Perspectives in Military Education and Training Curricula took place in Belgrade, on 9 October 2014. Organized by UNDP’s SEESAC initiative, as part of the Strengthening of Regional Cooperation on Gender Mainstreaming in Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans project, the meeting gathered twelve representatives of the Ministries of Defence (MoDs) and members of Armed Forces (AFs) in charge of developing education curricula, and conducting trainings on gender equality  in their respective institutions.

The meeting enabled participants to learn from each other’s experiences, share existing challenges and examples of best practices, as well as to discuss the support that is needed for a systematic mainstreaming of gender into military education and training curricula in the Western Balkans.

The significance of introducing the gender perspective to the military education has been recognized by the representatives of the MoDs and AFs in the study The Position of Women in the Armed Forces in The Western Balkans, published by UNDP’s SEESAC initiative. In fact, one of the recommendations presented in this publication stipulates that gender equality content needs to be systematically introduced throughout the education and training system.

At the meeting, participants presented their experiences in organizing specific gender awareness activities for the personnel in their respective Ministries and Armed Forces, as well as how they mainstreamed gender perspective in education and training systems of these institutions.

Participants highlighted the importance of the work that is done under the Gender Equality in the Military Project, in the area of training and education on gender equality. They particularly stressed the importance of the network of gender trainers in the Armed Forces, as well as the importance of gender awareness workshops organized for the Military Academy cadets and teaching staff in Republic of Serbia and for the Armed Forces of Montenegro.

The meeting attendees concluded that it is very important to include the gender perspective in military education and trainings at all levels, and they emphasized the need for further work on increasing the gender awareness of decision-makers and commanding officers in the Ministries of Defence. They also highlighted the fact that the meeting was particularly beneficial as it provided them with an opportunity to share valuable information and learn from each other.

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