WOMEN IN THE 21st CENTURY

Improving the Women Position

From 12 to 14 April this year in Ohrid, the Second International Conference “Women in the 21st century: “The women role in developing the democracy in the South-Eastern Europe” took place. It was held under the patronage of the First Lady in Macedonia, Mrs. Vilma Trajkovska in cooperation with the NGO sector in the country.

The work in the conference was divided into two plenary sessions and four working groups: “Women rights-human rights”, “Socio-economic development”, Women in the decision making process” and “Civic society”. Each working group has summarized their discussion into conclusions, which were later made part of the mutual declaration.

More than 160 participants from different countries in the region were present at the Conference. It was a great place to make new contacts or refresh the already established ones between the representatives from different organizations from the governmental or the non-governmental sector.

The participants at the Conference concluded that there has been a progress regarding the women position in comparison to the period of the First International Conference “Women in the 21st century: Overcoming borders and sustainable development of South-Eastern Europe” which took place in 1998 in Sofia, Bulgaria. On the other hand they expressed their worries about the great number of questions that have not been solved yet, as well as the conflicts concerning all good-willed people who live in the region of South-Eastern Europe.

The complete text of the Mutual Declaration and other details on the Conference can be found at www.womenin21stcentury.org.mk


G. Jakovlevska 

Extract from the Mutual Declaration
” Women in the 21st Century, 12-14 April, Ohrid, Macedonia

Within national framework, the positive changes can be seen especially through:
• Institutionalization of the gender equality discussion
• Increased number of women delegates (from 7% to 15%, and in some countries from the region above 20%);
• Creating a national machinery for gender equality, especially through the establishment of governmental bodies as its important element;
• Adopting national strategies (plans) for gender equality;
• Establishing female/women groups as part of many political parties or opening procedures for their establishment;
• Initiating a procedure for guaranteeing quotas of women-candidates for public functions, through the political parties normative acts or regulated by the law;
• Opening a process of continuative communication and cooperation between the women in politics, women in the media and well-known women intellectuals;
• Lobbying for changes in the laws;
• Publishing relevant books and publications…”