Women in Serbia are actively included in the highest structures of political decision-making, and that system is also mirrored in the local self-governments, as stated by Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović, who has stressed that no woman must be discriminated against, be less paid or obstructed in any other way only because she is a woman.
At today’s awarding of annual certificates for the improvement of gender equality at the local level, Joksimović has emphasised that it is important that gender equality is applied in every part of Serbia, adding that the state has proven to be seriously committed to the issue.
“A woman cannot be deprived in any segment of her potentials, capacities, ideas, or working skills and be less paid just because she is a woman. This is how a responsible society is built and I believe Serbia is on the right path”, stressed the Minister.
Joksimović believes that, in the following years, everyone will be able to work together to improve the results of joint action, and points out that addressing women’s issues does not create a negative narrative against men’s rights, as is often “interpreted in a banal way”.
The Minister has underlined that Serbia is not falling behind the European Union in terms of women’s rights and that there are even some EU countries with very conservative societies regarding institutions and political decision-making.
“In Serbian practice, this is not the case”, stressed Joksimović, adding that the talk of gender equality is meaningless if there is no economic empowerment of women.
The Minister has pointed out that the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life of 2006 is applied in 32 local self-governments in Serbia which have supported the key aims of the charter.
She has stated that the EU PROGRES has provided significant support to local self-governments, particularly in less developed municipalities, where said municipalities have been supported in terms of building a mechanism of support to gender equality, its indexing and budgeting.
“All activities that will contribute to economic empowerment of women and to their greater involvement in the work of local self-governments are approved in the budget, and the European Union’s practice is to continuously develop this area”, said Joksimović.
She has emphasised that gender equality has become a priority in all policies, particularly in the European Union’s external policy, noting that Serbia has welcomed such a decision and has actively engaged in the process.
Source: Tanjug
