Gender Task Force

The Stability Pact Gender Task Force held its Sixth meeting on July 12, 2002 in Zagreb, Croatia. The Mayor of the City of Zagreb and Speaker of the Zagreb City Assembly held a reception in honor of the meeting.

The events on July 12 were hosted by the Croatian Parliament and funded through voluntary contributions by the Italian government. The meeting, which was chaired by Sonja Lokar, GTF Chair included governmental, non-governmental and for the first time parliamentary focal points from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYRoMacedonia, Greece, Hungary, Monternegro, Serbia, Slovenia, Vojvodina as well as GTF Advisory Board members, Norweigan, Switzerland, Austrian and Bulgarian government representatives, the OSCE Mission to Croatia and the STAR Network. The meeting was opened by Gordana Sobol, Chair of the Committee on Gender Equality, Croatian Parliament, and Zeljka Antunovic, Deputy Prime Minister expressed her government's commitment to advancing gender equality. Representing the Stability Pact for South East Europe, Special Coordinator, Dr. Erhard Busek addressed the meeting and offered support to the GTF, in its endeavor to find sustainable ways to advance gender equality.

Sonja Lokar in her opening speech emphasized the GTF's ability to endure and deliver measurable results, thereby becoming the Stability Pact's “flagship of success”. The purpose of the Gender Task Force VI Regional Meeting was to identify the next steps in the GTF Strategy, inform on developments since the last GTF Regional Meeting in Ljubljana May 2001, as well as to coordinate current project implementation and evaluation. The GTF continues to work within a framework that incorporates sustainable grassroots activity regarding women's political empowerment and gender equality into national and regional economic, social, and security policies.

Gender Task Force SEE member states updated the participants on significant gender equality activity. Regional projects were discussed including the new German and Austrian funded Women Mayors Link Project and the Swiss and Danish funded Post Conflict Dialogue Project.

Outcomes of the Sixth Regional Meeting included:

- Ensuring effective ongoing implementation of regional and bilateral projects specifically Post Conflict Dialogue, Women Mayors Link and Women Can Do It II.

- To start the preparations for the WCDI III program, Gender Equality in Local Governance.

- The Gender Task Force will pursue the strategic aim of reinforcing its existing structure (SEE NGO, Governmental, and Parliamentary) by securing midterm to longterm funding from the CARDS Program (2003 and beyond) for an integrated, multi-sectoral Gender program.

- Meeting Participants concluded that gender-based indicators are already an integral part of EU assessment criteria in general and believe that regional cooperation through the GTF provides a necessary framework for reinforcing the national Stabilization and Accession processes. Hence the CARDS Program framework would serve as a natural conduit for advancing Gender Equality in SEE.

- To find strategic governmental partners, for the sustainable development (institutionalization) of the GTF. From 2003 and beyond the GTF requires support to the regional center in Zagreb, which has already received pledge of in kind support from the government of the Republic of Croatia.

- To inform potential donors of the GTF's plans for 2003 and beyond, including the short list of regional projects.