Gender Task Force

At the 18-19 October meeting of the Stability Pact's Working Table on Democratisation and Human Rights it was agreed that the importance of gender equality issues justified the creation of a task force within the framework of the Stability Pact to address gender issues. The table, chaired by Max van der Stoel, decided that the OSCE would sponsor the gender task force. The table agreed that the task force would develop programs to strengthen existing NGO networks and implement measures designed to empower women politically. It was also stressed that the final composition of the task force will include representatives from regional NGOs and governments.

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office responded to the table's request for OSCE sponsorship of the initiative and requested that his special envoy for regional issues, Ambassador Robert L. Barry, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, convene a meeting of the task force and designate its chair. Less than a month after the meeting of the working table, the inaugural meeting of the gender task force took place in Sarajevo on 8 November 1999.

Ambassador Barry opened the meeting by introducing the Chair and the co-chair. Ambassador Barry then turned the meeting over to the Chair, Sonja Lokar of Slovenia and Executive Director of the Central and East European Network for Gender Issues based in Budapest, Hungary. The co-chair is Lone Dybkjaer of Denmark, member of the European Parliament since 1994 and currently a member of the European Parliament Committee for Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities.

The Gender Task force draws together the coalition of women's organisations that came together for the July Stability Pact summit in Sarajevo and members of government bodies from inside and outside South Eastern Europe. Throughout the first meeting of the task force it was emphasised that government and NGO co-operation is essential if progress is to be made in the field of gender equality.

The Task Force agreed that it can best meet its goals by building on synergy of joint efforts, existing networks national machinery and international organisations with a mandate in human rights and gender equality and by making the most efficient use of internet and e-mail communications.

Based on the conclusions of the Chairman of Table I, Max van der Stoel, the task force agreed that the political empowerment of women is its first priority. The practical outcome of this goal is to improve the participation of women in the political decision-making processes throughout the region. The task force agreed upon three priority actions in pursuit of this objective. The first is to expand the training programs currently in use in Bosnia and Herzegovina, such as the seminar series "Women Can Do It" and the Star Program, to other states in the region. The second is electoral law reform to increase the opportunity of women to reach elected positions of power. The third is to strengthen the gender machinery in the countries of the region.

The task force agreed to designate focal points from the government and NGO communities in each of countries of the region to follow up on the action items and submit joint proposals to the Chair of the task force. These proposals are to be submitted by the end of November as the Chair agreed that the task force's annual program of action will be presented to Max van der Stoel at the meeting of task force heads in Budapest on 24 January 1999.