UNMIK/PR/251
Dr. Bernard Kouchner and the UNMIK Office of Gender Affairs are holding a Meeting on Women in Elections and the Peace Process in Kosovo tomorrow (Saturday 27 May) in the UNMIK Government Building auditorium.
The meeting, which is open to the media, will be a forum for representatives of political parties, the Joint Interim Administrative Structure, NGOs and professional and business women to address gender in Kosovo's near-term political development.
Dr. Kouchner will open the meeting at 9 a.m. with an address on UNMIK's achievements and future plans regarding equality and other gender issues. He will take questions and comments from 9:30 until 11:30am from representatives of women's organizations, civic groups, political parties and professional and business women.
Working groups will meet in the afternoon on:
- enhancing women's roles in the electoral process and their representation in leadership and governance positions;
- increasing the involvement of women in promoting tolerance and peaceful co-existence;
- socio-economic problems and solutions for the women of Kosovo;
- the establishment of an advisory group of Kosovo women to liase with the Office of Gender Affairs.
At 1600 hours, there will be a presentation of the conclusions and comments from the working groups to Dr. Kouchner.
UNMIK is the first UN peacekeeping operation with a dedicated office of Gender Affairs. Since its inception last September, the office has sought to identify key problems facing women in Kosovo, as well as possible solutions, and to bring them to the attention of the office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General.
An early proposal was to increase the representation of women in positions of leadership and governance. Dr. Kouchner espoused and lobbied for this goal with local political and civic leaders. Six of the 33 seats currently filled on the Kosovo Transitional Council are now occupied by women. One of the four Kosovo political party representatives on the Interim Administrative council is a woman, as well as the civil society observer on the IAC.
Of the 20 administrative departments, three of the Kosovo co-heads and four of the international co-heads named so far are women.
At the municipal level, 46 of 372 Municipal Council members are women; and 32 of the 338 Administrative Board members throughout Kosovo are women.
While Dr. Kouchner acknowledges that these percentages are not adequate, he is urging women's groups to take an active part in promoting women candidates for the upcoming municipal elections.
In the judiciary, the two co-heads of the Department of Judicial Affairs are both women--Sylvie Pantz and Nekibe Kelmendi. Women make up 17 percent of judges and lay judges (48 of 277 judges, and 37 of 238 lay judges). Women licensed attorneys are far fewer: they are nine of 140 attorneys practicing in Kosovo. However, the President of the Kosovo Bar Association is a woman, M. Lirije Osmani.
The Kosovo Police Service has attracted more women--of 1050 police cadets who have graduated or are in school, 193 or 18 percent are women.
Media are welcome to attend the meeting. Registration is at 8 a.m.