UNMIK/PR/1682 - UNMIK Countdown #25
PRISTINA – The UNMIK Office of Gender Affairs (OGA) was established in 1999 with a mandate deriving from various international legal instruments such as the UN Charter, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), as well as UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security.
Under its mandate, the OGA is requested to facilitate learning processes leading to the enhancement of professional awareness and preparedness of UNMIK personnel to deal with gender issues, through a gender mainstreaming approach. This has been achieved by designing, implementing and delivering a number of training sessions covering a broad selection of gender issues, specifically tailored to fit the needs of different groups and participants within UNMIK and in Kosovo.
These training modules have included,“Special Needs of Women and Children in Conflict”, “Gender Awareness for Court Administrators”, “Gender Implications of the HIV/AIDS Pandemic”, “Gender Awareness for Kosovo Correctional Service Officers”, and the on-going “Applying Tools for Gender Mainstreaming”, which covers integration of gender in all aspects of political, economic and social life.
In co-ordination with the Agency for Gender Equality (AGE) in the Office of the Prime Minister and representatives from women’s organizations, the Office of Gender Affairs has trained over 400 people. The UNMIK Office of Gender Affairs will provide on-going trainings in fields identified by the AGE as priority areas for the achievement of gender equality in Kosovo.
