Women’s equality and security paramount for sustainable peace
Op-Ed by Michael Davenport, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo on International Women's Day (for Kosovar Gender Studies Center)
One area in which the OSCE Mission in Kosovo has been working since its establishment and which remains a high priority to this day is gender equality and women’s rights. Although women in Kosovo have steadily worked their way up the political ladder, even making the OSCE-supported gender quota in political party election tickets no longer needed, women remain largely outside main decision-making processes within the parties themselves and in local- and central-level governance.
Back in 2007, the Mission supported the introduction of a gender quota into the electoral code, making it obligatory for political parties to include women on their tickets, and incentives in the legislative, executive and law enforcement agencies to encourage stronger women’s representation. Female candidates were encouraged to apply for law enforcement positions and the Mission targeted support to the women who became police officers over the last two decades. The Mission supported the enactment of the Law on Gender Equality and engaged in capacity- and institution-building of all relevant executive and legislative actors on gender equality and the enforcement of legal provisions in this regard.
Decision-making and empowerment
The gender quota was just the first step, followed by close co-operation with the Assembly of Kosovo, municipal assemblies, municipal officers for gender equality, and especially women’s caucuses to promote the inclusion of women in decision-making processes.
With this level of engagement, the Mission was able to launch the Follow Us Initiative in 2012 – coinciding with the early stages of the Prishtinë/Priština-Belgrade dialogue – that brought together women MPs from Prishtinë/Priština and Belgrade. We saw that the issues faced by women MPs here were very similar to those faced by leading women in Belgrade, so we sought to bring them together to learn from one another and break down barriers between them. Together with the prominent women from the Follow Us Initiative, the Mission then created the OSCE Dialogue Academy, gathering young women from Prishtinë/Priština and Belgrade through an annual programme on dialogue, reconciliation, women’s empowerment and leadership. The aim of this initiative is to strengthen women’s voices and ensure their perspectives are heard in current and future dialogue initiatives. This programme has now grown into an alumni network of almost 200 young women who are role models for peace and confidence-building in their societies through their joint initiatives and advocacy.
Security forces reflecting the society they protect
International studies have shown that peace-building processes offer a critical window of opportunity to address gender inequalities and build societies that are responsive and accountable to all. And academic research has demonstrated that the integration of gender equality in security sector reform leads to better outcomes by enhancing local ownership, improving public confidence, and helping to ensure that justice and security services are responsive to the needs of all citizens. Therefore, the Mission has consistently remained an ardent advocate for women’s inclusion at all levels, including in security institutions.
The Mission has continued to build the capacity of the Kosovo Police as one of the Mission’s key partners, supporting the active inclusion of women at all levels in this organization. This is essential for the safety of all people in Kosovo and to make the police force more representative of the society it protects.
The Mission has also provided training for women police officers on gender-sensitive community policing, and by fostering discussions on safety and security of women in their communities. Through these forums, the Mission has been advocating for a police service that is able to serve all members of society, and address the specific needs of women and girls.
The Mission established the Police School, now known as the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety, and the Association for Women in the Kosovo Police, which acts as an engine for promoting gender equality inside the police structure. The Mission takes pride in the fact that the Kosovo Police has now an approved Gender Agenda and is working to increase gender parity, supporting women’s career development and their promotion.
Areas for improvement and way forward
There has certainly been progress when it comes to gender equality, for example in the number of ministerial positions held by women, or in the judiciary where the number of women judges has reached 34.8 %. However, there is much more to be done. We see that only 14.76 % of Kosovo Police are women. While Kosovo has a woman as President, there are currently only two women mayors, and no women head any of the bigger traditional political parties. Women are also under-represented in senior positions in major Kosovo businesses.
There is a growing awareness of the integral role that women play in the security sector. But work is still needed to address women’s under-representation in key institutions. Access to equal opportunities means women being equally represented in all aspects of public and political life. We still need to see more women in government, around dialogue tables, in budget preparations, in company boardrooms, and indeed everywhere decisions are taken about our common future.