OSCE Presence promotes inclusion of gender perspective in Albania’s Parliament’s work

On 1 and 2 July, the OSCE Presence in Albania organized a concluding workshop with the Alliance of Women Parliamentarians and the Subcommittee on Gender Equality and Prevention of Violence against Women, in view of the end of the current Albanian legislature.

In the last four years, the work of these parliamentary bodies, in close co-operation with the Presence, has led to positive developments in advancing gender issues in the Assembly, and in Albanian society. The main achievement of this joint work was the approval of the Gender Action Programme (GAP) “Towards a Gender Sensitive Parliament” by the Assembly’s steering body, the Conference of Chairpersons, on 29 June 2020.

Sihana Nebiu, Head of the Presence’s Democratization Department and Gender Focal Point of the Presence in Albania, reiterated the importance and focus on supporting gender equality efforts and gender mainstreaming. Gender equality remains a priority of the Presence also in the next legislature.

The Presence has supported and jointly organized various activities with the Alliance of Women Parliamentarians and the Sub-Committee on Gender Equality and Prevention of Violence against Women to establish cross-party dialogue focusing on women Parliamentarians, and Albanian women in general. The Presence and Assembly continue to work together as partners in promoting agendas of gender equality and mainstreaming, respecting human rights and freedoms, as well as women rights within the framework of the “Support to Parliament and Civic Education” project (PACEP), supported by the Presence and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).