Participation: The Role and Position of Women in Central and Local Institutions and Political Parties in Kosovo

Conducted in October 2014, the study Participation: The Role and Position of Women in Central and Local Institutions and Political Parties in Kosovo analyses the inclusion of women in Kosovo’s central and local institutions and political parties.

Implemented by Kosovo’s Agency for Gender Equality with support of UN Women via the joint UNDP and European Union project, Women, Peace and Security, the study is the first activity in Kosovo’s Action Plan to implement UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

After outlining the challenges and osbstacles to increased participation faced by women in decision-making positions in public institutions, the study recommends:

• Amending existing legal framework to promote and ensure gender equality;
• Training women in management and leadership and encouraging them to seek decision-making positions;
• Providing scholarships to women and support for continuing education studies while working;
• Promoting successful women to decision-making positions;
• Organising training that promotes gender equality in legal frameworks and in public institutions.

The study also proposes to increase women’s participation in decision-making positions by:

• Empowering women forums within political parties;
• Setting up quotas of representation of women in decision-making positions in political parties’ statutes;
• Allowing self-nomination for decision-making positions within political parties;
• Distributing political party financing funds based on the proposed gender quota;
• Providing political and communications skills’ training for women in politics or aiming to join a party;
• Organising gender-based budgeting training for political parties and to improve women’s representation in political parties;
• Increasing women’s participation in managing general and local elections.