Media advisory: Promoting the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the Western Balkans and Turkey
Date:
Media Contact: Diego De La Rosa, Regional Programme Communications Expert, at diego.delarosa@unwomen.org, +66995037177 or Mirjana Nedeva, UN Women Skopje Communications and Knowledge Management Officer at mirjana.nedeva@unwomen.org, Tel: + 389 (2) 3109 307/8 ext. 13.
WHAT: Regional Forum: Promoting Implementation of Istanbul Convention in the Western Balkans and Turkey “Integrated policies, inclusive partnerships”
The Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, the European Union, and the Council of Europe (CoE), in partnership with European Women’s Lobby, are convening a regional forum to discuss the progress in implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known as the Istanbul Convention, within the broader commitments on gender equality and ending violence against women in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The forum will aim to accelerate implementation and facilitate dialogue among key stakeholders, and across the region.
The forum is organized within the framework of the EU-UN Women Regional Programme on Ending Violence against Women in the Western Balkans and Turkey:
Implementing Norms, Changing Minds.
The overall objective of the regional forum is to take stock of the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Istanbul Convention, so as to push this agenda forward by developing concrete proposals for action at national and regional levels. It will also aim to foster spaces for exchange and interaction amongst national governments, civil society institutions and civil society organizations to improve normative frameworks and service provision for women survivors of violence.
WHO:
H.E. Mr. Zoran Zaev, Prime Minister, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
H.E. Samuel ŽBOGAR, Head of the Delegation of the European Union
Ms. Alia El-Yassir, Regional Director, UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia
Mr. Daniele Cangemi, Head of the Human Dignity and Gender Equality Department, Council of Europe
Ms. Asha Allen, Policy and Campaigns Officer, European Women’s Lobby
WHEN: November 27-28, 2018, 9:00 am (CET)
WHERE: Holiday Inn, Millennium I Conference Room
Filip Vtori Makedonski, 5, Skopje 1000
Regional Programme on Ending Violence against Women in the Western Balkans and Turkey “Implementing Norms, Changing Minds”
The three-year programme, ‘Implementing Norms, Changing Minds’, aims at ending gender-based discrimination and violence against women in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo1, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia) and Turkey, with a particular focus on the most disadvantaged groups of women.
The adoption and full implementation of frameworks aligned with international normative standards – including those standards outlined in CEDAW, the Istanbul Convention and the European Union acquis communautaire – are essential for addressing gender-based discrimination and violence against women. The programme is working to strengthen women’s organizations capacity to hold governments to account, advocate for effective implementation, and monitor prevention of and response to violence against women. Beyond the full implementation of legislative frameworks, the programme also addresses structural causes of gender inequality – and one of its most pervasive expressions, violence against women – through a transformation of gender discriminatory stereotypes, perceptions and beliefs. Lastly, protection, prevention and response to violence against women is closely interlinked with the availability of and access to comprehensive, multi-sectoral services for survivors of violence.
Follow the hashtags #IstanbulConventionForum and #changingmindstoEVAW for social media updates.
[1] All references to Kosovo on this website shall be understood to be in full compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).