Media Advisory - Fourth Regional Forum: Ending Violence Against Women in the Western Balkans and Türkiye

Date: 29-30 November 2022, within the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence

Time: 09:00 – 14:30 Central European Time (CET)

What: UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia is pleased to invite you to the Fourth Regional Forum on Ending Violence against Women in the Western Balkans and Türkiye, “Integrated Policies, Inclusive Partnerships,” taking place virtually on 29-30 November 2022.

Where: For more details, agenda and speakers of the event, please check eca.unwomen.org or the event registration page.

Who: The Fourth Regional Forum will welcome around 300 state representatives, civil society and regional organizations, ombudsperson offices, and well-known figures from cinema, literature, and sports from across the Western Balkans and beyond. The Forum will be opened by:

• Ogerta Manastirliu, Minister of Health and Social Protection, Albania
• Albulena Haxhiu, Minister of Justice, Kosovo
• Jovana Trenčevska, Minister of Labour and Social Policy, North Macedonia
• Samra Filipović Hadžiabdić, Director of Agency for Gender Equality, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Biljana Pejović, Head of Department for Gender Equality, Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, Montenegro
• Michela Matuella, Acting Director for the Western Balkans, Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission
• Alia El-Yassir, Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, UN Women

Why: The event aims to set a strategy for establishing femicide watches - femicide monitoring mechanisms- in the region, strengthen alliances and networks among and between women’s rights organizations and state governments, and improve referral systems for survivors of violence. It will also build on the momentum created over the last five years and set the stage for advancing the gender equality agenda towards preventing and responding to violence against women in the region. 

The expected outcomes of the event include:

• Outlining a strategic roadmap for the establishment of country and subregional femicide watches - mechanisms for informing response to femicide;
• Increasing the value and visibility of civil society networks and alliances among women's organizations and between state actors and women's organizations;
• Renewing commitments to a coordinated multi-sectoral response;
• Shaping priorities for the next five years.

How: Register now for the largest regional event gathering key stakeholders from the region on ending violence against women.

The Forum is organized by UN Women and co-convened by the Council of Europe, the European Union, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Albania, the Ministry of Justice of Kosovo, the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights of Montenegro, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy of North Macedonia, and the Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Watch the opening live here.

Join the conversation: Follow: @unwomeneca on Twitter and Facebook and share your messages using the hashtag #ChangingMindsToEVAW. For further information, please contact Victoria Puiu, Communications and Visibility Specialist, victoria.puiu@unwomen.org.