EU 4 Gender Equality: Women’s Economic Empowerment and Ending Violence Against Women
About the Programme
The programme “EU4 Gender Equality – Women’s Economic Empowerment and Ending Violence Against Women” works to advance women’s economic empowerment while addressing violence against women. Why both? Because economic empowerment and safety go hand in hand. When women and girls are free from violence and have equal access to economic opportunities, they can fully participate in society and enjoy their economic, labour, and social rights in a safe and secure environment.
Funded by the European Union (EU), the programme is jointly implemented by UN Women and UNDP across six Western Balkans economies: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
Regional context
Across the Western Balkans, women and girls continue to face deep-rooted gender inequalities that limit their rights, well-being, and economic opportunities. Social norms and traditional attitudes - held by both men and women – contribute to feminized poverty, violence against women, job insecurity, and pay and pension gaps.
Gender equality is not only a matter of social justice – it is also a key requirement for EU accession. All Western Balkans IPA beneficiaries have committed to achieving gender equality through legal reforms and social change, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
A 2022 World Bank study found that the gross domestic product (GDP) of IPA beneficiaries could be 20% higher if women participated in the labour market at the same rate as men. Yet women’s employment remains low - just 45%, compared to 65% for men. Women also perform three times more unpaid work than men and carry nearly 80% of family responsibilities.
At the same time, violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains pervasive, both reflecting and reinforcing women’s economic disempowerment. It disrupts education and employment, imposes long-term social and economic costs, and is often worsened by women’s financial dependence.
Moreover, the region’s rapid digitalization has introduced new opportunities but also new threats. Digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, are accelerating new forms of digital violence, including image-based abuse, deepfakes, gendered disinformation, and online harassment. One in two women in the Western Balkans has experienced at least one form of digital violence. The prevalence is highest in North Macedonia (62,8 per cent), followed by Serbia (55,8 per cent), Bosnia and Herzegovina (51 percent), Kosovo (43,3 per cent), and Albania (41,1 per cent).
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* For the European Union, this designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence. For UN Women, references to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).