Within the framework of the initiative “For more women in decision-making”, in cooperation with the Office of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality and with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence organized two round tables in Zrenjanin.
The first round table was held on May 31 in the City Hall of the city of Zrenjanin, with the participation of representatives of the local Gender Equality Council, Women’s Council Members’ Network, as well as representatives and representatives of other local government bodies – assistant mayors, centers for social work and local councils.
After introductory remarks by Sonja Liht, BFPE President and Sima Salapura, Assistant Mayor of Zrenjanin, local officials spoke of duties arising from the relevant legal framework, the supremacy of the national body for the protection of equality, as well as competencies of local and provincial mechanisms for gender equality through lectures by Professor Marijana Pajvančić; Advisor to the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Bogdan Banjac; and activist of the Women’s Platform, Marija Srdić, after which a debate was opened on the achievements and further plans of the city of Zrenjanin in the field of gender equality.
After talks and consultations with the local administration and councilors, on 1 June we organized a round table with local politicians of Zrenjanin, taking into account the representation of all relevant political options, the position and opposition, as well as various ideological options. 20 local politicians from SNS, SPS, SDPS, DS, Dosta je bilo and Dveri have joined us in the conversation. They had the opportunity to listen to Professor Marijana Pajvančić’s lecture on mechanisms of organizing politicians at the local level, as well as the opportunity to discuss with civil society activists Marija Srdić and Radoslav Aralica about the history and possibilities of cooperation between the civil sector and politicians at the local level, but also to participate in debates with more experienced politicians – deputies of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Gordana Comic and Tatjana Macura, as well as the Vojvodina Assembly Mijo Kovacevic Strajin.
The main goal of the project “For more women in decision-making” is to create a more favorable climate for greater participation of women in the creation and implementation of all sectoral policies and political decision-making at the level of local governments.
