Project: “INTEGRATION OF GENDER EQUALITY PRINCIPLES IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES “
Period: July, 2012 – October, 2013
Donor: UN Women
In partnership with NGO „Forum žena“ Bratunac, and financially supported by organisation UN Women, Association „HO HORIZONTI“ will in 2013, continue successfull implementation of Project „Integration of Gender Equality Principles in Local Communities“ in municipalities Srebrenica, Bratunac, Lukavac and Kalesija overally aimed to strengthening the capacities, procedures and the sustainability of institutional mechanisms for the integration of gender equality principles at the local level. This Project is based on extensive consultations and planning conducted by partner organisations „Forum žena“ Bratunac and „HO HORIZONTI“ Tuzla and is the result of commonly identified problems and needs in targeted municipalities in the Tuzla Canton and the Srebrenica area. It is based on detailed analyses of women’s participation in decision-making processes at the local level.
Amendments to the municipal Statutes or the particular articles which pertain to the selection and appointment of members to the local community councils will contribute to the implementation of the Article 20 of the BiH Gender Equality Law. The challenge is to make visible the needs of marginalised women and enable them to actively participate in the decision-making processes directly or through their elected representatives based on equal conditions and on anti-discriminatory principles.
In order to achieve the overall objective of the Project, „HO HORIZONTI“ Tuzla and „Forum žena“ Bratunac will implement activities in increasing public awareness about the Action Plan for the implementation of the UNSCR 1325 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its importance, and in particular Article 1 of Action Plan BiH, and training and empowering women in local communities to actively engage in decision-making processes at the local level. Also research about women’s opinions on the issues of peace and security in their places of living will follow, and then dissemination of results. Project implementation furthermore envisages a campaign for positive action for a greater participation of women in the local community councils and implementation of activities in strengthening capacities of the women elected to the local community councils and improvement of cooperation between rural women, women elected to the municipal councils and the municipal gender equality committees.
Through public forums, distribution of leaflets and radio shows citizens will be informed about the Action Plan for Implementation of UNSCR 1325 on the local level and the ways the Action Plan can be applied in the representation of their interests which will lead to the citizens’ more active engagement in discussions and solving important problems in local communities. Through implementation of this Project, we shall enhance rights and opportunities of marginalised returnee and internally displaced women in two municipalities in Srebrenica area (Bratunac and Srebrenica) and two municipalities in Tuzla Canton (Lukavac and Kalesija) for active engagement in community building, peace processes and decision-making processes.
In order to bring about positive changes in the life of the primary beneficiaries we shall establish cooperation with local legislative and executive authorities in the targeted four municipalities. Local governments are in a strategic position to take concrete steps towards achieving true equality between women and men at the local level and, moreover, they can count on the competence and collaboration with civil society organizations.