The Gender Equality Forum held within the framework of the Berlin Process, hosted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), brought together representatives from the Western Balkans, including government officials, local leaders, and civil society members. The event focused on advancing gender sensitivity within the Berlin Process framework and aimed to address critical gaps in gender mainstreaming across the region.
The forum featured a series of impactful sessions, including keynote speeches and panel discussions. The ongoing exclusion of gender perspectives in the Berlin Process, despite global commitments to gender equality, was emphasized by participants and backed by the respective analysis conducted by Kvinna till Kvinna.
The three main topics of the 2024 Gender Equality Forum were:
Economic Empowerment and Social Security for Women: The forum highlighted the importance of women’s economic participation as crucial for fostering social cohesion, driving economic growth, and reducing poverty, with the need to address gender-based violence and improve social security standards recognized as essential steps to promote this participation.
Women’s Inclusion in Decision-Making: The absence of women’s voices in decision-making results in policies that do not fully address the needs and challenges faced by them. Additionally, it undermines the democratic and effective governance needed for EU accession, thus, women inclusion in leadership roles was acknowledged at the forum as essential for ensuring that policies reflect the needs of the entire population.
Feminist Perspectives on Reconciliation Processes: The Western Balkans’ history of armed conflict has profoundly affected gender relations in the region. Women have experienced both victimization and taken active roles in peace-making. The forum emphasized the need for recognizing women’s roles in peacebuilding and addressing the challenges they face in post-conflict settings.
To advance these objectives, the forum underscores the need for establishing a dedicated regional funding mechanism to support the implementation of its recommendations. This fund would provide sustainable financial resources for gender equality initiatives, enabling national and local governments, along with civil society organizations, to effectively address the identified challenges. Furthermore, the forum strongly advocates for the institutionalization of the Gender Equality Forum as a permanent component of the Berlin Process. By embedding gender equality as a permanent focus, we’re ensuring continuous dialogue, monitoring, and strategy development to address gender disparities in the Western Balkans. This institutionalization will help accelerate our path toward inclusive regional development and ultimately our EU integration.
As the Berlin Process moves into its second decade, it’s crucial to focus on gender equality so that everyone benefits equally from regional cooperation and EU integration. The recommendations from the Gender Equality Forum are key to addressing the current gaps in gender equality, fostering open dialogue, and ensuring the Berlin Process remains aligned with ongoing commitments to gender equality and sustainable development for all.
The forum was organized as part of the “Regional Cooperation for EU Integration” (RCEI) project, implemented by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project aims to place gender equality at the forefront of EU integration efforts for the Western Balkans.
Click here to download the recommendations endorsed at the Forum as well as the report “Missing Gender Perspectives in the Berlin Process – consequences and new opportunities” by the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation.