WUNRN
https://ceegendernetwork.wordpress.com/
We women of the CEE Network on Gender Issues are pleased to inform
you of the South Eastern Regional Gender Equality Platform, which was endorsed
by left, social-democratic and progressive parties in South Eastern Europe. It
has also been endorsed by over 50 European political leaders at the Congress of
the Party of European Socialists recently in Budapest.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The
CEE Network for Gender Issues was established in 1994 by the European Forum for
Democracy and Solidarity.
In
2013 (Zagreb) the Network and the European Forum celebrated 20 years of
political and civic engagement in democracy building in CEE countries in
transition. The Network has a strong base, support and engagement from men and
women in the European Forum and social democratic (SD), left and progressive
political parties in Europe, as well as broad partnerships with international
organisations with the strong gender equality mandate as well as with civil society.
Mission
to
promote the empowerment of women and gender equality objectives into mainstream
strategies, policies and programs of center-left, progressive and social
democratic political parties in transition countries in Central and Eastern
Europe
to
promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and equal opportunities in
the region through partnerships
Constituency and Community of Practice
CEE
Network is a coalition of women’s organization and groups from SD, left and
progressive political parties and civil society organizations. CEE Network
activists, women and men, come from all walks of life. They are political
leaders, politically engaged activists or active participants in civic
movements from Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania,
Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, as
well as from other parts of Europe and most recently progressive and social
democratic women leaders in Arab countries in transition (program launched in
2012).
The
Network is an observer member of the Party of European Socialists[1] and an associate member of PES Women
and cooperates closely with the Foundation for European Progressive Studies
(FEPS).
Signature
activities
analysis
and formulation of strategies policies and election platforms regarding most
acute political, economic and social problems that women are facing in
transition and identification of good practice
capacity
and party women’s organization building
support
to nationwide gender awareness campaigns
harmonization
of national legislation on gender issues with that of the European Union and
elaboration of gender sensitive policy guidelines for the integration of
Central and Eastern European countries into the EU
yearly
flagship publication, published in Hungary, on political, economic and social
status of women with written inputs from well-known SD, progressive and left
oriented women champions and human rights activists from the CEE
region
active
network, including an electronic network, of women’s organizations and
co-ordination of their activities
20
year track record - Strong results
Working
with political parties, the European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity, PES
Women and FEPS[2], the CEE Network
has been instrumental in mainstreaming women’s concerns and gender equality
related issues into SD, progressive and left political party policies and
programs, into country mainstream political discourse and often into government
policies
the
CEE Network was instrumental in the establishment and the development of the
Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe Gender Task Force in 1997[3]
it
custom designed and implemented the “Women Can Do It” (I, II, III) gender
awareness and advocacy programs (1996-1999) in South Eastern Europe and
later prepared the “Youth Can Do It”
manual
signature
annual publications as advocacy and policy guidance to women’s organizations of
social democratic, progressive and left parties.
Phase I
(1994-1997): establishment
of the Network, mapping of existing organizations, assessment of the situation
and impact of transition, as well as strategy, outreach and advocacy (including
publications), support to women’s party organizations and mainstreaming into
European Forum activities
Results:
Network
established with strategy, workplan; budget approved by European Forum
foundations; political positions set on key issues relating to transition –
focus on political engagement and gender balance in political leaderships and
economic and social impact of transition; established partnerships with
feminist networks and institutions; successful conference organized in Prague
bringing together more than 100 participants from women’s organizations
(political and NGOs), trade unionists and feminists groups on issues relating
to women’s empowerment and gende3r equality in transition countries.
Phase II (1998-2000): establishment of
strong feminist streams
within left wing parties in 21
former transition countries and
strengthening their outreach to
progressive women NGOs and
trade union women activists
Results: newly formed
social democratic and progressive parties became champions of gender
equality; women party organizations/wings were established; party quota
regulations in the party statutes were enacted; more articulated political and
public positions to promote women’s economic and social rights, right to
free and safe abortion, paid maternity and parental leave, and special women
pension rights were promoted; strengthened regional
cooperation; launch of the Women Can Do It program applied to local and
national elections in SEE in particular with tangible effect.
Phase III (2000 –
2004): acting
as a think tank for social democratic and progressive women’s organizations and
political parties in the future 12 new EU member states; main
partner and supporter of the Stability Pact Gender Task Force[4].
Results: progressive social
democratic women politicians in SEE became the backbone of
nation-wide women coalitions trying to use the EU enlargement process for
the introduction of the highest EU standards on gender equality into their
national legislations; legal quota rules in the first 4 out
of 12 SEE countries (BiH, Macedonia, Kosovo, Slovenia) were enacted; SD parties
from the new member states mainly maintained the average of women MEPs in
the PES group in 2004 European elections. [5]
Phase IV (2004-2009): Systematic
capacity building work, especially in collaboration with PES Women, with SD,
left and progressive women organizations in 10 new EU member states continued; transfer of
SD policies and best practice from best performing European parties on
specific gender equality issues (child care, reproductive health and rights,
gender sensitive active employment policies and political empowerment of
women); advisory services to European Women’s Lobby parity campaign in
preparation for 2009 EP elections and assistance, to women in SD and
progressive parties in new member states to maintain the high placing of women
on the party lists for European elections.
Results: social democratic parties maintained 40% of elected women
MEPs’; ii. SD women defined and
transformed at least a number social democratic gender equality policies into
the governmental policies when their parties were in power serving in
coalition governments (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia,
Serbia); iii. gender equality mechanisms
were established, national gender equality plans were adopted, quota were
enacted; iv. support to NGO campaigns to enact national legislation on violence
against women (Albania, Croatia, and Montenegro).
Phase V (2010-2012): CEE Network
continued its work with women party organizations mostly in the SEE region,
focusing on the issue of mentoring and strategies to address the consequences
of the financial and economic crises and ensure the respect of
women’s economic, social and personal rights. The Network initiated a project,
in cooperation with the LP Westminster Foundation, to support SD and
progressive women in Ukraine and Arab spring
countries to promote peer learning and experiences regarding women’s issues in
countries of transition.
Results: in-depth assessment of responses to the economic and
social crisis and formulation of proposals to SD/progressive political parties;
launch of the Korčula School – high level annual consultation on women’s
empowerment and key current gender equality issues; iii. launch of the project in Ukraine and Arab spring
countries; iv. strengthened partnerships.
The Gender Network
produces an Annual Report and an annual signature publication.
Phase V (2012-2014): Successful
organization of the signature Korčula School on gender issues with topics: i.
women in politics (2012), ii. economic and social challenges to gender equality
(2013), iii. violence against women with focus on sexual harassment (2014). The
Network continued to help partners in Ukraine to develop a new SD platform for
Ukraine and to establish a nation- wide cross-cutting women’s coalition
striving for enactment of the quota in electoral legislation and to work with the Arab Women’s Network, as well as
strengthened partnerships with women’s S&D party forums and other NGOs.
Particular activity involved support to women’s S&D party forums in
training and gender advocacy. The Network leaflet on principles for gender
equality prepared for 2014 European Parliament elections was translated into 6
languages in the region and used beyond EP elections.
Results: strengthened political network, peer
learning and political outreach. Establishment of a strong platform for
political mainstreaming of gender equality into party political platforms and
activities.
Partners
The CEE Network cooperates
with left-of-center European foundations that make up the European Forum,
especially the Karl Renner Institut, Alfred Mozer Stichting, Olof Palme Center,
Westminster Foundation and Jean Jaurès foundation in its first phases. It also
established cooperation with trade unions, gender equality experts and
academia. It is today primarily financed by a grant from the International Olof
Palme Center, as the Network strategic partner, and for individual initiatives
by other foundations, primarily by the Westminster Foundation (UK).
CEE Network has over time
established strong partnerships with feminist movements in the region,
individual champions for women’s rights and a diverse group of international
partners.
CEE Network has
international recognition and cooperates with PES, PES Women, SIW, FEPS, NDI,
IPU, OSCE, and transferring experience, knowledge, analysis, approaches and
methodologies across Europe, especially in CEE, and through consulting services
in countries like Turkey, the CIS and North African Arab
countries. It has worked with UNDP, UNIFEM, UN ECE, OSCE ODIHIR , EIGE, European
Commission and EU Parliament and other
international institutions.
2015…and counting!
CEE Network International Board
CEE Network has an
International Board (chaired by Daša Šašić Šilović), Executive Director (Sonja
Lokar) and Project Manager (Mija Javornik). Members: Dr. Zita Gurmai (MEP);
Marta Szigeti Bonifert (CEE Network Board Member); Karolina Leaković (SDP
Croatia) and Lovorka Marinović (Center for New Initiatives, Croatia).
While initially
housed in Budapest (Hungary), today its offices are in Ljubljana (Slovenia),
Budapest and Zagreb (previously in Talinn).
Dasa
Sasic Silovic
Chair,
International Board
CEE
Network for Gender Issues
E-mail: ceegendernet@gmail.com;
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeeGenderNetwork
Twitter: @CEEGENDERNET; Blog: https://ceegendernetwork.wordpress.com/