On 26 March 2013, in Pristina, Kosovo, the Regional Women’s Lobby for peace, security and justice in Southeast Europe (RWL SEE), organized the III-rd Roundtable discussion: “Dialogue for Normalizing Relations – Perspectives of Women in Kosovo” with the main focus to provide a voice to women in Kosova on the ongoing Dialogue on normalization of relations between Kosova and Serbia, facilitated by EU. Participants included RWL members, MPs, NGO-s and other representatives of civil society and Chief of Administration Office of Mitrovica North.This was an interethnic dialogue between Kosovo women – Albanian as well as Serbian women from the northern part of Kosovo that presented their democratic thoughts and opinions on the topic of this roundtable as well as on their concerns on the women’s issues.

Apart from issues connected to the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, on what has been provided first hand briefing by the Deputy Prime minister Ms. Edita Tahiri, who is also RWL Chair, as a direct participant in the Dialogue on normalization, and expected integration process of Serbs of the north into Kosovo’s institutions, the roundtable discussion focused also on issues common to all women in Kosovo, regardless their ethnicity or religion. Above all, the role of women in politics and women rights in Kosovo were given the highest importance.

All participants were satisfied with the flow of very open discussion, friendly atmosphere and readiness for continuous mutual collaboration. They appreciated the possibility to directly exchange information and practical concerns and they were ready to continue with this kind of meetings where much-needed information can be exchanged. At the end of the meeting, the draft conclusions has been summarized by RWL Chair, that came out of the creative and constructive debate of the participants in this meeting. Ms. Tahiri thanked all participants for their contributions and promised that RWL will continue its commitment to help advance women agenda, focus on the important interethnic issues in the regions, for increasing the women’s role in peace and security processes and the European integration. She also expressed special gratitude to the Embassy of Finland in Prishtina, Kosovo and personally to Ms. Anne Meskanen for their generous support of this important RWL project of interethnic dialogue among women of Kosovo as well as to the UN Women for the continuous support of RWL.

This roundtable was preceded by two other successful activities also funded by Embassy of Finland and supported by UN Women: the  I-st Roundtable held in Prevalle in June 2012 (also assisted by the organizational support provided by Administrative Office in Mitrovica North) which established the first collaboration among the participants of the current dialogue, and II-nd Roundtable dialogue held in Istanbul, Turkey, on December 2012 between two delegations of women MPs from Kosovo and Serbia, which was focused on gender sensitive legislation and its implementation in the two countries, violence against women as a common concern in the region, and possibilities for future collaboration and dialogue between the participants and wider representatives of communities in Kosovo and Serbia.