11 December 2020, online, Organized by RWLSEE with support of UN Women and Swedish Government 

Inclusive peace is essential

(On December 11, 2020) The Regional dialogue conference titled “Towards inclusive peace: Women and gender approach in peace processes and reconciliation” was organized by the RWLSEE with support of UN Women and Swedish Government. The Conference took stock on gender inclusiveness of peace processes in twenty years since the adoption of the UNSCR Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. 

The conference was opened by key note speeches from Edita Tahiri, RWL SEE Chair; Former Deputy

Prime Minister and Chief Negotiator, Karin Hernmarck Ahliny, Ambassador, Embassy of Sweden in

Kosovo, Christoffer Orre, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden, and Ulrika Richardson, UN Development Coordinator in Kosovo, Reyes Charles, EU Gender Advisor in Kosovo. They highlighted the importance of the Conference in the light of twentieth anniversary of 1325 and, emphasized that lasting peace and durable peace agreements can only be ensured through equal inclusion of women in peace negotiation tables and in the process of implementation.  

The conference participants addressed the importance of the relationship between women’s presence in peacemaking processes, women’s rights and gender provisions in peace agreements, and women’s participation in post-conflict governance and peacebuilding. The conference also addressed the challenges and look for ideas and strategies of ensuring gender inclusive formal peace processes and peace agreements for the sake of sustainable and gender inclusive peacebuilding. Special focus was given on the ongoing international peace processes in the world and the Balkan region, while participants called for equal participation of women in the delegations of both parties in the Brussels Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, as a key contribution for lasting peace in the region, where women’s role and vision should be integrated equally with men. 

The conference provided a platform for dialogue between women politicians and parliamentarians from

Kosovo and Serbia, with participants from the region. In this second track peace process mediated by the RWLSEE, and traditional for ten years, representatives from Kosovo and Serbia focused on the exchange of views as how to speed up the process of normalization of relations between two countries and, also addressed the need of equal participation of women in the formal peace processes and importance gender inclusive provisions in peace agreements. The participants from other countries in the region shared their  experiences in the peace process in their countries and the region. The discussions of all participants discussions converged around the ideas that final peace agreement in the Brussels Dialogue is a key to lasting peace and stability in the region; importance of reconciliation with the past in terms of responsibilities of parties in tragedy of wars; and establishing international justice for women victims of sexual violence in wars in the Western Balkans (1990-1999).

The Conference also look at reconciliation processes from the perspective of art and culture. The dialogue between women artists from the region with participation of experts from Italy focused on visual art and its potentials to build peace and facilitate processes of reconciliation. They emphasized that looking on peacebuilding in a different light is important and art is one of promoters of peace and reconciliation. This joint project on art, peace and reconciliation is initiated by the RWLSEE Chair Edita Tahiri and Italian partners, prof. Luciana Cataldo and prof. Massimo Pugliani. Following the discussions with the artists from different countries of the region, including Eliza Hoxha from Kosovo, Darinka Pop-Mitić from Serbia, and Nela Gligorović, from Montengero,  a joint conclusion of this panel was to follow up with ‘the art and reconciliation dialogue’ with next event to be held in Italy, within the Rocca Malatestiana Festival in Fano. 

Participants of this regional dialogue conference offered not only constructive discussions, but also recommendations for the future steps, while showing impressive political culture for an open and tolerant dialogue. Recommendations referred to the importance of promoting inclusive peace for to include all stakeholders in building sustainable peace; the need to have equal participation of women in formal peace process; gender inclusive peace agreements; the need to consolidate transitional justice and international justice especially for women raped during wars which need redressing of their dignity while perpetrators must be punished; and the need to expand dialogue with other non- traditional actors of WPS agenda. A document of recommendations will be shared with participants for the final approval and then disseminated to the relevant international and national actors.

The Conference brought together women leaders from the region, politicians, parliamentarians, civil society activists, government officials, RWLSEE Steering Committee members from focus countries Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, representatives from Italy, representatives of UN, UN Women, EU, Swedish Government, Embassy of Sweden in Kosovo etc.

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RWLSEE is a unique regional women peacebuilding organization founded in 2006. Our mission is to empower women and promote gender equality in politics, decision making and peacebuilding and formal peace processes and to promote peace, stability and European and Euro-Atlantic integration of the all six countries of Western Balkans. RWLSEE holds that more women represented in the relevant peace and political processes bring better and more sustainable results. Its membership are high profile women from politics, parliaments, governments and civil society from seven-member countries Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia.

www.rwlsee.org

REGIONAL WOMEN’S LOBBY IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE (RWLSEE) www.rwlsee.org  

Contacts:
EDITA TAHIRI, RWLSEE Chair
chair@rwlsee.org;  editatahiri@yahoo.com 

DIANA ÇEKAJ-BERISHA, RWLSEE Coordinator
coordinator@rwlsee.org; diana.cekaj-berisha@unwomen.org 
Contact: +383 44 124 466

Office Address: UN Women Office in Kosovo
Hyzri Talla Str. 26/1, 10000 Prishtina, Kosovo
Contact: +383 38 554 645 / 651 / 654