10.06.2016.

Final Consultations on the Draft National Action Plan

The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia announced today the completion of the final public consultations on the draft National Action Plan for the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 – Women, Peace and Security in the Republic of Serbia (2016 - 2020).

The event, which was attended by a large number of participants, representatives of the diplomatic and military diplomatic corps, NATO, the UN, the OSCE Mission to Serbia, state authorities and local governments, as well as representatives of civil society organizations, academia and the media, was opened by Zoran Djordjevic, Defence Minister and Chairman of the Political Council for the implementation of this document.

Speaking about the Draft Action Plan for the implementation of the Resolution 1325, which he characterised as a very important

document, and saying that he was lucky, as a chairman of the Political Council in the previous period, to be surrounded by people who have made a major contribution to the successful implementation of the planned activities, Minister Djordjevic recalled that on 23 December 2010, the Government of the Republic of Serbia adopted the first National Action Plan for the implementation of the UNSCR.

- In the past five years of its implementation, visibility of women's representation in the security system and their place and role in maintaining peace and security in the Republic of Serbia has been achieved, all forms of education in the army and police for the participation of women have been opened and their total representation in the security system has increased. Also, the women in the security system participated in the activities of international cooperation and in multinational operations, where they are to be more and more present, with the implementation of numerous programmes for education of employees in the field of gender equality, along with evaluations of the implementation of the plan in the five-year period.

Thanking the Government Working Group on the job well done, Minister Djordjevic recalled that the teamwork marked all the joint sessions, and that a good evaluation of Serbia by international organizations was a certificate of a quality work.

When it comes to the new Draft Action Plan, covering the period until 2020, Minister Djordjevic said that it was ambitious and demanding and that the goal of the new Council will be that Serbia, at the end of the upcoming period, is among the world's leading countries in the area of improving the status of women.

- Therefore it is essential that all the interested parties today come up with concrete suggestions and proposals regarding the proposed text so that the final document could be as quality as possible, Minister Djordjevic said.

Predrag Perunicic, State Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports and President of the Working Group of the Government, expressed his hope that the discussions will be meaningful and constructive, and that the new plan will soon be approved by the Government, while its implementation in the next five-year period will significantly improve the safety of women in our society.

- From January until mid-June this year, the Working Group organized three sessions and four workshops with the support of the Ministry of Defence, the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities of Serbia and the OSCE Mission to Serbia and, in only five months of the work, a Draft National Action Plan has been drafted, this is the one in front of you, and it comprises five thematic sections: institutions, prevention, participation, protection and recovery, Perunicic said.

The gathering, which, upon completion of the work, articulated the conclusions that will be implemented in the future work of the body, was also addressed, among others, by Marija Obradovic, President of the National Assembly Commission for monitoring the implementation of the NAP and Michael Uyehara, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia.