ZAGREB ZAGREB, July 12 (Hina) - Croatia has made considerable progress in the field of the gender equality, but there is still much to do, a Croatian Deputy Prime Minister, Zeljka Antunovic, said on Friday.
ZAGREB, July 12 (Hina) - Croatia has made considerable progress in
the field of the gender equality, but there is still much to do, a
Croatian Deputy Prime Minister, Zeljka Antunovic, said on Friday.
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Since the incumbent authorities took office (in 2000) much has been
done in the field of the gender equality and a number of women
participating in the decision-making centres has increased,
Antunovic said at the opening of a one-day regional meeting on this
issue.
The sixth regional meeting of the Stability Pact's gender equality
working group took place in Zagreb.
Antunovic admitted that the latest local elections in her country
"show that a struggle for an increasing inclusion of women in bodies
of authorities has not yet been won."
The issue should be solved at all levels of the state and in all
social sectors, she added.
Antunovic believes that the regional cooperation within the
Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe offers great possibilities
in the prevention of the trafficking in humans, particularly in
women and children. The clamp-down on organisers of the trafficking
would contribute to the progress in the gender equality, she
added.
The Croatian government backs an initiative for the set-up of
regional centre for the gender equality in Croatia, the government
official said.
"I am confident that this meeting will give further impetus to
efforts aimed at the accomplishment of the ultimate objective: the
equalisation of rights of women in the countries in region and an
increase in the number of women engaged in the political life,"
Antunovic said.
The sixth regional meeting has gathered representatives of ten (10)
south-eastern European countries, some European Union members and
other participants in the Stability Pact.
The pact's special co-ordinator, Erhard Busek, said that for the
three years of its work the Pact opened an European initiative in
countries in the south-east of the Continent.
It also contributed to the promotion of cross-border cooperation of
those countries, what had been unimaginable a few years ago, he
asserted.
Busek added that the efforts should now be invested in the
implementation in the infrastructure projects and the so-called
package of the quick start projects.
Speaking of the fight against smuggling of women and minors, Busek
said he warned western countries of the need to cooperate with
south-eastern European countries, as the largest number of
ultimate users of the trade in people were in west Europe.
The head of the gender equality working group, Sonja Lokar, said the
fight for the equality was not only the endeavours aimed at
including women in the political life, although it was an important
segment. Lokar said that in the last three years when the group had
been active, the share of female members of parliament in the
countries in the region rose from seven to over 15 percent.
She called on governments, donors and the Pact to give stronger
financial support to projects of the working group.
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