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The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General Jacques-Paul Klein and the Acting Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, Dieter Woltmann wish to express their commitment and support to the advancement of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina on International Women’s Day, March 8th, 2001. Equal rights for women and their full participation is a prerequisite for any sustainable, just and developed society.
Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been victims of conflict and subject to various forms of violence and discrimination, both direct and covert, in all aspects of life in the post-war period. BiH must also work to free itself from the problems of the trafficking of women and forced prostitution. To raise awareness of these issues and find ways to tackle them, the Gender Co-ordination Group, chaired by OHR and consisting of representatives from OSCE, OHCHR, the UN family of organisations, and other international organisations, has been focussing on integrating the gender dimension in national legislation, public policies, programmes and projects. The High Representative firmly believes that "full democracy is possible only when all citizens of BiH - including women - enjoy full respect for their human rights. Women are now for the first time since the war being represented in the highest political institutions - there is a female Minister for Foreign Trade and Economic Relations in the Council of Ministers - but this is not enough if equality is to be reached". The Gender Co-ordination Group is continuing its support to women in political and public life, which began in 1997 with the OSCE’s Women in Politics Program. The OSCE has since supported the drive by women political activists in BiH by changing the PEC Rules and Regulations in 1998 to ensure women were represented among the top 10 of candidate lists. For the elections in 2000, the "gender quota" of 30% on the open lists was introduced. Since then the representation of women in elected bodies has increased to 18%, the highest in BiH history. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General has stated that "it is clear that no enduring solution to the social, economic and political problems of BiH can be found without the full participation and empowerment of BiH's women". The UN is working for the full inclusion of women in the police service and aggressively fighting the trafficking of women. Most recently, it supported the Entity Ministries of Interior and the Brcko District Police Services in operation "Makro", a raid on nightclubs suspected of being involved in prostitution and illegal trafficking of women during which 177 women were liberated. The OSCE, in co-operation with NGOs and elected women, will host events to raise visibility of women in politics and public life throughout the country. As the OSCE Head of Mission, Ambassador Robert Barry states, "the key to stable democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina is in ensuring that more than half of the BiH population, women, get their voices heard!" The Gender Co-ordination Group commends the recent establishment of Gender Equality mechanisms in the Parliaments and Governments at both State and Entity levels. These bodies should advise State and Entity governments on new policies and review their decisions and programmes. Their positive impact is expected in the overall advancement of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina. On the 8th of March, International Women's Day, the High Representative will visit the restaurant Fantasia - which celebrates it's first anniversary on that day - and is one of two restaurants in Sarajevo run by the women's co-operative "Nasa Nada". The High Representative, Ambassador Klein and Ambassador Waltman reaffirm their commitment to ensuring the BiH continues to grow as a society built on the principals of non-discrimination.
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