Dear women activists of the civil society, powerful lobbyists for the attainment of gender equality through creation of equal conditions and enlivening of the rights guaranteed by the laws and the constitution of our country.
Dear Igo,
Dear Friends,
Dear women activists of the civil society, powerful lobbyists for the attainment of gender equality through creation of equal conditions and enlivening of the rights guaranteed by the laws and the constitution of our country.
I have a particular pleasure to address you at the annual conference of the Kosovo Women’s Network, which at the same time marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of this movement, which represent the most powerful voice of women for the realization of their rights and enlivens our joint vision, for the empowerment of the society and the democratic state.
At a very important time for our society, when we undertook the journey of the post war resurrection and building of peace, you believed that we will guarantee our future with the full participation of all citizens. Belief, which found more and more support day by day, from women of all walks of life around the country, who insisted that women take their deserved place in the society.
You demonstrated the strength which women have had in our society through your clear vision that women are the pillars of the society and that their contribution is essential to each stage of its development.
It was the women of Kosovo that carried on their shoulder the heavy burden of survival, of the peaceful resistance, of the war, and no doubt, peace building could not have been achieved without them.
Kosovo is today a democratic and independent state, owing to the undeniable contribution of women and men of this country. This must make us feel proud and determined to work incessantly to protect this value of our society, upon which we have laid the foundations our state, by respecting of the rights of women. Denial of their rights must not exist in our society, in the future which we are building with so much hardship and sacrifice.
I see in you, my dear friends, powerful women; who, everyday, through your dedication guarantee a brighter future to the coming generations. You are the best examples to our youth that through work, faith and determination, all barriers can be overcome.
We as a society are still facing gender prejudice and patriarchal mentality. Challenges to the complete realization of gender equality are many, for all of us, on every level and in all fields of life. But you have proved that there is no challenge which cannot be overcome, that there are no problems which cannot be solved, when there is a will and support for one another.
In Kosovo there are many successful women and many powerful women in politics, education, science, technology, business, media, in the security sector and justice, but this does not mean that our joint work and engagements must come to a stop. On the contrary, this is just a right beginning of our very long and challenging traversing to the full realization of women’s rights, through their inclusion of decision making in every walk of life.
Honourable friends,
Kosovo Women’s Network enjoys the full support of my office; in the same manner as has my Office enjoyed your support in realization of many projects and ideas which have shared our common ambition for the advancement and empowerment of the role of women in our society.
This cooperation of ours has broken stereotypes which stated that there cannot be partnerships between state institutions and civil society. We have demonstrated that we have the strength, potential and capacity, which every woman possesses, and we have oriented this potential towards our overall wellbeing.
I have said it many times, and I would like to repeat it at this forum as well, that investment in women is a smart investment. That we can guarantee our future as a democratic society, with a developed economy, only through full inclusiveness of every single citizen. Women and girls consist half the intellectual and human capacity of our country, let us invest in this potential, let us develop and protect it.
Honourable members of the Kosovo Women’s Network,
I congratulate you on your untiring work on overthrowing of taboo’s on many sensitive issues in our society, for your courage and for giving voice to all women, for your direct contribution to the democratization of our society, for the support you have given to the inclusion of women in decision making in all fields of life in our country and for your contribution to the drafting of policies which reflect gender equality.
Gender equality, respecting of women’s rights and greater inclusion of women in decision making, not only in politics but in other fields as well, has been and continues to remain a priority of my work.
All of us, through our concrete engagement and contribution in every walk of life, must continue to remain role models to younger generations, in order for them not to give up on their dreams and to feel equal to one another.
We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but our determination is more solid than ever before, for the protection of highest of values upon which we have built our state, the respect of rights of all citizens, irrespective.
I congratulate you on successes you have achieved this year and during the last 15 years in all fields you have engaged in; your engagements have strengthened our society and our state. I wish you many successes in the future and I express my unsparing support in standing by your side for every initiative that you will undertake in defence of basic values of democracy.
Thank you.