In a three year long SIDA financed program, SKL-International is cooperating with the serbian counterpart to SKL; SCTM - Standing Conference on Towns and Municipalities. The overall objective of the program is to enchance the capacity of SCTM and Local governments in relation to the EU-integration process. One out of five components in the program is about Gender Equality. The program has recently been extended until autumn 2015, and there are discussion of a possible future continued cooperation between SALAR and SCTM. Gender issues will probably continue to be a strong issue in a such local Swedish-Serbian project. This page will serve as a source for internal and public information on the progress of the gender component. Jämko is assisting the gender component with several international expert assignments. For more information about the program and the gender component; contact Fredrik Lundkvist.

Meeting at the SCTM office; a complex process of more then 20 different gender equality activities are to be planed and coordinated. From the left: Rozeta, Vladimir, Ryan, Helena, Maja.

The overall objective of the project is to enchance the capacity of SCTM and Local governments in relation to gender equality and an increased public awareness of the importance of gender equality issues at local level. Also; the gender component is aiming at gender mainstreaming of the other components of the project. To be able to achieve these objective a Gender Working Group (GWG) is formed. GWG is composed of representatives from elected representatives of the SCTM, gender experts and staff of the SCTM. The SCTM has also recruited a pool of experts to support the work of the GWG. In june the GWG will have their first meeting at the SCTM office in Belgrade.

The Gender Working Group is visiting Sweden, Västerbotten and Stockholm, in october. The purpose of the visit is to study examples of local work on gender equality and to strengthen contacts and exchange between the two counties - at the local level. Photos and handouts available via link on headline above. Program for the study visit: Program_GWG_studyvisit.pdf

The SCTM Gender Working Group has just arrived at Umeå Airport, evening 121014

Download the movie slideshow here.

February 22-23 the SCTM Gender Working Group (GWG) received their fourth and final training module in gender mainstreaming, based upon the 3R-method. The training was held in a forest cabin in the Andrevlje mountain. All participants have as a part of their training done an individual 3R-analysis of different municipal activities. In the final training module the participants of the GWG also presented action plans related to their analysis. The GWG will continue to function as a driving force for gender equality at the local level in Serbia through out the whole program period. More photos from the event available here.

Part of the SCTM Gender Working Group. Some participants had already left when the picture was taken. From the left: Fredrik Lundkvist, swedish coordinator, Jasna Vujačić, at the general directorate of gender equality, Danijela Gavrilović, Arandelovac municipality, Biljana Maletin, gender expert, Ljiljana Lazarević, Zrenjanin municipality, Nada Banković, Arandelovac, Pavle Karlečik, gender expert from Zrenjanin, Rozeta Aleksov, serbian coordinator, Ljubinka Kaluđerović, SCTM environment committee secretary, Predrag Stošić, gender expert from Lebane municipality, Nada, Interpreter

May 21, 2013, SCTM organized a conference ”Citizens and local policies” i Belgrade, with almost 150 participants from municipalities, political parties, NGOs, national institutions etc. The conference was the starting point of an open process to formulate a new gender policy for the SCTM and the local level in Serbia. The process should be completed and a new policy adapted by the end of 2013. Some photos from the event here.

About 150 people attended the gender conference at Sava Conference Center in New Belgrade.

The SCTM Gender Working Group outside the municipal office in Vindeln in northern Sweden, october 2012.

May 22, 2013, the day after the gender conference ”Citizens and local policies” i Belgrade, the SCTM Gender Working Group met in the SCTM office in Belgrade. On the agenda was the future development and sustainability of the working group. A result of lively discussions was to cautiously reform the group, to enhance representation and competence. On a longer term, there is a strong ambition to promote and transform the group into a more permanent body of the SCTM. Pictures from the meeting here.

The creative and organizational center for development of gender mainstreaming at the local level in Serbia is the SCTM Gender Working Group. The group is put together from within the SCTM, municipalities, central government and gender experts. A brief presentation of the working group is available here:

Gender Working Group (large, high quality photo)

Gender Working Group (small version)

In a two day planning session 8-9/11 outside Fruska Gora, between Novi Sad and Belgrade, all component coordinators and other key resource persons in the project ”Support to local governments in the EU integration process” gather to plan the last year of the project. Gender is one out of five components, but also a horizontal issue for the whole project. A strong focus for the last year is sustainability of the gender structures and policies that has been built up during the project.

Serbian and swedish component coordinators planning activities 2014.