2021-10-29

Public Debate: 2030 Agenda and the Law on Gender Equality - How to Achieve Successful Implementation

Sustainable Development for All Platform

On 29 October 2021, the Center for Democracy Foundation and the Ana and Vlade Devac Foundation organised the following public debate: 2030 Agenda and the Law on Gender Equality - How to Achieve Successful Implementation.

We organised the public debate as an activity of the advisory Thematic Group – Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls held via the Sustainable Development for All Platform, supported by the governments of Switzerland and Germany and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GiZ) GmbH via the Public Finance Reform – 2030 Agenda project. This platform has been created in collaboration with the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation (AVDF), the Center for Advanced Economic Studies (CEVES), Belgrade Open School (BOS), the Center for Democracy Foundation (CDF), the Timok Youth Center (TYC), the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence (BFPE) and the SMART Collective.

Partaking in the debate were: Prof. Marijana Pajvančić, PhD; Katarina Štrbac, Special Adviser on Gender Equality to the Minister of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue; Brankica Janković, Equality Commissioner; Nataša Gospić, Serbian Chamber of Engineers; Assoc. Prof. Marina Savković, PhD, University of Singidunum, Belgrade; Miloš Đajić, Center for Modern Skills; Nataša Vučković, Executive Director, Center for Democracy Foundation; Ivona Gvozdenović, Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation; Sarita Bradaš, Researcher, Center for Democracy Foundation; Marija Srdić, and others.

Nataša Vučković (Executive Director, Center for Democracy Foundation) opened the debate stating that we would be discussing the Law on Gender Equality from the viewpoint of the 2030 Agenda, as the 2030 Agenda, with its sustainable development goals, is a related strategy on social and economic development which the EU Member States have adopted to apply and incorporate into their own policies. The 2030 Agenda, as a set of values and developmental guidelines, is incorporated in the Law on Gender Equality. Many innovations have been introduced pertaining to both the public and business sectors and it is important to consider what needs to be done to effectively implement the law. Gender equality is a precondition for economic and social development and progress, both in terms of values and in material, educational and cultural terms.

Prof. Marijana Pajvančić, PhD presented the following Analysis: Gender Equality in the Context of Sustainable Development and Solutions Included in the Law on Gender Equality prepared by the Thematic Group - Gender Equality, which operates within the Social Pillar of the Sustainable Development for All platform.

Analysis: Gender Equality in the Context of Sustainable Development and Solutions Included in the Law on Gender Equality - Download PDF (Serbian)

Katarina Štrbac (Special Adviser on Gender Equality to the Minister of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue) emphasised that the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue is committed to meeting the SDGs. A new Law on Gender Equality has been adopted, and the strategy has been adopted by the Government. She added that the gender equality index, despite progress in certain areas, remains at an unsatisfactory level.

Brankica Janković (Equality Commissioner) emphasised that the point of the SDGs is to include the weakest members of our society, to include a gender perspective, health, etc. The adoption of the Law on Gender Equality, and the strategy, is a huge step in the right direction, but we still have to keep our eyes on the real situation in the field and in real life. Economic independence is a key prerequisite for eliminating discrimination, we have to work on breaking the mould of traditional cultural patterns.