As part of its commitment to enhancing gender equality and fighting sexism against women candidates and local office holders, the Congress launched, on 18 January 2024, a practical Guide for women and men on preventing and combatting sexism in local politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
More than 30 representatives of local authorities, entity and state-level institutions, and civil society organisations attended the online launch of the Guide, a timely resource in view of the 2024 local elections in the country. Opening the event, Eirini Dourou, Congress Thematic Spokesperson on Gender Equality (Greece, SOC/G/PD), emphasised that “gender equality and women’s empowerment is needed to build cohesive, resilient communities and promote the respect of fundamental rights at local level”.
The Guide provides insights on how to identify sexism, and details appropriate measures for fostering a more gender-inclusive institutional culture and greater equality at local level.
“As the Guide’s introduction points out, women’s first entry point into politics is often at the local level. Sexism can pose very real obstacles to women and it is important to know how to recognise and combat sexist behaviour. This Guide, together with the new project “Combating digital and sexual violence against women in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, are aligned with the Council of Europe Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and represent a significant step towards fostering gender equality and implementation of the standards set by the Istanbul Convention”, said Bojana Urumova, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo.
Noting the vast legal framework and good practices already in place in Bosnia and Herzegovina, participants and panellists recognised that combatting sexism in local government requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders, and that the Guide can be used as a source of inspiration for all other levels of governance facing similar challenges.
This Guide is part of a series of country-specific guides on preventing and combatting sexism in local politics. It is a response to the Congress commitment to fight and prevent sexist violence against women in politics at local and regional level.
This activity is organised in the framework of the project “Innovating democratic participation at local level in Bosnia and Herzegovina” implemented by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2022-2025. The project aims to enhance the quality of local democracy and create opportunities for citizens to engage in innovative participatory processes in Mostar and elsewhere in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It promotes new democratic approaches, open government, public ethics, transparent and inclusive local policy making in the country.
Fighting sexism against women in politics at local and regional level
