Montenegro

Political power in Montenegro is still reserved for men

Bečići, 21-14 December 2011

In Montenegro there are two men in front of a woman who push her back, and in the European Union there is one man that draws the woman forth, it was a metaphor that Mr. Nicola Bertolini, Head of Operations Section at the Delegation of the EU to Montenegro used when speaking at the regional conference on gender equality. The Montenegrin Parliament only has 11 percent of women, while at the head positions in the government there is only one woman. These worrying figures from the aspect of gender equality were presented at the three-day Regional Conference “Political Participation of Women as a Factor of Societal Development” organized by UNDP in cooperation with the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro and the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights of Montenegro. In addition to prominent experts and politicians from the U.S., Europe and the region, the Conference also gathered representatives of all parliamentary parties, academia and civil society of Montenegro.

The goal of the Conference was to underline the significance of equal representation of women in politics and decision-making processes using good practices of UN and EU countries. Next year Montenegro will celebrate 70 years since women’s sufrage was granted, and symbolically in 2011 quotas were introduced in the Montenegrin electoral law as an affirmative measure for increasing women’s participation in politics. The Conference also included the following themes:

-           Mechanisms for strengthening participation of women in decision-making on the path towards the EU (Parliamentary mechanisms, education of political parties and Electoral Law);
-           Mobilization of women for political participation (experiences of local political parties and Internationals);
-           Achieving gender equality in public administration (experiences in the region, review of CEDAW recommendations);
-           Building coalitions and social support networks for greater participation of women in politics and decision-making (discussion on the role of civil society, university and academia in the use of social networks and media).

„The legal system in Montenegro calls to gender equality but political power is not equally distributed between men and women. Since the laws are not implemented, a large percentage of human talent is wasted, and the wisdom is lost. It also means that one part of society is less able to take part in integration processes and contribute to the development of Montenegro,“ said Mr. Bertolini. He praised the introduction of quotas, according to which there must be 30 percent of women on electoral lists, but he also suggested that candidates of both sexes should be ranked high on lists in order to have a real opportunity to get a mandate.

Although Montenegro has made progress in promoting gender equality the achievements of gender equality continue to be limited. „As a candidate for membership in the European Union, Montenegro is obliged to apply international documents and policies related to equal rights for women and men. The European Commission’s report on progress assessed advancement in promoting gender equality, but the exercise of rights in this sense remains limited. The European Union is anxious to see the results in this field in which Montenegro has made a legislative framework, but it is essential that the laws are applied. Montenegro will have to open accession negotiations with this chapter. The European Union expects to see concrete results in these areas. The European Union is committed to promoting gender equality in decision-making and in raising awareness of the gender gap in Montenegro,“ said Mr. Bertolini.

„Would progress be possible without woman? I believe it would not,“ Mr. Bertolini concluded.

„Montenegro has a relevant legal framework to promote gender equality, but further efforts are needed for its implementation. There is general law-abiding, but the modalities of its implementation are not yet sufficiently developed,“ said Mr. Sarunas Adomavicius, Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.

UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Montenegro Mr. Rastislav Vrbensky said that the state established a legal and policy framework to promote and protect women’s rights. He reminded of the statistics according to which Montenegro, as well as other countries in the region, has not reached gender balance in decision-making bodies at a high level. „Our country has 11 percent of women in parliament, 12 percent in local authorities, while in the government there is only one woman at the head of a ministry. This is an alarming rate and a challenge that needs to be urgently confronted. We must be aware that the greater participation of women in public life can only be achieved by increasing their numbers in visible and responsible positions. This is a long and tedious process in which policy makers must be determined to consistently uphold the principle of gender equality. We believe that Montenegro is firmly committed to build democracy and ensure full equality for women and men. Therefore, we consider it necessary to constantly keep a public dialogue on this issue and we are confident that events like this conference are an excellent opportunity to define the best ways to do this,“ Mr. Vrbensky emphasized.

Director General for Multilateral Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Mr. Zoran Janković believes that gender equality policy is inseparable from equal recognition, respect and protection of human rights. In the context of women’s participation in politics, one of the objectives to be achieved by 2016 is providing the participation of women with 30 percent in local and national parliament, government and in key positions,“ Mr. Janković stated.

U.S. Ambassador to Montenegro Ms. Sue K. Brown pointed out that American women have a key role in shaping policy at the local and national level. „Although America is still far from having 50% of political positions filled by women, women play a significant leadership role in our political process. Thanks to their work, women's issues are a significant component of domestic and international politics,“ she emphasized. „Women in Montenegro unfortunately do not occupy important positions in government and business sector. It is imperative that women play a significant role in politics around the world. To make their voice heard women should be leaders and actively participate in political debate. Mentorship, education and professional development are key to giving women the tools in order to enter the political debate and change society. One of my main goals as Ambassador is to work to support women in Montenegro, so that they can rise to higher positions of influence in Montenegrin society,“ Ms. Brown explained.

Ambassador Brown’s remarks on female participation in politics http://podgorica.usembassy.gov/conference_on_women_issues_remarks.html

Greater participation of women in public life cannot only be achieved by increasing their numbers in senior positions. It is a long and tedious job in which policy makers have to consistently implement measures for promotion of gender equality. That is why Montenegro is firmly committed to ensure full gender equality, it was concluded at the conference.

The Regional Conference “Political Participation of Women as a Factor of Societal Development” was held within the framework of the Gender Programme IPA 2010, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in Montenegro in partnership with the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights and the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro. Partners in the Conference were the UN Women and the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.

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Since the establishment in 1945 the UN is committed to respecting equal rights for all, social progress, improving living standards and greater freedom as the basic values and goals. Women's rights as part of the corpus of human rights have been identified as a priority and are regulated by the Convention on elimination of all forms of discrimination against Women - CEDAW. This Convention signed by 186 countries, including Montenegro, provides, inter alia, equality between women and men in terms of access and opportunities in political and public life, including the right to vote and to stand for election.

Montenegro celebrates 70 years since women got the voice. Symbolically this year, the Montenegrin electoral law introduced quotas for the first time as an affirmative measure to achieve greater participation of women in politics.

What has happened in the interim? First, legal and political frameworks were established for the promotion and protection of civil, political, economic and social rights of women. Secondly, a number of women now participate in the decision making process in representative, executive and judicial bodies. Women are also present in civil society organizations, universities and media. However, even Montenegro, as well as other countries in the region, has not reached gender balance in decision-making bodies at a high level.

Greater participation of women in public life can only be achieved by increasing their number in visible and responsible positions. This is a long and demanding process in which policy makers must be determined and agreed that it is necessary to introduce and fully implement measures to promote gender equality. This process also requires strengthening the capacity of civil society and media to support and empower women in their search for the realization of the right to participate in public affairs.   

The participation of women in politics is an internationally recognized and belongs to the corpus of universal human rights. As a member of the UN, Council of Europe and OSCE, as a candidate for EU membership, Montenegro is obliged to apply international documents and policies related to equal rights for women and men.

In October this year the Committee that monitors the implementation of the CEDAW Convention considered the situation in Montenegro and adopted a series of recommendations to improve the situation in the area of gender equality. When it comes to women's political participation, the Committee noted that the adoption of quotas for women in the Electoral Code is a positive move and recommended that Montenegro take the following steps:

"a) To consider the quota of 30% in the Electoral Act by ensuring that in each group of three candidates on election lists of political parties is at least one woman;

b) Institute legislative measures and procedures for the application of Article 10 of the Law on gender equality, including provisions for rejecting proposals for appointment that are inconsistent with the principle of gender-balanced representation, unless there are reasonable grounds for exemption from this principle;

c) Adopt temporary special measures, in accordance with Article 4, paragraph 1 of the Convention, and the Committee's general recommendation no.25 (2004), such as gender parity in the system of appointments and rapid employment of women in public services, especially at higher hierarchical positions;

d) Remove the discriminatory practice and work to eliminate cultural barriers that prevent women to be employed in positions of decision-making and managerial positions in the education sector, and to ensure proportional representation of women and men in positions of school principal.

e) Encourage political parties to nominate an equal number of women and men as candidates, and adjust their compliance with the Law on Gender Equality, for example, through the funding of parties and through encouraging broadcasters to allocate additional time for the party during the election campaign; and

f) Create a favorable environment for political participation of women, including women from the population of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians, for example, through adequate funding of campaigns for women candidates, the education of young women in leadership positions and empowering the female part of the political parties.”

The UN system in Montenegro offers full support, expertise and knowledge in building institutional and community capacity to implement gender equality in a quality manner. However, the real social change can happen only if it is generated internally, by politicians, decision makers, citizens and civic organizations. The key to change is in their hands, while the UN system in Montenegro will continue to ensure that its programs in this area are realized in a manner that will enable compliance with the programs of other organizations and institutions.