The security sector is a place for both women and men. It is time for women in the security sector to rise to the highest positions – it was said today at the expert meeting “Women and Security in BiH 2023” which was held in Sarajevo, organized by the Ministry of Security of BiH and the INFOHOUSE Foundation, with the financial support of the US Embassy in BiH.
The focus was on the inclusion of women in security institutions and the progress towards achieving gender equality undertaken by these institutions, through a discussion of examples from practice and the obstacles they face.
As it was said, the goal of the expert meeting is to present past and future activities, with special reference to experiences, recommendations and lessons learned when it comes to the fruition of processes within the ministry, with the aim of implementing the principles of “integration, inclusion and integrity” UNSCR 1325 and related resolutions that make up the “Women, peace and security” agenda.
The participants talked about the representation of women in security institutions, their position, but also their contribution, as well as how the rights of women employed in security institutions can be improved in the future.
BiH Deputy Minister of Security Ivica Bošnjak reminded that the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 “Women, Peace, Security” in 2000, emphasizing the importance, role and equality of women’s participation in preventing and resolving conflicts, building sustainable peace, and calling on countries members to ensure a greater presence of women in decision-making positions at all levels.
According to him, ensuring the presence of women is a prerequisite for better integration of the perspective of gender equality in the defense and security sector and better protection and respect for the human rights of women and girls, both in armed conflicts and in peace and security building processes.
Chairwoman of the Coordinating Committee of the BiH Ministry of Security regarding the implementation of the Law on Gender Equality, Samira Hunček, said that their goal is to prepare and finalize mechanisms and instruments by the end of the year that will introduce gender equality into the security segment and the scope of work of the Ministry of Security.
The expert meeting was held as part of the project “Gender perspective for responsible institutions in the security sector”, which is implemented by the Ministry of Security of BiH and the INFOHOUSE Foundation, and financed by the American Embassy in BiH. The goal of the project is the integration of the gender perspective in the democratic political processes of the security sector.
