Albanian President makes key speech and presents certificates to participants in OSCE Presence women in governance project
TIRANA, 16 June 2009 - The President of the Republic of Albania, Bamir Topi, presented certificates today to 50 Albanian women who took part in an OSCE Presence project to enhance the role of women in governance.
The project followed the approval of Albania's Gender Equality Law and the Electoral Code which stipulate a 30 percent quota for representation of women in all legislative, executive and judicial bodies.
As the keynote speaker, President Topi said: "After receiving a diploma, the manner in which this knowledge about democracy is then interpreted is very important."
He added: "You have to know how to get the message across because Albanian society has a very great need that the elections on 28 June are held in a truly free manner and in a calm climate."
In light of 28 June parliamentary elections, the Head of Presence in Albania, Ambassador Robert Bosch, emphasized the importance of increasing the participation of women in governance. He also said that family voting - whereby one family member casts ballots on behalf of the entire family, or a husband and wife enter the voting booth together- should not be tolerated as it has been in previous elections.
"Excusing such behaviour as just being part of the 'Albanian culture' is no longer good enough in the year 2009," he said at the ceremony. "To show that Albanian political actors are serious about pursuing their integration ambitions, especially now as a NATO member country, they should all be publicly standing firm and resolute in condemning such practices."
As part of the governance project, 50 women across the country and from across the political spectrum received training on advocacy, public speaking, message development, media relations, public debates, constituency meetings and effective decision-making. The aim was to increase their ability to act as an effective lobbying force and to prepare them for election day.
Other keynote speakers at the award ceremony included the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Henk G.C. van den Dool, as well as the Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Sweden, Office in Tirana, Elisabeth Stam.
The training, which was implemented by a local non-governmental organization, Partners Albania,, was the first part of a three-year project on enhancing the role of women in governance which is funded by the Governments of the Netherlands and of Sweden.