OSCE Presence and Albanian Government hold conference to encourage women to run for public office

TIRANA, 9 November 2010 - More than 120 women active in political and public life from Albania, Slovenia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia met today in Tirana in an OSCE-organized conference that encourages Albanian women to participate in public and political life by running in next year's local government elections.

Participants discussed gender equality in different areas of public and political life, in a national and regional context. Achievements in the promotion of gender equality and the implementation of national strategies are also on the agenda of the two-day event, co-organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania and the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.

Addressing the opening of the event, the Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth, said that he wanted to see more women listed and elected to local councils in the May 2011 elections. As of now, only 10 percent of elected local councillors are women.

"The equal representation of women and men in politics is a key parameter of any modern democracy. The local government elections offer an excellent chance to see whether the Albanian society is serious about dealing with the issue of gender inequality," he said.

Parliament Speaker Jozefina Topalli said: "I encourage as many women as possible to participate in the local election, so that more key positions in local governments can be held by women."

Filloreta Kodra, the Deputy Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, said she hoped the conference would "boost the number of women in municipal councils, and especially in elected positions".

The conference, which supports Albanian authorities' efforts to implement their National Strategy on Gender Equality and against Domestic Violence, follows similar events that took place in the region earlier this year.

The event is part of an OSCE Presence's project to enhancing women's political participation, financed by the Swedish International Development Agency and the Dutch government.