ODIHR, OSCE Presence in Albania co-organize workshop on gender-sensitive legislation

Promoting gender-sensitive legislation in Albania was the focus of discussion at a workshop in Tirana on 20 March 2019. The event was organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania and the parliament of Albania.

Legislators, parliamentary staff, and international and Albanian gender experts (36 women and 6 men) exchanged knowledge on gender equality in the parliament, focusing on practical steps for introducing gender-sensitive legislation. Event participants further explored ways to institutionalize gender analysis in the Albanian legislative process and parliamentary work more broadly.

“Gender equality in legislation is crucial to ensuring that our laws work for women and men,” said Ajla van Heel, ODIHR Adviser on Gender Equality. “Laws impact the lives of citizens directly and should, therefore, also reflect the needs, interests and priorities of various constituencies, including women and men in all their diversity.”

Ambassador Bernd Borchardt, Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, said: “This workshop is a great opportunity to either learn or simply refresh knowledge about how laws should be drafted so that they produce the same results for all the members of society, on equal grounds for both women and men.”

Vasilika Hysi, Deputy Speaker of the Albanian parliament, said: “We are improving the laws on gender equality, but we aim to make sure that all laws have a gender perspective and have a good effect on women and men in Albania. This is not only a job of women parliamentarians, but of parliament as an institution.”

The workshop was organized as part of the ODIHR project on strengthening inclusive and accountable democratic institutions in the OSCE region and OSCE Presence in Albania’s parliamentary support project.