Political institutions are a privileged place for states to make the balanced participation of men and women in society a reality. That is why a few countries have adopted measures, such as quotas, to increase the number of women in parliaments, "Serbia among them is with 40% participation of women" pointed out MA Jovanovic at the gathering.

Although it has been recognised that the increase in the number of women is a guarantee of changes in terms of gender equality, both in terms of the functioning of the institution and in terms of the laws passed in it, it must also be recognised that the positive impact of their presence will depend on the quality of the work they do. It is therefore important that these elected women have the tools to become agents of change in their parliaments and to play a leading role in defending their interests and involving men in their efforts.

The topics the women parliamentarians tackled this time cover a wide range of areas of professional life, from personal development of leadership skills, all the way to gender-responsive budgeting in their home countries. Throughout all topics, special attention was paid to political and other mechanisms and tools for a successful fight against violence against women, so as to better protecting women's rights and freedoms.

This was the 5th gathering of francophone women parliamentarians from all over the world organised by the National Assembly of Quebec. In addition to Serbia, the meeting in Paris was also attended by representatives of Quebec (Canada), Ontario (Canada), Romania, the Ivory Coast, French Polynesia, Armenia, Bulgaria and Gabon.