At the key session of the conference dedicated to women’s leadership, the National Assembly Speaker spoke about the “Need to strengthen the network of women leaders”.

Women should be represented more wherever decisions are being made, be it politics and economy or other spheres of life, said Djukic Dejanovic. The role of women in every developed society is so irreplaceable that the degree of development of said society is directly related to the number of women in positions of authority, stated the National Assembly Speaker, adding that the percentage of women performing state functions in Serbia amounts to around 22%, which is a statistic that needs to be improved.

“Women make up more than half of the world population, a situation mirrored in Serbia. In the world today, out of more than 380 positions, there are 28 women prime ministers and heads of state. The ratio of women in the parliaments of EU member states has risen, but still fails to reach the 30% necessary for women to achieve a more significant influence on policy-making”, said Djukic Dejanovic. She added that women in Serbia take up 30.5% of managerial positions in the economy, 56 parliamentary seats in the Serbian Assembly, and make up 50% of the deputy speakers in the supreme legislative body.

The National Assembly Speaker said that, thanks to the amendments to the Law on the Election of MPs, in the coming assembly legislature the participation of women would be raised to 30%. The increased participation of women in decision-making processes will help strengthen the network of women leaders. The promotion of the position of women in political and public life necessitates economic development and democratic institutions, as well as networking among women. The function of the Serbian-American Women’s Leadership Network, the organiser of the Conference, as a bridge connecting Serbia and the US, is to encourage diverse types of cooperation between the two countries, said Djukic Dejanovic.

“I believe it will not be long before we manage to clarify the differences in culturological patterns, political and value systems, thanks to the efforts of us, women, and also increase the potential to benefit from one another’s experience and strengthen our influence”, concluded the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic Dejanovic.

Member of Parliament and Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Natasa Vuckovic said that it was very important to increase the number of women in the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia as this would allow them to change a great many things. She stressed that the women members in the current legislature have exhibited solidarity while passing various laws such as the Gender Equality Law, Criminal Code, Law on Artificial Insemination.

The International Conference on Women’s Leadership is co-organised by the Serbian Unity Congress Serbia and Serbian-American Women's Leadership Network, with the support of USAID Serbia and the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, under the patronage of the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic Dejanovic.