At the sitting held on 28 September, the members of the Gender Equality Committee discussed the Gender Equality Bill.

The sitting took place in Nis in the form of a roundtable, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme. In addition to the deputies, the discussion also included the representatives of the local self-government, members of the Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities Committee of the Nis City Assembly, representatives of the University of Nis and the non-government sector.

The Committee members and other participants stated that Serbia is the only country in the region that has not passed a law on gender equality which would ensure the institutional mechanisms of gender equality. All the participants agreed on the necessity to adopt this systemically significant law, so as to create the legal framework for the implementation of measures appropriate for the realisation of the gender equality process. The expectations various social groups have from this law were deemed to be great, above all from the most endangered groups such as the Roma population and women victims of domestic violence. The text of the Bill also needs to be harmonized with existing laws, primarily the Anti-Discrimination Law, and adopting the law will be a sign that Serbia is prepared to honour its international obligations and pursue a policy of equal opportunities, as guaranteed by the Constitution. The participants agreed that the public discussion and the deputies’ amendments shall help improve the Bill.

The sitting was chaired by the Committee Chairperson, Gordana Paunovic-Milosavljevic.