In a constructive debate, the participants defined the parts of the Bill that had room for further development and expansion. Their chief complaint concerned the name of the Bill and the participants agreed that the name Gender Equality Bill would be more appropriate and accurate. The Commissioner for Protection of Equality Brankica Jankovic agreed with this, stressing that the law is essentially good and giving a good estimate of its draft, followed by a series of comments and suggestions that the participants accepted.

The representatives of the civil sector thanked the Women’s Parliamentary Network for once again consulting them and asking for their opinion regarding the Bill. They agreed that it is the state’s opportunity and duty to pass this law, the purpose of which is to eliminate discrimination of any kind, and send a clear message on real social values.

Vladimir Bozovic, member of the Serbian Government’s Coordination Body for Gender Equality, thanked the participants for the productive discussion and asked them to formulate their proposals and suggestions into amendments and, by 17 February, submit them to the Coordination Body for Gender Equality and the Government will vote on them at the sitting of the National Assembly’s Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality.

The meeting was attended by MPs Gordana Comic, Dubravka Filipovski, Biljana Hasanovic Korac, Olena Papuga, Velinka Tosic, Elvira Kovacs, Meho Omerovic, Stefana Miladinovic and Ljiljana Nestorovic.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, provincial and local self-government, Friedrich Ebert Foundation Gender Policy Forum Initiative Group, AP Vojvodina Gender Equality Institute, Provincial Gender Equality Ombudsman, UN Women, Centre for Modern Skills, Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit and the Autonomous Women Centre.