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16 Days of Activism: Closing event of the Regional UN Women Programme on Ending Violence against Women, funded by the EU

29.11.2023
Pristina
Press and information team of the EU Office/EU Special Representative in Kosovo

The results of the Regional UN Women Programme on Ending Violence against Women, funded by the EU, were presented today at the Europe House in Pristina. The EU Ambassador in Kosovo, Tomáš Szunyog, the Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, and the Head of Office of UN Women Kosovo, Vlora Tuzi-Nushi, as well as several programme beneficiaries came together to present the programme’s main achievements and results.

The Head of Office of UN Women Kosovo, Vlora Tuzi-Nushi, pointed out that this Programme stands as a success story of the strong partnership between the EU, UN Women, women’s organizations, and service providers.

“It strengthened capacities of service providers and domestic violence coordination mechanisms and provided technical support to Kosovo Institutions. Ultimately, the achievements of this programme serve as a testament to the transformative power of multistakeholder close collaboration, bringing us one step closer to the elimination of violence against women and girls,” added Tuzi-Nushi.

During the event, the Minister of Justice highlighted that the elimination of violence against women is a moral and social obligation. “To achieve this goal, we need to build a culture of respect and gender equality,” Minister Haxhiu noted.

The EU Ambassador in Kosovo welcomed the considerable efforts made by the Kosovo government and the civil society to improve the situation of Kosovo’s women and to eradicate violence against them. “In this respect, The EU in Kosovo has been not only a privileged witness, but also an active contributor. However, violence against women persists. As highlighted in the Kosovo Report, so much still needs to be done. We would like to see an improvement in the handling of domestic violence cases by the police, prosecution, and courts,” said Szunyog.

The closing event also gave voice to the beneficiaries of the programme, who presented concrete results deriving from this support, as well as success stories.

About the programme

The “Implementing Norms, Changing Minds” programme, which was implemented in all six Western Balkan countries and Türkiye, aimed at strengthening women’s voices and improving the legislative and policy environment on ending violence against women and gender discrimination. It had an important component of legislative and policy developments, as well as an awareness-raising component, which contributed to changing mindsets.