The Gender Equality Committee held its twelfth meeting in Ostros, Municipality of Bar, on the topic – The Position of Women in the Country and their Political Empowerment.

The meeting was attended by the following: the Chairperson of the Committee Ms Nada Drobnjak, Deputy Chairperson of the Committee Mr Goran Tuponja, members of the Committee Ms Draginja Vuksanović; Ms Ljiljana Đurašković, PhD; Ms Jelisava Kalezić, Professor PhD; and Ms Zdenka Popović; women of Ostros, MP Genci Nimanbegu; councillors at the Assembly of Municipality of Bar; Mr Bećir Berjašević and Mr Ali Đečbritaj; and the President of the Local Community of Ostros Mr Emro Duraković.

During the discussion, the problems regarding unfavourable conditions were pointed out, representing an obstacle to successful economic engagement of women from the country, and the difficult living conditions of women in this area located 43 km away from the Municipality of Bar were especially highlighted, with big problems in the road infrastructure, without organised transport, with water supply issues and the like, and the assistance was needed in organising an association that would help with empowering women to directly participate in development of their environment and be actors and carriers of progress. Additionally, it was pointed out that raising awareness of the public was necessary regarding appreciation of their contribution to rural development and the need for their economic empowerment – and thus ensuring equal access and full participation in authority structures, which would make their needs to create developmental policies in the country visible.

Within the visit to Ostros, the members of the Committee visited the primary school “Đerđ Kastrioti Skenderbeg“ and the Ambulance Ostros within the Medical Centre Bar.

The meeting of the Committee  was implemented with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.