Pristina, 25 June 2019
On the occasion of the International Day of the Egyptian Community, in order to promote the rights and the position of women, a meeting of the Committee on Human Rights, Gender Equality, Missing Persons and Petitions was held with a group of women from the Egyptian Community.
In order to give her support and present the problems and challenges that women face, the Minister of Local Government Administration Adrijana Hodžić called upon all participants to contribute to the creation of better conditions and a better position of all women of Kosovo in general, and the women from the Egyptian community in particular.
“I consider that not only women, but also men who are from non-majority communities are marginalized and faced with great socio-economic problems. First of all, they are insufficiently represented in the institutions. I consider that all relevant factors must solve this problem with greater responsibility and that with greater commitment we can all together help the integration of Egyptians into Kosovo society.
When non-majority communities are concerned, the fact is that Kosovo is a multiethnic society, but in order to remain so, it is impeccable to do more for each other. At all levels of government, both local and central, we must include as many officials from non-majority communities as possible, with e special emphasize to the Egyptian community, given that today we mark the Egyptian Community Day.
We are working on daily basis to improve the state of gender equality within the ministry itself, and we also encourage municipalities to follow our example. The position of women in Kosovo institutions, and especially the Egyptians, is not at on enviable level, and we need to understand the seriousness off this problem and work towards its solution. In cooperation with the Gender Equality Agency, which functions within the Office of the Prime Minister, the MLGA has sent a letter to all the mayors to respect the obligation on implementing the Law on Gender Equality in Kosovo. According to the progress report for Kosovo in 2019, progress has been made in local government, especially in the positions of directors in municipal executive bodies where the percentage of women increased from 11% to 19%. In 31 of the 38 municipalities, the paid committees include an equal number of women and men, as provided for in the Law on Gender Equality. Although, women’s representation in decision-making positions remains a challenge, including the position of women from the Egyptian community, “said Hodžić.
