The Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation organized the second meeting of the Thematic Expert Group titled “Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls”, on June 6, 2024. This event brought together representatives from various sectors, including the Center for Advanced Economic Studies, the Democracy Center Foundation, the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, the Vojvodina Employers’ Union, and the civil sector, with a particular focus on the economic empowerment of women.

The Thematic Expert Group was formed with the aim of analyzing and preparing initiatives that will contribute to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) – achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. During the first meeting, a work plan was created, and key areas of action were identified to be implemented during 2023 and 2024. The main objectives include:

• Incorporating the gender dimension into the Employment Plan for the 2024-2026 period.
• Monitoring the implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy, with an emphasis on the economic empowerment of women.
• Initiating the inclusion of the gender dimension in the work of the Social and Economic Councils at both local and national levels.
• Proposing measures for gender awareness in documents related to the Strategy for Small and Medium Enterprises.

During the meeting, the results achieved so far were reviewed, the work plan for the upcoming period was revised, and new opportunities for joint initiatives were identified, in line with the new Action Plan for the Implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy. Discussions also addressed current developments concerning the Gender Equality Law and the proposals for its suspension.

The following key conclusions were reached at the meeting:

• Employers and employers’ associations need to be more actively involved in advocating for the improvement of women’s positions in the labor market.
• Efforts should be made to improve the legislative and strategic framework supporting women entrepreneurs.
• Continued advocacy for affirmative employment measures for women from vulnerable groups is essential.

As part of this process, the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation plans to organize a dialogue with key stakeholders after the adoption of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy, expected at the end of June or early July 2024. The focus will be on introducing a gender perspective into the work of the Social and Economic Councils and social dialogue, which has been one of the Foundation’s main initiatives during its participation in the Working Group.