March 2013

EMPOWERING WOMEN RETURNEES IN BIH:
SEMINAR ON WOMEN – PEACE AND SECURITY – UN RESOLUTION 1325 IN BRATUNAC

Within the Project Empowering women returnees in BiH Forum Žena Association, as a local partner of TPO Foundation, held one-day seminar on Women – peace and security – UN resolution 1325. Seminar was held on March 27 2013 from 10 am to 5 pm in the premises of the Association. Seminar leaders were Stanka Frančić and Dragana Djurić. 
There were 27 women returnees present at the seminar, and they were coming from two local communities in Konjević polje and one local community Glogovo in which live mostly the returnee population. The seminar was opened by the Project’s coordinator Rašida Omerović, while Stanka Frančić  gave the introductory lecture on the main concepts of peace and security. After the introduction, participants had a chance to give their own opinion on the issues of peace and security.
Lecturer Dragana Djurić introduced participants to the content and significance of the UN Resolution 1325, the BiH Action Plan for the implementation of

the Resolution with the particular focus on the Goal 1 of the Action Plan, as well as other national and international legal frameworks that are of significance for the participation of women on the places of decision. Higher participants of women certainly provide more permanent and sustainable peace in the post-conflict societies.  
The participants showed a particular interest for the Goal 1 of the BiH Action plan for the implementation of the Resolution, which concerns the issue of greater participation of women on the places of decision. The coordinator of the Project talked about the possibilities for implementation of peace actions that would contribute to the promotion of the integration of women returnees and the Resolution 1325. Given that the participants were from two different local communities, the seminar leaders and participants created two different proposals for the peace action.