On March 19, 2025, the final event of the four-year project “Universities and Gender Mainstreaming (UNIGEM)” took place at the Hills Hotel in Ilidža. The project was implemented by the TPO Foundation in collaboration with 19 universities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro, with support from the UK Government.
It was an opportunity for representatives of the academic community, donors, and researchers to gather, summarize the project’s results, and highlight its importance for integrating a gender perspective into higher education.
Over its four years of work, UNIGEM brought about significant changes – universities in the region adopted Gender Action Plans, committees and centers for gender equality were established, new courses and modules were developed, summer and winter schools were organized, and over 500 educational sessions were held for students, faculty, and administrative staff. More than 20 books were published to support teaching processes, and the research conducted within the project contributed to a better understanding of gender equality in the academic context.
Speakers at the event included Prof. Dr. Zilka Spahić Šiljak, Director of the TPO Foundation, James Hamilton Harding, Deputy British Ambassador to BiH, Prof. Dr. Arma Tanović, Vice-Rector of the University of Sarajevo, Prof. Dr. Rifat Škrijelj, Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at UNSA, and Prof. Dr. Snježana Prijić-Samaržija, Rector of the University of Rijeka.
Prof. Dr. Zilka Spahić Šiljak emphasized the importance of continuous work on gender equality in the academic community, stressing that integrating a gender perspective is not only about new teaching content but also about a deeper transformation of collective awareness and power structures within educational institutions.
James Hamilton Harding, Deputy British Ambassador to BiH, highlighted the UK’s ongoing support for projects that promote gender equality and empower the academic community in this area.
As part of the program, 19 short videos were shown, summarizing the results of the project, and the final UNIGEM research on gender equality at universities was presented.
Prof. Dr. Jasna Kovačević emphasized that UNIGEM leaves a lasting legacy in the academic community through the structures, knowledge, and network of researchers it has created, who will continue to develop this field. “The committees and centers for gender equality formed are not just administrative bodies – they are spaces for dialogue, critical reflection, and empowerment.”
The final event of the UNIGEM project was an opportunity to summarize its achievements and lay the foundations for continued work on advancing gender equality in higher education. Although the project has formally concluded, its mission lives on through the academic community, researchers, and institutions that continue to build universities as spaces of knowledge, critical thinking, and social change.
