The second Gender Equality and the Western Balkans judicial forum, organised by the AIRE Centre with the support of the Government of the United Kingdom, aims to tackle the question of how the judiciary can address various types of gender inequalities in the Western Balkans. This high-profile event will bring together key judicial actors from region and beyond, including representatives from European Court of Human Rights, representatives from important regional judicial and other state institutions, academics, and NGOs.

One of the major themes of this year’s Forum will be effective judicial response to the femicide and other gender-based violence cases in the region, as judges and other experts will discuss best practices concerning investigation, prosecution and punishment of these acts. Furthermore, the Forum will also provide an opportunity to explore both national legal frameworks, as well as international standards of gender equality, as stipulated by key legal documents, such as European convention on human rights, United Nations Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

“Societally imposed gender norms are heavily intertwined with every fibre of women’s public and private life in Western Balkans. Gender-based violence, unequal access to education, discrimination in the workplace, low political participation, and ownership inequality are just some of the detrimental symptoms and consequences of deeply rooted inequality women of this region face in their everyday lives. Western Balkans has indeed made crucial initial steps in addressing these issues, by adopting international treaties and domestic legislative frameworks that prohibit gender-based discrimination and violence, but effective implementation is lacking, and the role of the judiciary is crucial in this respect.”, said Biljana Braithwaite, Western Balkans Programme Director at the AIRE Centre.

We are proud to announce that this year keynote speakers will be Síofra O’Leary, President of the European Court of Human Rights and Alicia Herbert OBE, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Director of Education, Gender and Equalities and the United Kingdom’s Special Envoy for Gender Equality. We have put together an engaging program that includes a range of panels, presentations, and discussions. You can find the full agenda listed below.