Deputy PM Kosor Addresses the UN on the Status of Women

Jadranka Kosor, Croatia´s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Family, Veterans´ Affairs and Intergenerational Solidarity, addressed the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York today.

Deputy PM Kosor Addresses the UN on the Status of Women Jadranka Kosor, Croatia´s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Family, Veterans´ Affairs and Intergenerational Solidarity, addressed the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York today. It has been 10 years since the historic Beijing conference which laid the groundwork for a call to action to end discrimination against women and close the gender gaps in 12 critical areas, including health, education, employment, political participation and human rights. “We can see positive developments in fighting discrimination against women, but there are still many gaps and areas for improvement that are going to be examined during this session of the CSW,” Ms. Kosor said in her address. The 49th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, being held from 28 February – 11 March at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, will review the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and focus on current challenges and forward looking strategies for the advancement and empowerment of women and girls. The meeting, known as the Ten-Year Review and Appraisal, also serves as an opportunity to discuss action at the national level and facilitate the sharing of experiences and good practices in overcoming remaining obstacles. Leading up to the session, Croatia was one of 134 countries to submit information to the United Nations on what the country had done to promote gender equality and implement recommendations of the Beijing Platform for Action. During her speech, Ms. Kosor outlined Croatia’s commitment to bring about gender equality. In the past few years, Croatia has adopted significant laws in the field, starting with amendments to the constitution, whereby the principle of gender equality was recognized as a constitutional value. The Family Act, the Act on Protection against Domestic Violence and the Gender Equality Act were also adopted. In addition, the Labor Act and the Criminal Code were amended, with further regulations designed to improve the position of women in Croatian society. Under the Gender Equality Act, the Parliament of Croatia appointed its first ever Ombudsperson for Gender Equality and established a Governmental Office for Gender Equality. Ms. Kosor also pointed out that there has been a continuous increase in women’s participation in politics in Croatia since the 1990s. Today, almost 21% of the members of parliament are women and 35% of Croatia’s ministers are women. According to the Commission on the Status of Women, the outcome of the Ten-Year Review and Appraisal will be a vital input into the United Nations General Assembly’s High-Level Millennium review in September 2005.

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