Regional Training Seminar On

Regional Training Seminar on

“Women’s participation in social transformation and development

of South-East European Countries”

Thessaloniki, October 8 - 13, 2007

Identity of the leading NGO

The Association of Interbalkan Women’s Cooperation Societies (AIWCS) is a non-governmental, non-profit international organization, registered in 1992, in Thessaloniki, networking women’s NGOs in eleven countries.

AIWCS aims at supporting women’s advancement in all sectors and their ever- increasing involvement in all aspects of development, at establishing links of friendship and good understanding among women in South Eastern Europe, as well as at encouraging intercultural dialogue and the dissemination of the Culture of peace. The Association implements its aims through lobbying and action, including training, research and awareness increasing projects.

The Association of Interbalkan Women’s Cooperation Societies is on official collaborative status with UNESCO, since 1998 and was granted special consultative status by United Nations Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC ) from the same year. The Association was accredited by United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and since 1999, it is in participatory relationship with the Council of Europe.

Project Justification

Women represent in all countries an important group of population because as they are more numerous than the males and represent a considerable proportion of the labour force, while undertaking as well most of the “non accounted for” work in their households, the outcome of their work and their creative potential are tremendous.

However, in many countries of the South Eastern European region the participation of women in the social development and especially their share of the benefits of this transformation process are still limited.

The stimulation of women’s participation in development is therefore essential and the most efficient ways to do it are :

-the fight against all forms of gender discrimination and of women’s exploitation, undertaken both by governmental bodies and civil organizations,

-the sustained action targeted at improving the social protection of women and children,

-the improved training of women on their role in facilitating the reforms and in speeding up the democratic development of their countries,

-the sustained awareness-increasing campaigns, targeted at building the favourable, friendly environment for change and transformation.

Admitting that the participation of women in development, in particular in the restructuring of the societies through a process of deep reform, is a key issue for the success of the whole enterprise and for the improved status of women altogether,

having identified the need for training on the issue of their contribution to development as a priority for women in South East European Countries (SEEC),

keeping in mind that the leading organizer has the technical capability, the necessary human resources, and the requested experience (obtained mainly from having undertaken six annual international training projects on social development between 1997 and 2002),

the Association of Interbalkan Women’s Cooperation Societies , in partnership with UNESCO Center for Women and Peace in the Balkan Countries, designed the project of the Regional Training Seminar on “Women’s participation in social transformation and development in South-East European Countries” (Thessaloniki, October 8-13, 2007).

Project Objectives

The general objective of the project is to offer training on selected topics and information-sharing opportunities to female professionals from SEEC countries. At medium term this would result in more efficient action of bodies and institutions undertaking programs aiming at women’s empowerment and their increased contribution to development.

The training program, designed in the format of a seminar, is intended to forward information able to ensure :

-better understanding of and more active participation of the attendees in the programs and initiatives targeted at supporting women’s empowerment,

-increased professional contribution of the projects’ staff members to the enforcement of women’s rights in the concerned countries, as well as to the day after day practice of delivering to women comprehensive social protection.

Nevertheless, given the extensive training targets set by the organizers, a number of specific objectives can be described, such as :

-forwarding knowledge on: the elimination of all forms of gender discrimination, improved women’s access to education, employment, women’s involvement in decision-making, women’s entrepreneurial initiatives, the prevention of the trafficking in human beings and the enhanced support to the rehabilitation / social reinsertion of victims, the remedies and priorities for further action,

-improving the trainees’ ability to design and manage projects by sharing information on examples of good practice and positive personal experience,

-promoting trans-border solidarity and regional cooperation of female professionals involved in programs benefiting women.

Brief description of the project

The Regional Training Seminar is a “training of the trainers” project, designed to prepare a number of English speaking attendees for important assignments in their countries of origin, where they are expected to become active factors in speeding-up the process of social transformation towards democracy and European integration and in limiting its social costs.

Although having different professional backgrounds, the common target of their work, namely the advancement of women in countries sharing a number of similar socio-economic characteristics is expected to ensure homogeneity of the group. It is also likely to stimulate team work, to make it easier and more productive, to enhance dialogue and experience sharing.

Given the long and fruitful collaboration of the leading organizer with the National Commissions for UNESCO in all target countries, it was proposed that these bodies undertake the field liaison with other national structures involved in the project.

(a) Date and place

The Regional Training Seminar will take place in Thessaloniki, on October 8-13, 2007 and will be hosted at the Conference Center of Grand Hotel.

(a)The activities included in the project

The program of the seminar includes a variety of training activities in the format of interactive presentations by invited speakers, lectures, panels of experts, round table and open discussions, as well as presentations of good practice examples and sharing of experience.

The training activities on all topics included in the program will have three major targets, namely :

-the assessment of the current situation in the participating countries,

-the critical analysis of the causes of the developments and

-the identification of priorities for further action and of efficient remedies.

Special focus will be placed on drafting the public awareness-increasing campaigns, which the project members are expected to initiate after their return at home.

The main issues the participants are invited to look into are :

-the European framework for gender mainstreaming : women’s new roles in the family and the society, changing reproduction patterns and social protection,

-the Fight against gender discrimination and the framework for Action. The experience of the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe,

-women and the labour market: legislation in the European region, recent trends, emerging issues. Discrimination on grounds of gender and age on the labour market. Sharing best practice,

-enterprise policies : promotion of innovation for growth and development;women in decision-making on entrepreneurial activities - achieving cost effectiveness and scientific justification.Sharing good practice examples in participating countries,

-violence against women. Legal framework of fight against violence on women and against their trafficking. The situation in Europe,

-women’s increased involvement in social transformation and development.

Invited speakers and lecturers will be selected in academic communities and governmental bodies, as well as among the media representatives and the leadership of the civil society organizations interested in the fight for women’s advancement.

(b) Prerequisites for participation

The seminar is open to women in a variety of professional groups. Social workers, public health officers, psychologists, junior members of academic and research communities, lawyers are welcome to attend the seminar, provided that they are directly involved at national level in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, in the prevention of all forms of discrimination against women.

The participants are expected to have the professional ability, to enjoy the necessary opportunities and to be willing to coordinate national awareness-increasing campaigns and other specific activities focusing on women’s participation in development. Therefore they should be employed (on a permanent basis) in national bodies responsible for gender mainstreaming, and should submit a recommendation from their employers, stating their interest in the proposed follow-up of the training.

A good command of English is essential for successful participation in the project. The trainees are expected to make oral contributions, to inform about the specific situation in their countries of origin and to present a paper introducing their country profile, a range of tasks requesting for proficiency in English.

(c )Target countries

The Regional Training Seminar is open, to female professionals from SEEC, namely: Albania, BosniaHerzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, FYROM, Greece, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine.

Expected outcome

At short term, the project is expected to update, to complete and to refresh the theoretical as well as practical skills of the participants and consequently, to endow them with increased professional efficiency.

Thus the project is expected to help the participants become more efficient within the given national and cultural context of their respective countries. Even more important than that, they are expected to become trainers at their own work places and within the movement in favor of women, thus overcoming the barrier of communication which might arise with projects conducted by foreign lecturers.

Another outcome of the project, considered at individual level, will be the increased capability of the participants of assuming the management of programs benefiting women and of exercising it competently, with increased efficiency.

Other significant deliverables of this program include: the improved access of woman professionals to information through better regional communication and cooperation among professionals, the dissemination of the knowledge acquired by the project members, at their work places and the development of long-term partnership with specialized institutions supporting the national endeavours targeted at setting up an adequate “social protection net”.

At medium term the main outcome of the project is the support to women’s participation in development. Consequently, their status is expected to improve considerably, both from the economic point of view and from the social one. Thus, the role of women and of their organizations in decision-making, in the management of resources (in the first places, of information) and in the lobbying for equal opportunities is expected to become more significant in SEEC.