“SEE Women MP Exchange 2008 - 2009”

Background: The GTF Regional Center for Gender Equality has established strong links to national parliaments in SEE through formal representation (parliamentary focal points) and through numerous cross-sector activities and initiatives since 1999. In addition, the GTF implemented the highly successful SEE Women’s Parliamentary Caucus Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and R. Macedonia from January 2003 through March 2004, and established women MP lobbies in these three countries. Through this experience, came the need for a broader project which would make possible exchange between women MP’s region wide and give them the insight in EU gender equality policies and standards, but also a “head start” in understanding overall socioeconomic and other policies which are being implemented in EU and also in their countries, oftentimes without a full understanding by MPs of their scope and contents. In 2005 and 2006 the GTF then undertook three rounds of national and regional consultations and exchange with SEE Parliaments and MPs through funding from the German Foreign Ministry. Through national consultations with relevant actors, (experts, NGO’s, officials) women MP’s of different party backgrounds became aware of the current state of legislation (including its gender dimension) in their countries in key fields such as, Balance between Work and Private-Family life, Lifelong Learning and Human Security and encouraged governmental and parliamentary action on these specific issues. The experience gained from these projects is built into this project.

Project Overall Objective: Contribution to more accountable parliamentary governance, women’s human rights and increased women’s political participation through capacity building of SEE Women MP’s.

Project Description: Through national consultations with relevant actors, (experts, NGO’s, officials) women MP’s of different party backgrounds will become aware of the gender dimensions and current state of legislation and policies in 2 key areas and participate in two, two-day SEE workshop in order to exchange experience on best practices as well as to learn about European standards and practices. Following the regional workshops women MP’s will meet nationally to share experience gained, between them, to transfer knowledge to relevant institutions, and encourage governmental and parliamentary actions or reforms on specific issues.

Implementation of the Project in Republic of Moldova

The project started with the travel of the Project coordinator Sonja Lockar to the Parliament of Republic of Moldova who held meetings with relevant individuals. Afterwards, responsible persons for the implementation of the project were appointed, and namely Mrs. Elena Bondarenco Member of Parliament and Mrs. Galina Balmos Minister of Social Protection, Family and Child.

In cooperation with the NGO Political Club of Women – 50/50 these two persons were in charge of preparing the national report according to the received Guidelines for National Reports to the SEE Women MP’s Exchange Regional Workshop: Analysis of Unemployment (male/female and by age group) and Employment Policies.

On the 17^th of April 2008 was organized a National Conference “Gender Dimension the labor market” that joined together representatives of gender sensitive NGOs, of the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Finance. During this conference was presented the draft report prepared by Mrs. Bondarenco and Mrs. Balmos. The necessary adjustments were made.

Afterwards Mrs. Mardarovici had a meeting with Mrs. Bondarenco and Mrs. Balmos to discuss the final version of the National Report.

On the 23-24 of May 2008 was organized a meeting with women from rural sector within which was discussed the Report (with the participation of Mrs. Bondarenco and Mrs. Balmos). Also another meeting with women MPs took place and the same topic discussed.

On the 30^th of May – 1^st of June took place the regional workshop in Kotor, Montenegro that was attended by Mrs. Bondarenco. This meeting was hosted by the Parliament of Montenegro. Women members of parliament were invited from: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, R. Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and the meeting also included EU and SEE experts. The main subject of this meeting was ˝Active employment policy˝. Under this heading, participants from ten SEE Parliaments examined various elements of active employment policy. Themes presented and discussed include: job searching, training and education, promotion of employment and self employment, support to entrepreneurship, boosting social inclusion.

Following activities were organized in July:

ü Round Table in Chisinau where 30 women discussed the Report, the problems faced by young people on the labor market, identification of solutions to be included in national strategies and policies.

ü Within the Summer School for Mayors was included a module on the Report above mentioned. 45 women mayors attended and discussed this topic together with the Minister of Education, Minister of Labor, the Chairman of the Governmental Committee for Equal Chances and Minister of Social Protection, Family and Child.

On the 18^th of September, the Project Coordinator, Sonja Lockar had a meeting with Mrs. Bondarenco, member of Parliament.

The second key area for the preparation meeting to the regional workshop in Zagreb was Publicly Subsidized Preschool Child Care in South East Europe.

On the 29^th of October the Ministry of Social Protection, Family and Child organized a round table with the social services providers, social workers and assistants, as well as with clerks from the Social Assistance and family protection Department from Orhei District, with the topic “Social protection of children through social services offered”.

Mrs. Viorica Dumbraveanu, head of Department for family and child protection, from the Ministry of Social Protection, Family and Child, presented a report on the achievements of social reforms implemented in the country. She spoke about the development of community social services addressed to families with children and children in difficulty.

Mrs. Dumbraveanu mentioned that nowadays there are 100 social centers for children in the country, which offers services for 5633 beneficiaries. Among them are Day Centers, Rehabilitation Centers, Mixed Centers and Placement Centers.

During the round table other topics have been discussed such as reform of social protection of persons with disabilities, the strategy regarding the creation of an integral system of social services, draft Law on social services, promotion of minimum standards of quality for some social services addressed to children, etc.

The head of the Department for social assistance and family protection from Orhei District, Ion Racu, has made a presentation of the social services developed in the District by the local public administration authorities and nongovernmental organizations. Among the obstacle/problems faced, Ion Racu mentioned the lack of free space/room for the development of social services in Orhei.

A similar meeting/round table, with the same topic for discussion, was organized in Chisinau at the Municipal Direction for Protection of Children Rights on the 31^st of October. Mrs. Viorica Dumbraveanu attended the meeting and held a presentation on the social services, family and child protection.

At the Regional Workshop in Zagreb that took place on the 9-10 of November, no delegation from Republic of Moldova has attended it. After a very fruitful discussion the participants accepted the following conclusions and the follow-up agreements:

- The same reasons which brought European EU member states to the joint Barcelona targets (33% of children from 0-3 of age and 90% of children from 3 to school age in the childcare until 2010) are in place also in all SEE countries but we still do not have similar strategies. Not in one of our countries this issue is a priority of the mainstream politics.

- High quality, public funded and regulated affordable and accessible childcare for all preschool children is of crucial importance for gender equality, life-work balance of men and women, eradication of poverty and equal and fair start in life especially for the children from less supportive environments.

- A broad range of research in long-term economic effects of childcare from the earliest age shows that every Euro invested in this field brings seven Euros return in a long run.

- There is a need of well balanced strategies for improvement of the childcare which is in very bad stage in most of SEE countries – lack of capacities, miserable funding, bad quality of service, overclouded units, no national standards for curriculum, quality, accessibility, affordability, high prices for average parents income

- In all our countries the process of integration of children with special needs has started but not everywhere this process runs with a necessary additional staff and expert support.

- There is a good possibility to find EU funding for sound and well prepared national strategies for the improvement of the childcare in our countries. The parliamentarians will check out these possibilities with their governments and responsible ministries and start the preparation of such strategies.

- The issue of childcare is very suitable for broad national consensus building. The success depends on the ability of forming an issue coalition which includes civil society, experts, media, trade unions, kindergarten staff, but also political parties, women parliamentarians and member of executive power on all levels. Women parliamentarians and their ability to form the consensus on childcare issue in the parliament across party lines is crucial in order to move this issue from a neglected question to high priority issue of the mainstream politics.

- All parliamentarians will present the expertise and best practices exchanged at this workshop to their parliaments and will try to start the process of consensus building.

The project as a whole addressed the disproportionately small number of women MP’s in SEE parliaments, by increasing capacities of women MP’s. Regional workshops themes and national pre and post meetings have also been addressed from their gender dimension in order to enrich the way they have been traditionally considered.