FM Selaković: Serbia is committed to respecting the principle of gender equality

Taking part in the conference on gender equality "Empowered women change our lives" today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia H.E. Nikola Selaković underscored that Serbia belongs to the civilization circle of countries where gender equality is the dominant factual value and an achievable social goal.

"The Serbian people were among the first in Europe and the world that could pride themselves of involving women in important political decisions." - Foreign Minister Selaković said, noting that it is generally thought that 1945 was the year when women in the former Yugoslavia acquired and exercised their right to vote for the first time.

The Serbian Foreign Minister said that it should be taken into account that at the Great National Assembly of Serbs, Bunjevci and other Slavs living in Banat, Bačka and Baranja, which took place on November 25th 1918 in Novi Sad, seven deputies who voted in favour of the integration of these regions into Serbia - were women.

In his intervention, Mr. Selaković reminded of numerous women who left an indelible mark in our science, culture and art through their activism and works, such as Milica Stojadinović Srpkinja, Mina Karadžić, Poleksija Todorović, Draga Ljočić, Beta Vukanović, Nadežda Petrović, Isidora Sekulić and Jelisaveta Načić.

Referring to the situation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FM Selaković said that we have come a long way from the moment when Stana Tomašević became the first woman ambassador of former Yugoslavia in 1963, to the present day situation with three ladies among six assistant foreign ministers.

"Today, 14 ambassadors and 6 consuls general heading the diplomatic and consular missions of Serbia abroad are women, and so are all the directors of cultural and information centres of Serbia in the world." - Foreign Minister Selaković said, adding that the MFA currently has more women than men holding the diplomatic title of Minister Adviser, which, as he pointed out, clearly defines the future of Serbian diplomacy.

The Serbian Foreign Minister also stressed that our country is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Civil and Political Rights, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Istanbul Convention.

"With its proactive attitude in the competent international bodies and the bodies monitoring the implementation of these and other agreements, Serbia strives to contribute to the improvement of general international legal frameworks and thus contribute to improving the quality of our national legislation." - FM Selaković said.

At the same time, the Serbian Foreign Minister reminded that the Constitution of Serbia advocates equality of women and men, imposes a policy of equal opportunities for all, and prohibits discrimination, be it direct or indirect, adding that the Constitution is mirrored by specific laws and strategic acts.

"Within the framework of cooperation of the United Nations for sustainable development with the Republic of Serbia for the period 2021-2025, which I had the honour to sign on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Serbia less than a month ago, the goal of achieving gender equality is an integral part of all jointly agreed priorities in terms of achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals." - FM Selaković said, emphasizing that the Serbian vision of sustainable development is inspired by the 2030 Agenda, in line with the requirements of accession to the European Union.

Ending his presentation, Foreign Minister Selaković underlined that Serbia is committed to the implementation of all the obligations it has undertaken in the field of gender equality, stressing that this is of vital importance for both the current and the future generations.