United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kosovo, jointly with the Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfers, the Kosovo Employment Agency, and the Agency for Gender Equality launched today the Gender Equality Seal for the Kosovo Employment Agency which supports and recognizes public institutions that commit and show results on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Present at the event were Maria Suokko, UNDP Resident Representative, Enis Spahiu, General Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfers (MFLT), Jehona Rexha, Deputy Director of the Kosovo Employment Agency (KEA), Edi Gusia, Executive Director of the Agency for Gender Equality (AGE), representatives of the Regional and Municipal Employment Offices, young women and men soon to enter labour market and officials from central and local institutions.

The Kosovo Employment Agency is the first public institution in Kosovo to embark on this programme with the aim to promote policies that are more gender-responsive, effective, efficient, and targeted to the needs of all people, especially women in vulnerable situations. In particular, the programme provides allows public institutions to strengthen their capacities and advance gender equality in a more effective and visible way.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Suokko emphasized: “Many gender stereotypes still prevail in Kosovo when it comes to employment and jobs. We at UNDP, are committed to working together to shift the mindsets, while acknowledging the existing inequalities in the labour market. These relate to broader systematic challenges and large share of informality in the labour market. The Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions programme is a remarkable step in the right direction, and I want to take this opportunity to thank Agency for Gender Equality for partnering with us on this journey and the Kosovo Employment Agency, and the Ministry for its commitment to pursue the Gender Seal”.

“The Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfers has continuously supported initiatives related to the promotion of gender equality. We welcome the launch of the programme and pledge to support it to expand further after the pilot phase. The Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions as a barometer for public institutions will help our other institutions achieve measurable progress against recognized international standards to address and include, in all aspects of their work, all elements of gender equality,” stressed Mr. Spahiu, General Secretary of MFLT.

Ms. Rexha highlighted the importance of the Gender Seal for the agency she belongs to: “I am honoured that the first institution in the Gender Equality Seal Programme for Public Institutions will be the Employment Agency. The implementation process of this programme will help us integrate gender issues into our policies and activities with the aim of improving approaches and their potential impact on women's lives, empowerment, and gender equality.

It is very important that the “Gender Equality Seal” is not considered as a one-off initiative of the moment, but as a sustainable practice that starts with implementation from the moment we start drafting new legislation through a concept document, or a draft public policy, by accurately implementing the Gender Impact Assessment instrument from the situation analysis, drafting of action plans, planning, allocation, and to budget execution, so that women and men can benefit adequately from public funds, opportunities for development and career advancement as prerequisites for sustainable development,” said Ms. Gusia on this occasion.

Through this programme, UNDP and its partners will jointly support institutions towards the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 (Gender Equality / Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions / Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels).  

For more information, please contact:

Burbuqe Dobranja, UNDP Communications Associate 
Phone: (038) 249 066 ext. 410;  mobile: 049 720 800      e-mail: burbuqe.dobranja@undp.org

Danijela Mitić, UNDP Communication Associate
Phone: (038) 249 066 ext. 412;   mobile: 049 720 824     e-mail: danijela.mitic@undp.org

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