Gender Network - CEE Network for Gender Issues

General Information and History

In 1994, the European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity formed a Women Working Group - in order to address the gender aspect of democracy building and the status of women in countries in transition. This Working Group initiated many activities and organised workshops and conferences all over the CEE region – while working on a voluntary basis.
Based on the report of this Women Working Group, the European Forum decided in October 1997 to continue the work on these issues and to give it a more formalised structure.

Subsequently, it was decided that the Working group should be transformed into an international network, working as a part of the European Forum, called "Central and Eastern Network for Gender Issues", with an office in Budapest, Hungary. The new Network started to work from the 1st of February 1998.

Mission Network

The Network endeavors to assist social democratic, socialist, labor and other parties, their women’s organizations and progressive women’s NGO in:

• Formulating policies and election platforms on the most acute political, economic and social problems that women are facing in the processes of transition.
• Supporting their capacity and organization building.
• Promoting nation wide gender awareness campaigns.
• Helping to mainstream issues of gender equality, equity and human rights into all walks of life.
• Assisting to harmonize national legislation on gender issues with the one of the European Union and to elaborate gender sensitive policy guidelines for the integration of Central and Eastern European countries into European Union.
• Assisting the establishment of an active network, including an electronic network, of women’s organizations and the co-ordination of their activities.

Structure

As from 1998, the CEE Network was based in Budapest, Hungary. In 2001, the Network began with its decentralisation into three sub-regional offices: Ljubljana (South Eastern Europe) headed by Sonja Lokar, Budapest (Central Europe) headed by Marta Szigeti Bonifert, Tallinn (the Baltics, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus) headed by Lena Ag. The Tallinn Office has become operational in 2002, but has limited activities due to inefficient funding. The Network has an international board, chaired by Dasa Silovic, former coordinator of the Forum’s Women’s Group

Reports

The Gender Network The Gender Network produces an Annual Report, as well as reports from its meetings. See under reports.

Cooperation and subsidy

The cooperation between the European Forum and the Gender Network has intensified. The plan for 2003 is to include more Gender issues in the Country Updates and Newsflashes of the Forum. The most important sponsor of the CEE Gender Network continues to be the Olof Palme International Center.

Contact

New York:
Dasa Silovic
Tel: +1 212 535 4628
dsilovic@yahoo.com

Slovenia:
Sonja Lokar
Tel : +386 12 444 119
Mobile: + 386 40 885 860
Sonja.Lokar@siol.net

Budapest :
Marta Szigeti Bonifert
Tel : +36 209 364 702
mszboni@lender.hu

Sweden :
Lena Ag
Tel: +32 498 98 82 12
lena.ag@skynet.be

General contact address:
CEE Network for Gender Issues
C/o ZLSD
Fax: + 386 1 251 5855
e-mail: office@zlsd.si