During the two years of its existence, the Women's Political Network (WPM) has shown how political differences are overcome for the sake of the common good and how more consensus and quality solutions bring good to everyone in Montenegro, the WPM announced.
It is stated that on November 16, 18, at the time of the greatest political crisis and boycott of the parliament, women from 2017 political parties from the government and the opposition formed the ŽPM, with the wholehearted and selfless support of the Delegation of the European Union and the UNDP Office in Podgorica.
"In the beginning, by gathering the representatives of all parties, we proved that even the fiercest political opponents can work together in order to achieve the equality of men and women guaranteed by the Constitution in practice," the announcement states.
As it is added, a greater number of women in decision-making positions is one of the key preconditions for the democratization of society.
The ŽPM requested changes to the Law on the Election of Councilors and Members of Parliament through the introduction of a quota of 40 percent of women on electoral lists and the obligation that there must be at least one woman among every three candidates in the order on the electoral list.
Amendments to the Law on the Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns were also requested, which provide for financial incentives for parties in the form of more allocated money for each parliamentary seat, and for financial support for women's organizations within the parties.
"These proposals received the support of the Parliamentary Committee for the Reform of Electoral Legislation, and previously the green light from the leaders of all parliamentary parties, at meetings held in the presence of high representatives of the UNDP and the EU Delegation, which ensured the necessary majority for the adoption of our proposals at the plenum" , they said from ŽPM.
Due to the request of the ŽPM to improve the electoral legislation, the campaign "A Century of Struggle for Women's Political Rights" was launched in Montenegro.
"In the sphere of economic empowerment of women, ŽPM continued with the initiative to support women's entrepreneurship at the local level, which began in December 2017, at a conference attended by more than 150 female councilors from all over Montenegro," the announcement says.
On the initiative of the ŽPM, it is added, this year EUR 175 was allocated to support female entrepreneurship at the local level in 15 municipalities in Montenegro.
As they clarified, it is about grants, which enable women all over Montenegro to start their own small businesses.
ŽPM said that they pay special attention to the protection of women from violence, and that to this end, in March, in Podgorica, a large conference was held on the topic "Violence against women - application of the Istanbul Convention and resistance to retrograde processes".
"In this representative meeting, relevant ministers took part, who assumed obligations to ensure zero tolerance for violence against women," the announcement reminds.
In a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister Zoran Pažin, the ŽPM secured a political decision to improve the Law on Protection from Domestic Violence and the Criminal Code, in order to ensure better protection of victims of violence, and, as stated, the competent Working Group is dedicatedly working on it today.
ŽPM representatives participated in a number of significant regional and international gatherings dedicated to gender equality, where it was judged that the work of ŽPM can represent a model for others both in the region and in Europe.
"ŽPM will not stop, but will continue persistently and courageously to work on changing and applying regulations in the direction of achieving equality for women in Montenegro, i.e. essential improvement of the quality of life of our citizens," the announcement said.
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