BACKGROUND

The Women’s Leadership Academy (WLA) is a two-year direct partnership with the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence (BFPE). WLA supports women leaders in increasing the participation of women in local governments and advancing gender equality agendas.

ACTIVITIES

WLA will support women holding or running for office in 2016 and it will work with political parties to nominate female candidates.  It also will create new partnerships and networks throughout Serbia to advocate for gender equality.

WLA will work with 125 women leaders from different political parties. It will provide leadership training to build the confidence and skills of women leaders, strengthen joint cross-sectoral work, and link women leaders with mentors.  It will work with mid- and high-ranking political party officials in order to advocate for changes in internal party procedures, producing affirmative measures for women. Additionally, WLA will launch a campaign to grow public and political party support for equal representation and for greater participation of women in politics.

Through these efforts, WLA aims to achieve long-term goals such as:

• Adoption of a Declaration on Equal Representation for the 2016 Local Elections;
• More effective implementation of gender equality policies and legislation;
• An increased number of women elected in local governments as mayors, speakers of local assemblies, and members of the executive;
• liPolitical party commitment to introduce gender-equitable changes in their nomination processes.

Project funded by:

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID/Serbia)

Project implemented by:

Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence (BFPE), Center for Modern Skills (CMS), and Center for Women Support (CWS)

Key counterparts:

Women’s Parliamentary Network, Coordinating Body for Gender Equality, the Commissioner for Equality, CSOs promoting gender equality

Where we work:

Novi Sad, Subotica, Niš, Kragujevac, Pirot, Užice, Kraljevo, Kruševac, and Belgrade

Project duration:

April 2015 – April 2017

Total amount:  $220,000

Contact:

Diplomatska kolonija 22,

11000 Belgrade

Phone: +381-11 30 36 520; 30 36 521

E-mail:  office@bfpe.org

Website:  http://www.bfpe.org/en/

Social Media Platforms: 

https://www.facebook.com/AkademijaZenskogLiderstva

https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZeLiAk?src=hash