Women’s Alternative Government of BiH Presented

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The Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly of Banja Luka (HCABL) presented, on Monday, September 17, 2012, the first Women’s Alternative Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its ministers.

Dragana Dardić, HCABL Executive Directress, noted that the idea was for the Women’s Alternative Government to work for greater presence of women in positions of power and responsibility in the government, and to promote greater and more active participation of young and educated women in national politics.

Dragana Dardić, HCABL executive directress at the promotion (Photo: HCABL)

“The Women’s Alternative Government is an informal political body that will articulate and promote the views and needs of all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, guided by the principles of gender equality, transparency, accountability and competence”, Dardić said at the presentation.

Vesna Stojanović, the coordinator of the “Women’s Side of Politics” project, said that the Alternative Government has ten ministers, appointed for two-year term, which will be charged with promotion of potentials of women experts and work to increase the visibility of women in all areas of social and political life in the country.

“Over the past several months, we held ten meetings which, in the presence of representatives of the nongovernmental sector, nominated and elected the ministers on basis of their experience, expertise, competence and past achievements”, Stojanović said.

Vesna Stojanović, Coordinator of Women's Side of Politics project (Photo: HCABL)

Murisa Marić, minister of civil society and activism in the Alternative Government said that she will work, together with the other ministers, to improve the status of women in BiH society.

“We shall make every effort to promote changes and we truly believe an alternative is possible. We shall articulate all questions and issues of importance for social policies, economic development, finances, environment and civil society. On other issues that may not be covered by specific ministries, we shall work together to find solutions”, minister Marić concluded.

The ministers in the Women’s Alternative Government are Gordana Vidović from Modriča, Slađana Ujić from Rogatica, Nejira Nalić, Jasmina Husanović, Džemila Agić and Mirsada Bajramović from Tuzla, Ismeta Čardaković and Samira Hurem from Sarajevo, Murisa Marić from Prijedora, and Neira Raković-Čelebić from Bihać.

The Alternative Women’s Government is part of the Women’s Side of Politics project, supported by the Foundation Open Society Institute. (Source: hcabl.org)