presidenca-logo

Archives

President Osmani met with KFOR Commander, Major General Ferenc Kajári

The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Dr. Vjosa Osmani Sadriu, received KFOR Commander, Major General Ferenc Kajári, with whom she discussed the security situation in the country, and recent developments on the European continent in light of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

President Osmani’s address at the Week of women, on the subject of “Defending Democracy: Inclusion Matters”

Highly esteemed participants, Honourable Prime Minister Kurti, Honourable Deputy Prime Minister, Honourable leaders of political parties, Representatives of international organizations, Honourable Ambassador Hovenier, Ambassador Soderberg, Honourable mayors, deputies, representatives of civil society and participants, I look forward to this day and the joining of forces with NDI and all of you to host the opening conference of this year’s edition of Women’s Week. I remember from the beginning of the organization of Women's Week, initiated by the very honourable former Secretary of State Mrs. Albright, together with the group of women MPs of the Assembly of Kosovo, and since then Women's Week is one of the activities that has followed throughout much of my political career. As much as I have tried to share my life and political experience with the participant’s edition after edition, I have also learned and enriched myself very much through the experiences and stories of women and girls and other participants who have been part of the Week of Women. The common denominator of these experiences, lessons and sharing of our experiences leads us to a conclusion, which is: democracy is never a finished project. What we know for sure is that democracy is the highest level of genuine, equal, dignified and inclusive political, social and economic organization. But we know just as well that this can only be achieved through cooperation, coordination, communication and continuous investment in raising the level of democracy, preserving, promoting and disseminating it. In March 2021, at the meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, US Vice President Kamala Harris said: “The status of women in society is the status of democracy. The status of democracy also depends fundamentally on the empowerment of women, not only because the exclusion of women from decision-making is a marker of a flawed democracy but also because the participation of women strengthens democracy.” And there is no way to say it better and clearer. Democracy can only be called true democracy only when every voice is heard, when no one is left behind, when certain individuals and groups of the society are not excluded, when we all play and act on equal ground, and when women and men are truthfully equal. Only an inclusive democracy is really a stable democracy. And in order to succeed in that, you have to really believe in it. But even trusting is not enough in itself if one does not work diligently and persistently in this regard. Therefore, I am happy to be here today because I know that each and every one of you not only believes but also works every day, each in their own way, in this direction. Representing the Republic of Kosovo at the Summit for Democracy was a really easy task. Because I represented one of the most dynamic democracies in Europe. But, I want to clarify immediately that I am fully aware that despite the clear signs of progress, we still have a lot of work to do to improve the level of democracy in our country. And when you are a representative of a country with such a peace-loving nation and promoters of democracy, the work towards fulfilling the commitments made becomes much easier and more affordable indeed. Women and girls are not just the other part of society. They are society itself. Women and girls have proved so often and so systematically that they carry the burden of economic development, of social challenges, of political prejudice, of labour market injustices, of inequalities in the distribution of wealth, of double discrimination within groups and certain social communities, and everything else. But women and girls have just as often proved that they always succeed. And when they are not given the opportunity to express their concerns, needs or opinions, they never give up. There will always be a voice to talk about, there will always be an extra chair that can be added around the table, and there will always be another forum where they will find a way to express themselves. And as long as gender equality is not seen as a natural process, but always as an additional effort, women and girls will not stop using all means and every available space to express their position. I ask this of all of you today. But also to all the boys and men who are present here today. Become the missing opportunity for women and girls to ensure their fair and equal participation in our society, in decision-making processes, and in developmental projects. I believe the evidence speaks for itself, but I will say it here again: when we exclude half of humanity from generating ideas, thoughts and decisions, we miss the opportunity for a world, a society, and a democracy with transformative potential. And unfortunately, what is most troubling is the fact that the exclusion of certain groups in society, especially women and girls, often does not happen intentionally or for malicious reasons. Often, society falls into the trap of discrimination due to the lack of data presenting the gender dimension, the lack of promoted and published stories of girls and women, due to their lack of presence in TV channels and programs – in a word, it comes as a result of not telling the story of women and girls through data and stories. Therefore, events like Women's Week are just as important, where we share our stories and experiences and stories of girls who work side by side with us, hoping to inspire some other girls and women to join us on this journey, equally important is the collection, generation and publication of gender data to ensure equality and inclusion. This challenge is not just ours, but we can begin to reap victory day by day – starting with our families, our jobs, the neighbourhoods we live in, the cities we work in, and so on. Democracy needs trust in it, as much as it needs rules, laws and policies, which can only

presidenca-logo
Presidency
Media
Other connections

©2025 – Office of the President of Kosovo
Designed and Developed:  SPINP

This site is registered on wpml.org as a development site.