Skopje, 20 May 2025 (MIA) – The Defence Ministry and the Army organized Tuesday an event in Skopje to promote the gender self-assessment in the defence sector and the Gender Action Plan 2024 – 2028, which included addresses by President Gordana Siljanovska – Davkova and Defence Minister Vlado Misajlovski as well as Swedish Ambassador Ami Larsson Jain and Béatrice Godefroy, DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance Deputy Director.

Being supreme commander of the armed forces, Siljanovska – Davkova said, I treat gender issues in the Army and the defence not as an observer but as an actor.

“Regretfully, for many women in the defence, including the Ministry and military structure, the battle doesn’t start in the missions they take part in, but among their colleagues having to fight for equal working conditions and equality, to fight to have balance between their professional and family life, and unfortunately, to fight to have their hard work equally valued,” stated the President.

According to her, promoting gender equality is not about giving advantage, it involves removing the obstacles and allowing everyone to be treated equally. “We have to pave the way for excellence no matter where it comes from,” the President noted.

Minister Misajlovski said that 52.3 percent of the top posts at the Ministry are occupied by women, stressing that the percentage of representation of women must continue to increase. Gender equality is a civilization value that creates a synergy that will be the driving force of joint development, according to him.

“Our priority is to enable more women to be engaged in security structures – not only as a number but also as quality. Perhaps the most important step was made by the Macedonian citizens by electing the first female supreme commander of the Army, President Siljanovska – Davkova, showing they are freed from the restraints of whether the head of state and the head of the armed forces is a man or a woman,” said Misajlovski.

He noted that the Ministry and the Army are focused on holding gender training at all levels and on making decisions to improve the internal structure, leadership, working conditions and infrastructure.

Both Ambassador Jain and Béatrice Godefroy, DCAF Deputy Director, in their addresses highlighted the importance of gender equality.

Jain congratulated everyone engaged in the process on their commitment to making their working environment more gender responsible and more attractive for both men and women to equally contribute to leadership, protection and security of the country.

Godefroy thanked for the cooperation with the Ministry underlying that no progress and no sustainable development is possible without equal and crucial participation of men and women. She added that the Defence Ministry and the Army had a professional and dedicated approach to gender self-assessment.

The gender self-assessment and the Gender Action Plan 2024 – 2028 of the Defence Ministry and the Army were prepared in cooperation with the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, backed by Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands and the European Union.

The action plan on improving gender equality is a strategic document based on gender self-assessment findings. It offers concrete measures and activities aimed at improving gender equality at the Defence Ministry and the Army in the period from 2024 until 2028 in terms of strengthening of gender structure, decision making, professional development, training, equipment, infrastructure and organizational culture.

Photo: Defence Ministry