ZAGREB, September 23, 2018 – Croatia’s Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinovic Burić attended a two-day Women Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (WFMM) in Montreal which was dedicated to gender equality and empowerment of women as a key factor in efforts to build peace, eradicate poverty and ensure economic growth, the Croatian Foreign Ministry stated in a press release on Sunday.
The meeting was organised in Montreal on 21 and 22 September within Canada’s G7 presidency and was co-hosted by Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini.
During the discussions on gender equality and empowerment of women in conflict-ridden Syria, Libya, Ukraine Nicaragua and the suffering of Rohingya in Myanmar, the Croatian minister gave a speech on strengthening democracy and resilience in peaceful and inclusive societies, and she pointed out the role of women and their representation at all levels in Croatia.
The minister also informed the participants about the role of women during the Homeland Defence War and the peaceful reintegration of the east of Croatia into the country’s constitutional and legal order. “The women in Croatia had an active and important role in the defence of our country and contributed to the building of permanent peace and progressive society,” the Croatian minister said.
As for peace missions, Pejčinovic Burić underscores the fact that over 330 women from Croatia have to date participated in international peace missions worldwide, including the ongoing mission in Afghanistan.
Announcing the gathering of female foreign ministers in Montreal, the Canadian foreign ministry said that “this initiative builds on previous engagements made by the Government of Canada to integrate a gender perspective in foreign and security policy, like the launch of Canada’s first Feminist International Assistance Policy and the Elsie Initiative, to increase the participation of women in peace operations.”
“We hope that the WFMM will make an important contribution to the global dialogue on the role of women in international affairs,” the Canadian ministry stated.
During her stay in Montreal, Minister Pejčinovic Burić met with representatives of the local Croatian expat community.
