The CEE  Network Board member and former Vice President of the Democratic Party of Serbia, Tamara Tripić, has resumed the organization of Belgrade “Vračar conversations” (a municipal district in the centre of Belgrade). Her last session/panel discussion on 26th December 2018 was dedicated to a very “hot” topic in Serbia – weekly (Saturday) demonstrations in Belgrade of thousands of citizens from the city and other parts of Serbia. The title of the panel was “The heroes of the street”.

Panelists were well known journalists Srdjan Škoro, Tatjana Vojtehovski and Marko Vidojkovic a popular writer. All the three are engaged in the organization of the demonstrations. The conference hall was packed with activists and citizens from Belgrade and a number of other towns in Serbia.

Tamara starts 2019 with another “hot” topic in Serbia: “OLIVER – the unfinished story” (Tuesday 15 January 2019). The panel is to commemorate a year since the brutal, politically motivated murder of Oliver Ivanović, the President of the Civil Society Initiative “Serbia, democracy and justice” from Kosovo.  Panelists have been chosen to speak about Oliver, his political stance, challenges, misgivings and premonitions within the current political moment in Serbia. They are: Božo Prelević, lawyer, Rada Trajković, President of the European Movement (NGO) and former MP in the Kosovo Assembly, Aleksandar Ivanović, lawyer.

"Conservative Counter-Revolution – Case in Point: Reproductive Rights and Demographics" is a very important political and ideological topic in the region, and overall in Europe, as birth rates go down, people live longer and the labor and social welfare systems are either overstretched or curtailed.

This year’s Korčula School, organized by the CEE Network for Gender Issues and it’s partners, was seeking to explore progressive solutions, best practices and lessons learnt and ways to formulate comprehensive, progressive measures and incentives necessary to address the demographic situation but not at the expense of women’s, and men’s, right to choose and make decisions regarding their reproduction and their bodies. Gender equality and women’s rights are non-negotiable democratic tenets, which are seriously challenged in the region in contravention to the existing positive legislation on human rights and basic constitutional postulates in the respective states and international conventions and agreements, such as those of the United Nations, EU and Council of Europe.

All participants agreed that demographic strategy cannot existing without reproductive rights, especially a right to choose, and reproductive rights which are under constant attack have to be essential in every sphere of society.

The 2018 Korčula School was preceded by a joint discussion on 24 August 2018 organized by the Global Progressive Forum and the CEE Network for Gender Issues on “Making the EU enlargement process deliver for Western Balkan women”.

Daša Šilović participated at SIW Council Panel 'Transforming Politics: 50/50 Challenge'' in Geneva where she was a panelist at a first session “For a world 50-50 in the political decision making”

The session was chaired by SIW VP Morreale.

From the region participated Silvia Atanasova, VP PBSD (Bulgaria) and VP Social Democratic Women’s Federation. The discussion focused on the role of WF, with Brazil stressing positive experience, while many referred to the lack of financial support. Minister for Women from the Dominican Republic Janet Camilo talked from the point of challenges faced by her government on gender equality.

The seventh Korčula School – Transforming Politics through a Gender Lens - will take place in the town of Korčula, 25-26 August, 2018 under the title: "Conservative Counter-Revolution – Case in Point: Reproductive Rights and Demographics".

Key topics:

• Conservative ideology, politics, and institutions on reproductive rights and demographic policy – regional challenges
• Political implications for the center-left positioning and strategy
•  Stocktaking on regional challenges for gender equality and joint regional strategy

Two special topics will also be discussed:

• Implications and lessons learnt from the Istanbul Convention discussions in the region
•  Preparations for the European Parliament 2019 elections

The 2018 Korčula School will be preceded by a joint discussion on 24 August 2018 organized by the Global Progressive Forum/S&D and the CEE Network for Gender Issues on “Making the EU enlargement process deliver for Western Balkan women”

The main topics are:

• EU Accession and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the Western Balkans
•  Gendering Employment and Social Policies: EU Accession and work/life balance

The CEE Network International Board held its annual retreat in Zagreb, 8-10 June 2018.

The discussion centered on lessons learnt, regional challenges to gender equality in light of political developments and CEE Network activities to date. The thrust of the meeting was dedicated to CEE Network strategic positioning, workplanning and key topics to be addressed in the coming period.

During a Sustainable Development Festival in Milano on the 31^st May was held an event 'SDGs, climate and the future of Europe' which adressed European perspective with the contribution of representatives of institutions, companies and civil society. 

"The European Commission has announced its intention to make the Union a champion of sustainable development. But we want it to be 'the' champion ", said AsviS spokeperson Enrico Giovannini summarizing the objective of "SDGs, climate and the future of Europe". "The real utopia is to think that we can move forward with the current model of development. 120 million people in Europe are at risk of poverty: they risk becoming 'human waste', to use the words of Pope Francis ".

CEE Gender Network's Chair Daša Šilović and European Movement-Italy's Virgilio Dastoli moderated the round table 'Make the European Union ‘the’ world champion of sustainable development'.

Among the speakers were Marta Bonifert, Hungarian business leaders forum, Raymond Van Ermen, Europe Ambition 2030, Bruno Colmant, director of Macro Research Banque Degroof Petercam, Solvay Business School ULB.

On the May 30^th in Milano was held CEE Gender Network's panel “Making the SDGs: Green Economy and Gender Equality (SDG5) as a Connecting Glue” as a side event to the Sustainable Development Festival.

The moderator for the panel was Pia Locatelli, former MEP and Italian MP, Member of the Scientific Council of the Foundation for Progressive European Studies.

The panelists were:

1. Marta Szigeti Bonifert, Hungarian Business Forum, Board Member, CEE Network for Gender Issues

2. Lovorka Marinović, President, Center for New Initiatives, Zagreb, Board Member, CEE Network for Gender Issues

3. Daša Šilović, Chair, International Board CEE, Network for Gender Issues

On May 19, 2018, a conference "Gender Perspectives of Challenges and Potential Setbacks to create and Implement the Population Policies" was held in Belgrade.

Over 40 participants from the Women's Democratic Party, the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina and the Social Democratic Party from all over Serbia attended the event. In addition to them, representatives of the New Magazin and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation participated in the conference.

Three sessions were held:

1. Statistics and social topics - human rights and daily politics through an example of the presentation of demographic measures in Serbia

2. Analysis of demographic indicators and measures in the region - demography as a political issue or as a political tool

3. Women’s rights and media responsibility through the presentation of current political issues o.n examples of reporting on population policy measures

Through social networks and live streaming individual sessions were seen by over 3,000 people.