“Women, peace and security agenda in Albania”, Minister Xhaçka: 35, 4% of new officers are women

Published: Friday, 07 February 2020 15:00

The number of women serving in the Armed Forces is increased; last year over 35% of newly promoted officers were women, marking a 5% rise since 2018.

These were the findings that Defense Minister Olta Xhaçka, presented at the Conference "Women, peace, security agenda in Albania", organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, on the 20th Anniversary of the adoption of UNSCR 1325.

Minister Xhaçka considered the involvement of women in the Armed Forces as a strategy and underlined their increase in number in the defense structures: “For the Armed Forces this is not just a matter of women's rights. It is also a strategic issue. Excluding women, we practically deny ourselves at least half of the talented military that the Albanian society can offer to. I am very proud that the trend of recent years involving women in the Armed Forces is positive and increasing. It's on the right track. Today, 18.2% of the Armed Forces' civilian and military personnel are women. What makes me very optimistic is that the 35.4% of the newly promoted officers of 2019 – 2020 are women and young ladies! It’s 5% more compared to 2018! ”- emphasized Minister Xhaçka.

The Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu felt prideful for the women serving in the Armed Forces and the State Police, considering the cooperation between men and women in this field very important.

The Head of the OSCE Presence in our country, Ambassador Bernd Borchard praised the progress Albania has made in empowering women in the field of Security and Defense, and emphasized the determination of OSCE Presence to give continued support in further progress in this field.

UN Resolution 1325 requires parties to a conflict to prevent violations of women's rights, support women's participation in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction, and to protect women and girls from wartime sexual violence.