The Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Marija Obradović and Francine Pickup, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Resident Representative in Serbia told the members of the Network of Women Mayors and Presidents of Municipalities in Aranđelovac today, that mutual cooperation, improvement of leadership skills and overcoming the limitations that had prevented them from their career development, would help them to advance in their positions and enable them to become creators of change in the environments they lead today.
At the Workshop on empowering women in management positions, they emphasized that today’s meeting of women mayors and presidents of municipalities was an opportunity to send a message about the importance of the Network that they formed in March this year, by signing the Charter of Women’s Solidarity. As the period behind us had shown, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, women are strong, react quickly in crisis situations and cope well with challenges.
“The glass ceiling is when you are not allowed to go up, and the glass floor is an effect that hinders you, the fear that you will be pulled down to the bottom. We are here to build a climate in which none of you will be afraid of either the glass floor or the glass ceiling, because the first results will make us stronger. We are capable and strong, and only our silence can make us incompetent. The brave and persistent will accomplish result even after suffering serious blows, which is why mutual support is important to us,” Minister Obradović pointed out.
“Today’s workshop and leadership training should help you understand your ways to improve this world, how to grasp progress and change. It is intended for you to strengthen, to become the initiator and creator of changes in your environments, to see what your strengths and advantages are. When times are tough then women are placed in important positions so that responsibility falls on them. We witnessed that women cope very well with this challenge and successfully lead their local communities even in the times of crises. That is why UNDP will continue to support your association and cooperation, “said the UNDP Resident Representative in Serbia, Pickup.
Today, the third workshop is held in Aranđelovac, gathering mayors and presidents of municipalities in Serbia, members of the Network, where they will discuss leadership skills, but also motivation, crisis management and overcoming stress.
The Network of Women Mayors and Presidents of Municipalities in Serbia consists of 22 women holding managerial positions locally. In March this year, at the initiative of the Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Marija Obradović and with the support of the UNDP, they signed the Charter of Women’s Solidarity, which committed them to mutual cooperation and joint action in order to achieve full gender equality in Serbia.
Photo gallery – UNDP source / author Sanja Knežević
