OSCE Mission to Skopje promotes Gender and Diversity in Judiciary baseline study publication

To help address issues of gender inequality in the justice system, the OSCE Mission to Skopje recently published a baseline study on Gender and Diversity in the Judiciary.

"Only a transparent and inclusive judiciary can enjoy the trust and support of the citizens, which will enable it to perform fully its function of safeguarding justice and human rights. The judicial system should reflect the community it serves, including women, minorities and persons with disabilities," said Deputy Head of Mission, Jeffrey Goldstein at today's event to promote the study.

"The participation and equal representation of women in the judiciary increases the quality of judicial work, the reasoning of judicial decisions, the protection of women's human rights, and better justice sector outcomes for all."

Speaking at the event, the President of the Judicial Council of North Macedonia, Pavlina Crvenkovska, said: "The Judicial Council aims to promote gender equality during new employments in the judiciary, particularly focusing on ethnic communities. At the same time, we must ensure realization of human rights for all citizens, who are part of court proceedings in order to eliminate discriminatory practices."

The Mission has long been involved in the fields of gender, non-discrimination, and judicial reform. It contributed to setting up North Macedonia's legislative and institutional infrastructure in this area, and assisted the government to draft the Law for Equal Opportunities of Women and Men.