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From May 12–15, 2025, the IRIS Network Regional Social Academy was held in Bečići, Montenegro, under the title “Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights in the Western Balkans.”

The Academy brought together 24 IRIS Network members and 3 expert trainers for an intensive four-day programme focused on strengthening gender-responsive service provision across the region. Topics included international protection mechanisms, gender-based violence, counselling and cultural sensitivity, economic empowerment, and regional cooperation.

As a result of the Academy the following recommendations are formulated  as steps to advance gender equality and women’s human rights across the Western Balkans:

• Improve Access to Economic Resources and Opportunities

Ensure women have better access to funding, including state and municipal grants, loans, and private sector support. Launch awareness campaigns to inform women about available resources and provide mentorship and training programs to enhance their skills. Expand affordable childcare and eldercare services to support women’s participation in the workforce and entrepreneurship. Advocate for policies such as tax incentives targeting socially and economically marginalized women.

• Support Women’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Provide targeted financial literacy, digital skills, and marketing education to women entrepreneurs, especially during the critical startup phase. Develop online platforms to promote products made by women victims of violence and establish long-term mentoring schemes. Address legal and social barriers, such as inheritance rights, through regional cooperation and policy advocacy.

• Empower Marginalized Groups of Women

Design and implement inclusive training and support programs for women facing multiple barriers, including victims of violence, refugees, and ethnic minorities. Increase visibility of positive role models and success stories to inspire wider social change. Improve workplace accessibility and provide staff training to create safer, more inclusive environments. Prioritize psychosocial rehabilitation and strengthen partnerships with the private sector. Ensure full enforcement of existing laws protecting marginalized women.

• Strengthen Regional Networks and Partnerships

Foster continuous collaboration among NGOs, local governments, social services, and private sector actors. Establish online platforms and databases to facilitate information sharing and partner searches. Organize regular conferences and joint advocacy initiatives. Develop common regional funding mechanisms to sustain network activities. Address ongoing funding challenges that threaten the survival and impact of civil society organizations.

The recommendations serve as a roadmap for IRIS collective action to promote human rights-based social services and economic empowerment for women throughout the region.

Did you know that there are people who make FALSE PROFILES on social networks and present themselves as children, when in fact they are adults and have bad intentions?

That is why it is very important to be very careful when strangers approach you via the Internet and start communicating with you.

About how to protect yourself on the Internet, and why there are fake profiles – read in the text on Plavi Telefon BIH website.

*This text was created within the project “Click to support” implemented by the Blue Phone with the financial support of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and under the coordination of the IRIS network. Thanks to the company M: tel, calls to the Blue Phone are free regardless of the network from which children call.

Volunteers of the ALFA Center handed out aid packages to the seven-member family Mandić from Nikšić.

The action was organized as the first activity of the newly established Social Service ALFA Center, formed with the support of the IRIS network within the project “Volunteer active – socially aware”

Through the work of the Social Service, we aim to provide assistance in the form of basic foodstuffs, food products and hygiene products to vulnerable categories of citizens of Nikšić.