Washington, D.C. – The International Republican Institute’s Europe Division together with the Women’s Democracy Network (WDN) gathered women leaders from throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) for a roundtable discussion on February 11. Participants considered building a reform coalition that would advocated for government and political responsibility. The roundtable, held in Sarajevo, focused on helping women organize a grassroots effort to affect public opinion, be a credible voice on economic reform and affect legislative change and government policy.

The discussions gave a broad perspective of women in political and community roles in BiH society. Mirjana Malic, BiH State Parliamentarian and attendee at the WDN Skopje conference, noted that from her post-1996 work with women’s NGOs she has come to understand that women are often the first group in post conflict societies to reach reconciliation. Additionally, BiH State Parliamentarian Snezana Rajlic talked about the need to develop relationships with experts on issues to help guide the decision making process as a legislator.

When discussing the topic of establishing quotas for women in government, many of the women were opposed to the idea, stating that that they wanted to be in a leadership role based upon their merit, not on the basis of a predetermined quota. Dr. Lamija Tanovic, Chairwoman of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDS) and the only woman in BiH history to lead a political party, stated that within her party, members decided not to establish a women's auxiliary. The LDS membership preferred to have both men and women serve the party as “partners at the same table.”