CeMI organized a one-day training titled "Strengthening Gender Equality in State Institutions: Challenges and Implementation" on May 19 at Hotel Franca in Pljevlja, which gathered representatives from institutions in the northern region of Montenegro.

The training included participants from the Center for Social Work, Health Center, Secretariat for Culture, Social and Other Affairs of the Municipality of Pljevlja, as well as the Office for Gender Equality, Secretariat for Local Self-Government, Police Administration, and the Assembly of the Municipality of Bijelo Polje.

Through interactive exercises and discussions, participants had the opportunity to identify and analyze key challenges as well as potentials for improving the position of women in Montenegrin society. Special attention was given to clarifying basic concepts in the field of gender equality, including gender roles and stereotypes, the importance of maintaining gender-disaggregated statistics, and the concept of gender mainstreaming of public policies through practical examples and a quiz.

During the practical workshop, participants were divided into two groups, where they worked on analyzing a concrete example of a decision on allocating budget funds to sports clubs by the Municipality of Pljevlja, with the aim to assess how much the decisions align with the principles of gender equality.

At the end of the training, all participants were given a manual on aspects of gender equality for civil servants, which will serve as support in their daily work and in making gender-responsive decisions.

The training was organized within the project "Step Towards Equality: Proactive Measures for Gender Equality in Montenegro," implemented by the Center for Monitoring and Research (CeMI) in partnership with NGO MASTER, with financial support from the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights.