This is the third of four online panels dedicated to the gendered and gendering impact of and responses to COVID-19 in the Western Balkan region. How can feminism help in overcoming current health crisis? Why it is important to think about gender issues while coping with the consequences of the pandemic? In what way can feminist ideas impact the recovery from COVID19 pandemic? These are some of the questions that will be discussed during the online panel on Thursday, March 11, between 13-14:30 h (CET). Our panelist will be three outstanding women coming from different professional backgrounds. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Elena B. Stavrevska, Research Officer at the Centre for Women, Peace and Security at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Speakers:
Xheni Karaj is an Executive Director of The Alliance Against Discrimination of LGBTI people and has a Master Degree in Psychology, awarded by University of Tirana. She has been working for five years as Head of International Relations at The National Audio and Visual Media Authority (AMA), an independent Albanian regulatory and watch-dog public institution. She has been a tireless campaigner for gay rights and leader of the Albanian LGBT movement. She is one of the founders of Aleanca LGBTI and Streha LGBTI, the first residential LGBTI shelter in all Eastern Europe. For several years, she has been one of the only public Spokesperson for LGBTI issues in Albania. In her work experience, she has gained a lot of knowledge on LGBTI and Human Rights issues, lobby and advocacy, training and capacity building for different groups of professionals, project management, design and implement specific programs for volunteers, fundraising, public awareness, etc.
Nela Porobić is a feminist activist from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nela works with Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) where she leads on their feminist political economy work. The main focus of her work is formulation of feminist alternatives to mainstream, neoliberal political economy of post-conflict reconstruction and recovery processes. Nela also coordinates WILPF’s activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina consolidating Bosnia’s conflict and post-conflict experiences so that they can be shared through WILPF’s feminist networks and through solidarity dialogues with women in similar situations. She is the co-authored of the reports Concept and Framework for Development of Gender-sensitive reparations for civilian victims of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and A Feminist Perspective on Post-Conflict Restructuring and Recovery – the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sanja Nikolin is a Western Balkans aficionado and a big supporter of innovation, entrepreneurship –and more broadly — collaborative problem-solving approaches. Coming from Serbia, she has 25+ years of international development experience, 20 years of management experience, 15 years of consulting experience and 3 years of coaching experience. She is an entrepreneur in the knowledge economy, activist of the Women’s Platform for the Development of Serbia, and active supporter of disability rights and other groups working towards equality and non-discrimination. Ms. Nikolin is a seasoned researcher, policy impact monitor and evaluator. Most recently, she led a UN Women-funded National Alliance for Local Economic Development’s comprehensive gender impact analysis of economic policy outcomes in Serbia, including review of national and local measures and programmes.