Vesna Ciprus is a UN Volunteer Gender Equality Project Officer serving with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC). Her volunteer assignment focuses on integrating gender equality in security sector reforms in the Western Balkans through a regional project titled ‘Strengthening of the Regional Cooperation in Mainstreaming Gender in the Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans’.
Beyond its globally recognized work on small arms control, UNDP SEESAC advances gender mainstreaming in security sector reform by supporting regional cooperation among the Ministries of Defence of four Western Balkans countries — Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
Vesna's volunteer assignment aims to promote gender equality in the military through advisory support to UNDP SEESAC’s partners, elaborating on a variety of methods UNDP SEESAC uses to integrate gender perspectives in defence and security. These include developing a regional baseline study for mainstreaming a gender perspective in military education and training, coaching programmes for high-ranking officers, and assisting in making gender training a standard in the military.
Although great strides have been made towards more inclusive armed forces, women are still not sufficiently represented in the defence systems. Their participation in the Armed Forces in the Western Balkans in the last seven years steadily grew from three per cent to six per cent in 2012, to between six per cent to nine per cent in 2019." Vesna Ciprus, UN Volunteer Gender Equality Project Officer in UNDP SEESAC.
“Participation of women in peacekeeping missions has also increased in the Western Balkans, but there is a lot of scope for improvement. Possessing adequate knowledge about gender equality and UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security is a prerequisite for the deployment of qualified personnel in peacekeeping missions,” Vesna adds.
For Vesna, to be part of the UNDP SEESAC team and witness the positive changes within security sector institutions is a privilege.
Being part of the UNDP SEESAC team is a great opportunity to work with partners in the Ministries of Defence in the Western Balkans to support their strategies in addressing gender-based discrimination. Notable advances include establishment of roles specifically in charge of gender equality — gender advisors and coordinators — within the defence institutions of partner countries, as well as increased gender responsiveness among the military leadership.” Vesna Ciprus, UN Volunteer Gender Equality Project Officer in UNDP SEESAC.
Vesna’s assignment exemplifies the role of volunteering in fostering peace and establishing gender-inclusive policies through promoting equal opportunities for women in uniform, including their participation in peacekeeping missions.