{"id":5743,"date":"2026-08-09T15:31:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T13:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/?p=5743"},"modified":"2026-08-09T15:31:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T13:31:12","slug":"from-lived-experience-to-policy-strengthening-capacities-and-mechanisms-for-gender-responsive-local-development-and-reducing-gender-based-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/from-lived-experience-to-policy-strengthening-capacities-and-mechanisms-for-gender-responsive-local-development-and-reducing-gender-based-violence\/","title":{"rendered":"From Lived Experience to Policy: Strengthening Capacities and Mechanisms for Gender-Responsive Local Development and Reducing Gender-Based Violence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201cFrom Lived Experience to Policy\u201d project aims to strengthen local capacities for gender-responsive planning and to develop mechanisms that ensure women\u2019s experiences and needs inform the design of local policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through the project, the Center for Research and Social Development IDEAS and the Municipality of Trstenik combine consultations with women from the local community, capacity-building for local institutions, and the development of proposed measures for the Municipality of Trstenik\u2019s Local Action Plan for Gender Equality for 2026\u20132028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Particular attention is given to women whose perspectives are underrepresented in local decision-making processes, including women from rural areas and women receiving social welfare services. At the same time, the project supports professionals and decision-makers in applying a gender perspective more consistently to planning, programming and budgeting, as well as to responses to gender-based and domestic violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why the Project Matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gender equality at the local level depends on the ability of local government to translate the needs of women and men in the community into concrete measures, budgetary commitments, timelines, indicators and clearly defined responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to data for 2025, 72% of local self-government units in Serbia had not adopted a local action plan for gender equality. The absence of such a document makes it more difficult to coordinate different institutions, plan resources and monitor the outcomes of local measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, adopting a planning document is not sufficient in itself. Its quality and practical applicability depend on whether it is based on relevant data, the experiences of different groups of women and the actual capacities of the institutions responsible for implementing its measures. The project therefore connects community participation with institutional planning and public policy development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Project Objective<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The project aims to contribute to more gender-responsive local development and improve the local response to gender-based violence through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Empowering women leaders and women representatives of civil society organisations to advocate for women\u2019s needs and priorities;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Incorporating the experiences of women from different social groups into the local planning process;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strengthening the capacities of professionals and decision-makers for gender analysis, planning, programming and budgeting;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improving local stakeholders\u2019 knowledge of responses to gender-based and domestic violence;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Developing proposed measures for the 2026\u20132028 Local Action Plan for Gender Equality, based on the findings of the consultation process.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How We Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Consultations with Women from the Community<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The project establishes a structured consultation process comprising a preparatory workshop for women leaders, consultation workshops within the community and an online questionnaire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This process gathers women\u2019s experiences, views and priorities, including those of women from rural areas and women receiving social welfare services. Women leaders are also empowered to participate in organising and facilitating consultations and advocating for the identified priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Strengthening the Capacities of Local Stakeholders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A two-day training course is organised for professionals, representatives of local institutions and decision-makers, focusing on integrating a gender perspective into policy analysis, planning, programming and budgeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The training also addresses improvements to the institutional response to gender-based and domestic violence, with a focus on the roles, responsibilities and cooperation of relevant local stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Developing Proposed Measures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The findings of the consultation process provide the basis for developing proposed measures for the 2026\u20132028 Local Action Plan for Gender Equality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The proposed measures will be presented to local stakeholders and interested members of the public so that the feedback received can be considered during the finalisation process. This establishes a clearer link between the needs identified within the community and the planning of concrete local interventions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Results<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Participation of Women from the Community<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Three consultation workshops were held with a total of 21 participants: eight women from rural areas, seven women receiving services from the Centre for Social Work and six women from the wider community. A further 71 women completed the online questionnaire.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Women leaders from seven local organisations and institutions completed the preparatory workshop \u201cFaces of Change: A Women\u2019s Vision for Trstenik\u201d and participated in facilitating community consultations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Strengthening the Capacities of Local Stakeholders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Twenty participants\u201415 women and five men\u2014from the local government, public institutions, public enterprises and civil society organisations completed the two-day training course \u201cPlanning for Equality.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Proposed Measures for the Local Gender Equality Policy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A draft set of proposed measures was developed for the Municipality of Trstenik\u2019s 2026\u20132028 Local Action Plan for Gender Equality, accompanied by indicators and an implementation annex.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The proposed measures cover six areas: gender-responsive governance and women\u2019s leadership; social inclusion and support services; women\u2019s economic empowerment; women\u2019s health; safety and protection from violence; and women\u2019s participation in community life.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The draft was presented at a public event held on 16 December 2025 and attended by 30 participants. The feedback received was considered during the finalisation of the proposed measures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Project Contribution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The project established a structured process through which women\u2019s experiences and priorities were linked to the development of concrete local policy proposals. The consultation findings were translated into a set of proposed measures accompanied by indicators and an implementation annex, providing the Municipality of Trstenik with an expert and participatory foundation for continuing the development of its Local Action Plan for Gender Equality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, the project strengthened local stakeholders\u2019 knowledge of gender-responsive planning and created additional opportunities for women from different social groups to participate in discussions about local priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Financial Support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The project is funded by the Office of the Minister without Portfolio of the Republic of Serbia responsible for coordinating activities in the areas of gender equality, the prevention of violence against women, and women\u2019s economic and political empowerment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About the Project The \u201cFrom Lived Experience to Policy\u201d project aims to strengthen local capacities for gender-responsive planning and to develop mechanisms that ensure women\u2019s experiences and needs inform the design of local policies. Through the project, the Center for Research and Social Development IDEAS and the Municipality of Trstenik combine consultations with women from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5742,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"grupa":[156],"intervencija":[137],"program":[140,158,151],"vrsta-sadrzaja":[],"class_list":["post-5743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","grupa-zene-i-devojcice","intervencija-izgradnja-kapaciteta","program-dobra-uprava","program-prava-i-jednakost","program-socijalna-kohezija"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5743"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5744,"href":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5743\/revisions\/5744"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5743"},{"taxonomy":"grupa","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/grupa?post=5743"},{"taxonomy":"intervencija","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/intervencija?post=5743"},{"taxonomy":"program","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/program?post=5743"},{"taxonomy":"vrsta-sadrzaja","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideje.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vrsta-sadrzaja?post=5743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}