The first Freja Forum was organized in Tuzla.
Tuzla is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the seat of the Tuzla Canton and is the economic, scientific, cultural, educational, health and tourist centre of northeast Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Tuzla town is multinational and multicultural community, recognized and famous as a positive model of a healthy democratic society. As such, it is destination to further promote such spirit of tolerance and cohabitate.
Organizers
Freja Forum was organized by UHD Prijateljice to bring together partners from Western Balkans (Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia) and Sweden and all together to focus to global issues – equal opportunities, democracy and the role of NGOs.
The organizer UHD Prijateljice was one of four organizations co-operating with the Swedish Union of Tenants /Aros-Gävle Region.
Prijateljice was founded in Tuzla 1996 by staff, supporters and friends of the international German organization AMICA. Main activities are psychosocial support and education to women and children and to work against domestic violence. The organization has an active role in the umbrella organization of civil society sector in the Bosnian part of the country.
The other organisations were:
The Association of Business Women in Belgrade supports female entrepreneurship. A goal is to create contacts at European and international level. The Association is a model for other organizations in Western Balkans.
The Croatian organization PRAGMA works to develop and support social business by giving people the knowledge and strength to take advantage of their rights in the society.
The Macedonian organisation the Union of Women Organizations in Macedonia is an umbrella organisation for civil society organisations focusing on equal opportunities.
Freja Forum in Tuzla focused on three subjects: Equal opportunities, Democracy and The role of non-governmental organisations.
Conclusions from Freja Forum 2007
Social equality: Equal rights to social welfare and health care are a crucial parts of a gender equal society. This implies equal access for everyone, not only men and women, regardless of person’s economic possibilities.
Political equality: It is impossible to change the society into a gender equal society without first changing the number of women in politics, where the aim is 50% men and 50% women in national parliaments.
There were around 170 participants from Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Sweden, Italy, Austria and European Commission. In total 9 countries were represented.