The emergency situation we are living in due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is also a kind of hybrid war against the invisible enemy, showed that women are those who were at the first line of defense, who were overcoming social barriers, breaking stereotypes and bearing additional burden, said Commissioner for Protection of Equality Brankica Jankovic at the online General Assembly of we4DRR (European network “Women Exchange for Disaster Risk Reduction”).

In Serbia, as well as in the rest of the world, the biggest burden of the pandemic was borne by the professions where women make the majority, namely health (79%) and social protection (93%), trade, education (73%), media, etc. The volume of unpaid work for women has not decreased, it was even increased, Commissioner said. She emphasized that she believes that we will have at least one positive thing from the catastrophe we have all experienced globally – to understand that without applying the principle of gender equality within the concept of human security there is no effective crisis management, nor effective response.

At the general assembly of we4DRR, a network of experts, whose goal is to exchange professional experience and knowledge, among other spoke Maria Patek, from Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism and Gerhard Mansberger, Vice-Rector of the University of Natural Resources and Natural Sciences.