The official launch of the “She Knows – Economic Empowerment of Women” project

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Impact Hub have today launched a four-year project aimed at economic empowerment of women – “She Knows“, focusing on empowering women from the Jablanica and Pčinja districts, particularly young women, unemployed individuals, and those with lower educational qualifications.

Research conducted by SeConS – Development Initiative Group shows high unemployment rates among women (aged 15 and older) in the Jablanica and Pčinja districts, highlighting the need for targeted interventions.

“For the next four years, USAID will fund this project to empower women to play a greater role in Serbia’s economic development – particularly in locations outside of Serbia’s biggest cities. We believe that women in Serbia have so much potential to contribute more to the economy. But this potential can only be fully realized when barriers that prevent many women from entering and staying in the workforce are removed,” said Brooke Isham, USAID Serbia Mission Director.   

“There is no doubt that the Law on Gender Equality significantly improved the national legal basis and aligned it with the legal acquis of the European Union, especially in the field of work, employment and self-employment, which created normative conditions for the equal treatment of female entrepreneurs in our society and for increasing the employability of women. On the other hand, according to the data of the Agency for Business Registers (APR) for the year 2023, of the total number of registered companies, among the representatives of the companies, 74.5 percent are men and only 25.5 percent are women. According to the data from the registers maintained by the APR, women are not more numerous than men in any register, including the registers of associations, endowments and foundations. Therefore, it is very important to deal with this topic today“, emphasized Tomislav Žigmanov, Minister for human and minority rights and social dialogue.

The “She Knows” project will also promote and improve diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in the business community.

“A nationwide baseline assessment on employment gender gaps that we carried out, shows that despite companies promoting gender equality, challenges persist, and implementing measures do not guarantee effectiveness. To benefit both women and companies, companies need to continuously monitor gender equality indicators and provide stronger leadership for inclusive and diverse working environments and work-life balance initiatives“, said Stefan Lazarević, President of AmCham.

“In Serbia, more than 51% of the population are women, but many of them have not realized their full potential. The statistics are nowhere encouraging, but that must not stop us. Measures and regulations exist, but they are not enough by themselves. It is extremely important to change the business and corporate culture in the direction of greater gender equality and create an inclusive work environment, which is a long-term process that also depends on efforts to break down stereotypes and prejudices“, said Brankica Janković, Commissioner for the protection of equality.

At the event, participants discussed the employment challenges that women, particularly from rural areas, face in finding jobs, developing careers, starting businesses, and securing funding.

“The project will develop and implement a comprehensive pilot employability support package, comprised of upskilling, reskilling, and providing career guidance services for women, in collaboration with the Center for Development of Jablanica and Pčinja districts. The package will also include financial literacy support, entrepreneurial training, and peer to peer mentoring. The pilot support package will then be replicated in two additional regions of Serbia in collaboration with two accredited regional development agencies,” said Gaia Montelatici, Chief of Party of the “She Knows” project.

The “She Knows” project is funded by USAID and implemented by the Impact Hub. Other project partners are AmCham Serbia, the Center for Development of Jablanica and Pcinja Districts, and the Erste bank.