“The ODIHR has supported journalists in the Caucasus interested in promoting gender equality in the media for three years. They provide both financial and moral support, as well as the methodology we need to proceed. "In 2003, the ODIHR financed a project called Media for Gender Equality, which culminated in a conference for journalists from the South Caucasus and Central Asia. At the conference, we created the CaucAsia gender journalists coalition, which is closely connected to an already-established network of journalists in the Caucasus and Asia. This network supports and encourages gender equality in the media, both through the norms and values that the media represent in their coverage and through practices in the workplace. For this, we are grateful. It would have been difficult without the endorsement of the ODIHR, not the least their moral support.” Galina Petriashvili is a Georgian journalist who has co-operated with the ODIHR on media projects relating to gender equality. throughout the country. Teachers and professors were provided with training on gender issues during a summer school and symposium. These activities led to the creation of gender courses in 10 universities and several high schools, as well as the publication of a textbook called Basic Gender Knowledge. In co-operation with the OSCE Chairmanship, the ODIHR organized a Human Dimension Seminar on Participation of Women in Public and Economic Life in May. The meeting focused on ways to improve the efficiency of mechanisms for the protection of women’s human rights and for ensuring gender equality throughout the OSCE region. In this respect, the meeting’s working groups identified concrete steps to be An exhibition called "Images of Women in the South Caucasus" by French photographer Eric Gourlan accompanied an OSCE/ODIHR conference on women and democracy held in Warsaw in May. taken by relevant actors. 2. Women's leadership development ernment structures fall short of being effective in protecting these rights and eliminating gender misbalance. Increasing the number of women in national parliaments and In 2003, the ODIHR continued existing programmes aimed local governments is one key way of ensuring that women’s, at training experts on women's rights in various regions of as well as men’s, needs are taken into account at legislative Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. and administration levels. However, women’s participation in Based on a training-of-trainers approach, the Office taught elected bodies and government should be effective and not local experts the necessary skills to take a leading role in just nominal. Women must have access to decision-making working to advance the women's movement in their respec- across the policy spectrum and should not be marginalized tive countries. These ODIHR trainers also conducted aware- into "soft policy" areas, such as social policy or education. ness-raising programmes on women’s participation in society and on women’s rights and gender equality; they also The ODIHR supports efforts that aim at promoting the par- disseminated information via a series of educational semi- ticipation of women in leadership positions and in politics via nars that reached several thousand women. These training its leadership development programmes. Such efforts often exercises were one of the few international initiatives on involve supporting women already in positions of authority gender issues to be carried out in the regions and outside of and building their capacity in key areas such as leadership, capital cities, which is precisely where such programmes are lobbying, and networking. As such, local women's organi- needed, since information is often scarce and social-devel- zations tend to be key partners in ODIHR programmes that opment programmes are rare. promote women’s political participation. In Armenia, the ODIHR continued an ongoing effort to pro- In 2003, training to some 400 women's councils was pro- vide gender-sensitive courses in universities and high schools vided throughout Kyrgyzstan. By addressing needs and 30