In co-operation with the Joint Human Rights Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of B&H and the Roma Women's Network we organise as part of regional project „For Active inclusion and rights of Roma women in western Balkan II“supported by Austrian Development Cooperation through CARE INTERNATIONAL Balkan a thematic session “The position of Roma women in Bosnia and Herzegovina “ 
Introductory remarks: Mrs. Maja Gasal Vrazalica (Joint Human Rights Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of B&H), Chair of the Gender Equality Commission of the B&H House of Representatives Mr. Mirsad Isaković, Mrs. Indira Bajramović, Roma women association "Bolja buducnost" and Roma women network, Mr. Bruce G. Berton, Head of OSCE Mission to B&H, Mr. Predrag Jović, Deputy Minister of Human Rights and refugees of B&H and Mr. Gianluca Vanini, on behalf of the European Union delegation to B&H.
Life in B&H brings multiple challenges for Roma, the most numerous national minority in our country, while at the same time being socially, economically and politically the most marginalized, emphasized at a thematic session.As pointed out, the Roma, especially Roma women, face daily discrimination and those struggling with extreme poverty, domestic violence, juvenile marriages, forced begging, as well as poor access to education and unemployment.
During the thematic session, it was emphasised that gender equality should be introduced when drafting strategic documents and action plans for Roma and Roma women in areas of health, housing, employment and education, as well as changing the methodology and introducing mandatory monitoring of their implementation.Also, the participants agreed that it is necessary to prescribe clear criteria and to make a transparent and accessible process of election and appointment of members of national minority councils. In this process, it is said, measures should be introduced to achieve gender equality through quotas, as well as to affirm women for the nomination process in the councils of national minorities.