On Wednesday, March 8, 2017, International University of Sarajevo (IUS) held gala conference on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Main guest speaker was the first female rector of a technical university in Europe, Prof. Dr. Gülsün Sağlame. Dr. Gülsün is the former rector of İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, one of the oldest technical universities in Europe. Mrs. Semiha Borovac, the only female Major in history of Sarajevo and Minister of human rights and refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina also gave a speech. The event also attended by special guests, women from Bosnia and Herzegovina which are at decision-making positions in the government or academic institutions.
This event was part of a bigger IUS project. IUS is currently making a Plan for Gender Equality (GAP). In the next two and a half years IUS will examine all required procedures at the University and make sure to remove and nullify gender prejudice. Also, IUS continuously follows the development of the project and tries to conceptualize efficient procedures to make sure that GAP gives proper results.
These activities are within framework of Horizon2020, the program made by European Union. Coordinator of this project is Trinity College Dublin and the rest of the partners are Queen’s University of Belfast, University Institute (Lisbon), Kadir Has University (Istanbul), University of Brescia (Italy) and Science Po Bordeaux (France). Coordinator of this project at the IUS is Assist. Prof. Dr. Jasminka Hasić-Telalović.
The lecture was attended by eminent guests from academy, politics, diplomatic consulates as well as representatives of other international NGOs which support gender equality in higher education. Through this lecture, the project got significant support, which is important for further activities as well as for multiplication of this project’s results to other universities within and outside the country.
Prof. Dr. Tahsin Erkan Türe, the rector of IUS, said that he wants to enhance the celebration of International Women’s Day: “Traditon of 8th of March in Bosnia and Herzegovina includes flowers for colleagues and a lunch for the collective. With this event, we want to enhance and contribute to this holiday and customs. We want to give support women who succeeded to come to and take decision-making positions. We wish other women to be inspired by them and we want men to support them. There is much strength and wisdom in women’s decision-making and I think our world can be healthier if we recognize and remove obstacles which keep women outside these processes.”
