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On the 7th April 2005, representatives from the
GPKT Women’s Working Group presented the results of their first
co-ordinated advocacy initiative – the GPKT Petition for Peace.
At their Working Group meeting in January 2005, the members of the
Women’s Working Group had identified the Petition activity as an
important advocacy activity they could undertake as a group to send
a message of peacebuilding from the women of GPKT around the
anniversary of the March violence in Kosovo last year.
Women of all ethnic groups from the four municipalities of the
micro-region worked together over a period of around three weeks
from late February to early March 2005. 2,220 signatures were
collected in Macedonia (Kumanovo and Lipkovo) by the NGOs
‘Kumanovka’, ‘Besa 2003’, ‘Sirma’, and ‘Florence Nightingale’, 2080
in Kosovo (Gjilan/Gnjilane and Kamenica) by ‘Kosovska Devojka’,
‘Fortesa’, ‘Nada’ and ‘Femra Aktiva’, and 2410 in Serbia (Presevo
and Trgoviste) by the Centre for Integration and community
volunteers: in total over 6,650 signatures were gathered from the
GPKT communities in support of the common message:
“We believe that confidence and trust-building between all the
different groups in this region is vital for progress in peace and
development. We feel that there should be an end to inter-ethnic
violence so that our communities can develop towards a better future for
our families and our children.”
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The result reflected not only the hard work of the GPKT volunteers, but
also the public support for peace and confidence building among the
different communities in the region.
Although the planned date of 10th March for presentation to the press
was unfortunately postponed due to security concerns, the local media in
Kumanovo covered the ongoing collection of signatures, press releases
were disseminated widely, and on 7th April a press conference was held
in Gjilan/Gnjilane. Broadcast by the local stations TV Vali and Decijia
Televizijia in the municipal area, and the Kosovo station RTK, the press
conference gave the opportunity for representatives of the GPKT Women’s
Working Group to present their achievement to the media and discuss
their ongoing co-operation. Additional television and radio interviews
were given to local stations subsequently.
The GPKT Women’s Working Group will be continuing to work on joint
advocacy projects, and will be moving ahead with advocacy training later
in April.
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