ZAGREB, March 14, 2019 - The danger of violence against women is omnipresent and is not decreasing, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović said in New York on Wednesday, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the mandate of the Special UN Rapporteur on Violence against Women, wishing Special Rapporteur Dubravka Šimonović a lot of success and a fruitful continuation of her work on improving the status of women.

Speaking of the danger of violence against women, Grabar-Kitarović said that the topics that were discussed pointed not only to the size of the problem but also to the importance of raising awareness of the problem in order to deal with it, her office said in a statement.

In that regard, Grabar-Kitarović mentioned the Femicide Watch Initiative and other important initiatives and projects by the Special Rapporteur, such as cooperation between global and regional mechanisms for women's rights, as well as efforts aimed at stopping violence against women in politics.

The president stressed that Croatia was proud that the Croat Dubravka Šimonović was the current Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women.

Croatia supports the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and the Special Rapporteur herself. I admire and deeply respect your work because this is a particularly difficult matter that affects the very core of our values and beliefs, said Grabar-Kitarović.

More news about the status of women in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 12, 2019 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović on Tuesday held a bilateral meeting with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the fringes of the UN Conference "Women in Power," the Office of the Croatian President said in a press release.

The two officials talked about the situation in Southeast Europe, with a special emphasis on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the position of Croats in that country, as well as about current global challenges, the press release said.

Grabar-Kitarović said Croatia supported the continuation of the EU enlargement process to include all six Southeast European countries.

She expressed satisfaction with the policy of human resources, which for the first time in history resulted in gender equality in the IN group of senior staff and commended progress made in revival of the work of the UN General Assembly, according to the press release.

Earlier, Grabar-Kitarović participated in the United Nations Conference "Women in Power". She said that just as most other women in politics and all walks of life, she had to persist and fight for her place – in life and in politics.

She pointed out that in the public, often inappropriate questions are posed to female politicians and women in power, and in many situations, they face threats and insults. Although women have accomplished much, they still don’t have an equal value to men and this applies not only to female politicians, but to all women, no matter where they come from, how old they are or what position they hold, Grabar-Kitarović underlined.

The Croatian president reasserted the fact that countries with a higher share of women in executive and non-executive positions are more prosperous, adding that there is a huge positive impact on the GDP and increased productivity. In view of this, the president highlighted that in Croatia efforts by the Ombudswoman for Gender Equality have resulted in the creation of a unique Data Base of Business Women who can lead successful companies and be in managerial positions based on their professional qualifications and achievements.

Furthermore, Grabar-Kitarović said that women are needed in the maintenance of peace and security, in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and politics in general, because when given full and equal access to resources and opportunities, and when included in decision-making, women drive the world forward. She emphasised that education has to be among the priorities of all development programs.

“Just outside this building stands Croatia’s gift to the United Nations and one of the symbols of the Organization – the “Peace Monument” by the famous Croatian sculptor Antun Augustinčić. It is a horsewoman carrying a globe in her hand and leading the world to peace. She is the one to aspire to. Let’s make her symbolism our reality and every girl empowered enough to know that she too can have the world on the palm of her hand,” Grabar-Kitarović said in her address at the UN.

The goal of the conference is to show how important it is for women to stand up for themselves and never give up, and the responsibility of women who are policymakers is to show other women and girls worldwide, through their own deeds, to believe in themselves and to be determined in overcoming all obstacles standing in their way.

The conference is being attended, among others, by the presidents of Lithuania and Estonia, Dalia Grybauskaite and Kersti Kaljulaid respectively, prime minister of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdottir, and European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.

More news on Croatia and the United National can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 12, 2019 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović is attending the UN conference "Women in Power" in New York on Tuesday.

The goal of the conference is to show how important it is for women to stand up for themselves and never give up, and the responsibility of women who are policymakers is to show other women and girls worldwide, through their own deeds, to believe in themselves and to be determined in overcoming all obstacles standing in their way, the President's Office said in a press release.

The conference is being attended, among others, by the presidents of Lithuania and Estonia, the prime minister of Iceland, and European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.

The Croatian president is scheduled to meet with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces and UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.

Grabar-Kitarović met with Colombian Vice-President Marta Lucia Ramirez, and the two leaders concluded that Croatia and Colombia have traditionally good bilateral relations without open issues, the press release said.

In reference to projects between EU member states and Colombia, it was emphasised that the Croatian non-governmental organisation the Society for Psychological Assistance is implementing the educational programme “Capacity Building for Psychosocial Support – Empowering Colombian Experts to Provide Psychosocial Services” together with the European Union delegation in Colombia.

The purpose of the project is to assist Colombian experts in more successfully addressing the psychosocial consequences of the long-standing conflict in Colombia for the victims, using the experiences of Croatian experts gained during the 1991-1995 war in Croatia and elsewhere.

Following bilateral visits and contacts in 2017 and 2018, the Croatian Ministry of Defence and Colombian partners established cooperation in setting up a comprehensive model for finding missing persons and identifying wartime remains.

More news on Croatia and the United Nations can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, February 25, 2019 - After the Roda nongovernmental organisation in November 2018 reported violations of women's reproductive rights to UN human rights bodies, based on testimonies collected in a campaign focusing on women's negative hospital treatment experiences, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights asked Croatia to urgently take action to prevent violation of women's sexual and reproductive rights.

"We are appalled by the testimonies given by women, following the launch of the campaign #BreakTheSilence in October 2018, which showed a pattern of abuse and violence against women undertaking medical procedures related to their reproductive health,” reads a statement by a group of experts released on the website of the UN Commissioner for Human Rights.

Noting that the violence ranged from surgical treatments carried out without anaesthesia to humiliation, verbal abuse and the refusal to give painkilling medication, the experts say that Croatia should adopt measures to prevent violence and insist on the accountability of those who commit it.

"We are deeply concerned about women being subjected to painful treatments without anaesthesia, including surgical miscarriage procedures, uterine scrapes, removal of placenta, stitching after birth, episiotomies being conducted against their will and disrespectful treatment of women by health personnel," the experts stress.

They note that in spite of the testimonies, some politicians and heads of health institutions have denied the allegations, questioning the credibility of the women’s stories and their perception of pain. At times, even women’s intelligence was questioned.

“A woman who is receiving reproductive health care, including giving birth, accessing medically assisted reproduction services and undergoing surgical miscarriage procedures, must have her rights respected.

“Health personnel should apply the highest standards of professionalism and ethical codes in delivering reproductive health care, and they must respect the dignity, privacy, autonomy, integrity and security of women,” the experts emphasize.

“We encourage the Government of Croatia to conduct an independent investigation into those allegations, to publish its results and to elaborate a national action plan for women’s health,” the experts conclude.

During the campaign BreakTheSilence, in only two and a half days, activists collected more than 400 testimonies of women who have experienced some kind of violence and abuse in Croatian hospitals during gynaecological procedures.

More news about women’s issues can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, September 28, 2018 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović told a meeting held on the margins of the ongoing UN General Assembly session in New York on Thursday that Southeast Europe had become a testing ground for different countries and their interests, that there were tensions between countries in the region and that it was important to ensure the integration of that part of Europe with the European Union.

ZAGREB, September 26, 2018 - Addressing the United National General Assembly on Wednesday, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović called on world leaders to common action, not just in crisis management situations and problem solutions but in spreading hope and optimism, recalling the recent success of Croatia's national football team which showed that small countries like Croatia can inspire others to reach the top.

ZAGREB, September 26, 2018 - Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić attended the official beginning of the 73rd session of the United Nations' General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, and this year the session was dedicated to the UN role and its responsibility for peace, equal and sustainable societies, the Croatian ministry said in a press release on Wednesday.

ZAGREB, September 25, 2018 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović said in New York on Monday, after meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, that they shared concern about the situation in southeastern Europe ahead of forthcoming important events.

ZAGREB, April 24, 2018 - Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić held talks with the chairman of the United Nations' General Assembly, Miroslav Lajčak, in New York on Monday on the current issues and on possibilities for the international community to step up its efforts aimed at making Bosnia and Herzegovina more stable country that abides by its principle of having three constituent peoples.

ZAGREB, April 19, 2018 - Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Marija Pejčinović Burić will pay a visit to Canada and the United States from Friday to Tuesday, her ministry announced on Thursday.