Croatia's Foreign Minister, Marija Pejcinovic-Buric, was invited to speak on the role of women in Croatia's experiences from the 1991-95 war of independence and the post-war peaceful reintegration of its eastern region at an informal meeting on the margins of a G7 summit in Toronto on Sunday.

G7 is an informal grouping of seven of the world’s most developed economies, including Canada, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Italy. Canada holds the rotating presidency of the group in 2018, and its government set the empowerment of women and its role in building peace and reducing poverty as one of its priorities.

Croatia was one of seven non-member countries that were invited for the Toronto G7 meeting, along with Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, Jamaica, Colombia and Panama.

Concerning gender equality in present-day Croatia, Pejcinovic-Buric said that her country had made “impressive progress” at the legislative and institutional levels, and also in practice.

“Women make up most of the world’s population, which is why they should have a bigger role in conflicts and conflict prevention. This is especially important in Africa, where there are many conflicts,” Pejcinovic-Buric said.

She added that inviting Croatia to a G7 meeting was a great recognition for the country, and said that women had a very important role in the negotiations on the peaceful reintegration of eastern Croatia in the wake of the war.

A breakaway region held by rebel Serb authorities in eastern Croatia near the border with Serbia had reintegrated into Croatia peacefully between 1996 and 1998, after other rebel-held areas in the country had been overrun in a Croatian military offensive in 1995.

Pejcinovic-Buric said women today serve in Croatia’s armed forces, and that women make up around 40 percent in the national defence sector, and added that their share has reached 50 percent in the decision-making process in Croatia’s diplomatic corps.

Still, there is more work to be done to raise the share of women among Croatia’s ambassadors around the world, Pejcinovic-Buric said.

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