Background and Establishment

The Forum of Women Judges of the Republic of Kosovo was established in 2025. The Forum grew from a shared commitment to recognizing women judges’ contribution to strengthening the justice system, advancing equality and increasing public trust in the rule of law. It provides a dedicated professional platform for women judges to exchange experience, address common challenges, strengthen their capacities and contribute to a more inclusive and representative judiciary.

However, this initiative is not new, it is built on a long history of professional cooperation among women judges and prosecutors in Kosovo. Its roots go back to the Forum of Women Judges and Prosecutors, established approximately two decades ago to bring together women in the justice system around shared professional goals and challenges.

Over the years, the earlier Forum benefited from the support and cooperation of international partners, including the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) at the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kosovo, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Kosovo. These partnerships supported professional exchange, capacity-building, networking and discussion of issues affecting women in the judicial and prosecutorial systems, while building links with similar initiatives across the region.

The newly established Forum is an independent association composed exclusively of women judges. It builds on this experience and these relationships while expanding cooperation with sister associations at regional and international levels. Today, the Forum has 52 members.

A significant milestone in this new phase has been the Forum’s affiliation with the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ), advancing one of its strategic goals and connecting women judges in Kosovo with a global professional community committed to shared values and objectives.

Vision and Guiding Principles

The Forum’s vision is to advance the role and contribution of women in Kosovo’s justice system and promote gender equality throughout the judiciary. It seeks to contribute to a justice system that is inclusive, professional, independent and responsive to society’s needs.

• Equality — Promoting gender equality and an inclusive environment in which members have equal opportunities to contribute and advance.
• Integrity — Upholding high professional and ethical standards and promoting responsible, impartial and transparent decision-making.
• Cooperation — Strengthening collaboration and professional exchange among women judges, judicial institutions, civil society and national, regional and international partners.
• Innovation — Encouraging continuous learning, new approaches and the exchange of good practices to improve judicial practice and institutional management.
• Social responsibility — Contributing to the protection and promotion of human rights, equal access to justice and the advancement of a fair, inclusive and democratic society.

These principles have continued to guide the Forum’s development over time. The Forum’s current structure builds on a history of cooperation and collective efforts to address common challenges faced by women in the judiciary.

The 2024 Annual Conference marked an important moment in this journey, paving the way for a new institutional direction for women judges while preserving a commitment to continued cooperation and shared professional goals.

Strengthening Women’s Participation and Leadership

The Forum seeks to ensure that women judges have equal opportunities for professional development, meaningful participation, leadership and decision-making within the judiciary.

Representation is not only a matter of numbers, it also requires access to institutional decision-making and judicial policy development, professional development and opportunities to contribute to reform.

Through peer support, dialogue, mentoring and professional networking, the Forum aims to strengthen the voice and contribution of women judges and support judicial independence, integrity, equality and public confidence in the justice system.

These objectives are reflected in the Forum’s engagement with the Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC), for a continued dialogue and cooperation on matters affecting women judges and their role in the judiciary. The KJC’s cooperation and efforts to promote equal opportunities within the judicial system provide an important foundation for advancing women judges’ professional careers and increasing their participation in leadership and managerial positions. Progress in this area is essential to ensuring that women judges can contribute not only through their judicial work, but also through contributing in development of judicial policies and reforms.

Building on this progress, continued cooperation between the Forum and the KJC can help identify remaining challenges, promote fair and merit-based opportunities for career advancement, and further strengthen women’s representation at all levels of the judiciary.

In this regard, on 24 September 2026, the Forum’s Chair, Vlora Pacolli-Rexhepi, accompanied by members of the Forum’s Board, met with the Chair of the KJC, Rrustem Thaqi, accompanied by the Deputy Chair Aferdita Bytyqi and Valentina Sopjani KJC member, to discuss the Forum’s activities and priorities, as well as opportunities for further cooperation and coordination with the Council. During the meeting, the KJC Chair congratulated the Forum on its membership in the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) and expressed the KJC readiness to continue cooperating in support of the Forum’s work and the advancement of women judges in Kosovo.

Engagement with Society and Access to Justice

The Forum’s work extends beyond judicial institutions. Through awareness-raising campaigns, roundtables and other initiatives, it addresses domestic violence, gender-based discrimination, violence against children, hate speech, cyber harassment and the protection of vulnerable groups. These activities aim to increase public understanding, encourage informed judicial responses and strengthen cooperation among institutions and relevant professionals.

Priorities and Long-Term Vision

In the short term, the Forum’s priorities are to strengthen its institutional foundation and professional network, facilitate the exchange of knowledge and good practices, and create

supportive spaces for professional dialogue. It also aims to develop structured mentoring for new generations, leadership-development and judicial well-being initiatives.

A key focus is stronger inter-institutional cooperation and effective responses to domestic violence, gender-based discrimination, violence against children, digital violence and other forms of violence or discrimination affecting women and vulnerable groups. Planned activities include cooperation with the Office for the Protection of Victims, visits to shelters, and awareness initiatives involving public institutions, civil society, schools, media and organizations protecting the rights of women and children.

The Forum also recognizes the connection between judicial well-being, professional integrity, judicial independence and effective judicial service. It plans to promote stress management, emotional and mental well-being, work-life balance and informal professional gatherings that foster collegiality and mutual support.

Over the longer term, the Forum seeks to promote equal opportunities for women judges to advance to leadership and decision-making positions, ensure that gender equality is reflected meaningfully in judicial policies and practices, and integrate women judges’ expertise and perspectives into the continued development of the justice system. An intergenerational network will support the exchange of experience, with experienced judges mentoring and encouraging younger women entering the legal profession.

Regional and International Cooperation

Regional and international cooperation is central to the Forum’s development. Earlier initiatives brought together women judges and prosecutors from across the region to exchange experience and address shared challenges in the justice system.

One example was a regional conference in Tirana, Albania, supported by the United Nations Development Programme in Kosovo (UNDP) and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), as part of the joint project “Supporting the Functioning of Rule of Law Institutions and Improving Access to Justice.” Participants from Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia discussed how to promote a peaceful and inclusive society and strengthen women’s role in an independent, accountable and effective justice system.

At the international level, Kosovo women judges have also participated in international conferences that helped build connections with the wider community of women judges.

These include the 45th Anniversary Conference of Women Judges, “Setting the Pace for Justice,” held in 2023, Indianapolis, United States, and the International Association of Women Judges conference “Building Bridges Between Women Judges of the World,” held in Argentina in 2012. Participation in these conferences was supported by the OPDAT office and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

The Forum is deeply grateful to its partners and supporters, including the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo, UNDP Kosovo, OSCE Kosovo and other international partners, whose support has created opportunities for dialogue, knowledge exchange and participation in initiatives that strengthen the role of women in the justice system.

The Forum values these partnerships as an important foundation for its continued institutional development and remains committed to strengthening this cooperation through future activities and joint initiatives.

Building on this experience, the Forum seeks to deepen cooperation with associations and networks of women judges across the region and internationally. Planned initiatives include professional exchanges, joint activities and conferences, and study visits to European courts and other judicial institutions. These partnerships can facilitate the exchange of good practices, strengthen professional relationships across borders and contribute to broader dialogue on judicial independence, equality, access to justice and women’s role in the justice system.

The Way Forward

The Forum aims to build a sustainable professional community in which women judges support one another, develop professionally, contribute to institutional reform and participate fully in the leadership and advancement of the justice system.

It is committed to strengthening cooperation with judicial institutions and other stakeholders in Kosovo through dialogue, knowledge-sharing and joint initiatives that support professional development, independence, integrity and equal representation. At regional and international levels, the Forum will continue developing meaningful partnerships with sister associations and networks of women judges, exchanging experience and contributing Kosovo’s perspectives to shared efforts to advance the rule of law.

By connecting women judges across Kosovo and beyond its borders, the Forum seeks to foster solidarity, strengthen professional growth and visibility, and contribute to a judiciary that is independent, professional, inclusive and responsive to society’s needs.