UK State Minister of Europe, Nusrat Ghani, visits the Atina organisation.

The UK State Minister of Europe, Ms Nusrat Ghani, alongside the Serbian Commissioner for Protection of Equality, Ms Brankica Janković, visited Bagel Bejgl, Atina’s social enterprise, on 21st May. Mr. Edward Ferguson, the British ambassador to Serbia, and members of the British embassy in Serbia also attended the visit.

The conversation concerned the current situation in the field of gender equality and anti-discrimination policies and practices that are currently in force in Serbia. Mrs. Gani was particularly interested in the position of women and children in Serbia and the possibilities of exercising their rights, and a particular focus of the conversation was devoted to the position of victims of human trafficking and all forms of gender-based violence. Experiences were also shared about the necessity of creating legislative solutions that can effectively respond to all forms of violence and the importance of establishing institutional mechanisms further to develop women's parliamentary networks and political participation.

Ms Nusrat Ghani is a member of the British Parliament and a Government Official in charge of the European Union. Her position includes monitoring events in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, relations between Great Britain and the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe, and national security and development technology events.

Ms Ghani has been a member of Parliament since 2015. Before becoming the UK's Minister for Europe, she was Minister for Industry and Economic Security. In 2018, she made history as the first Muslim female minister to address the House of Commons.