From 19–21 June 2024, Elirjeta Beka, representative of the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) a member of the Gender Budget Watchdog Network (GBWN), participated in the REAL DEAL Summit held at the Democracy Institute, Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, Hungary. The summit gathered leading academics, civil society organizations, and EU-level stakeholders to collectively explore how to place people and the planet at the heart of the green and just transition.
The REAL DEAL project “Reshaping European Advances towards green Leadership through DEliberative Approaches and Learning” is a multi-year initiative focused on designing and implementing innovative approaches to deliberative democracy that foster meaningful citizen participation in shaping the European Green Deal.
Throughout the summit, Elirjeta engaged in a range of sessions and panels that addressed the intersection of citizen engagement, environmental policy, and inclusive democratic practices. She took part in brainstorming sessions on the REAL DEAL Protocol and toolkit, offering concrete recommendations on how citizen engagement tools can be adapted to ensure gender inclusion, particularly in regions with limited civic space and resources. These discussions are especially timely as the EU advances its Green Deal implementation strategies.
Elirjeta also presented the work of the GBWN to the participants, emphasizing its role in monitoring public finance through a gender and environmental lens. She highlighted GBWN’s upcoming research on transportation, which includes both national case studies and a broader regional analysis. In her remarks, she invited participants and partners to collaborate and join the growing GBWN community.
