On the occasion of marking the 20th anniversary of the first Act on Gender Equality, the Ombudswoman for Gender Equality, as the authorized representative of the Croatian Parliament for the protection and promotion of gender equality in the Republic of Croatia, and the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, organized a conference on 27 November 2023, entitled “Challenges in Implementing the Gender Equality Act.” The conference was attended by high-ranking officials and representatives from the executive, legislative, and judicial authorities, including Višnja Ljubičić, M.A., Ombudswoman for Gender Equality; Nada Murganić, envoy of the President of the Parliament and member of the Parliament; Ana Šimpraga, envoy of the Prime Minister and Vice President of the Croatian Government; Prof. Ivan Koprić, Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb; Boris Jokić, PhD, Director of the Institute for Social Research; Samra Filipović-Hadžiabdić, Director of the Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Goran Selanec, PhD, Judge of the Constitutional Court of Croatia; Iris Gović Penić, M.Sc., Judge at the County Court in Zagreb; Juro Martinović, State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice and Administration; Assoc. Prof. Irena Petrijevčanin, State Secretary at the Ministry of Internal Affairs; Tatjana Štritof, Director of the Croatian Institute for Social Work; and Rada Borić, President of the Gender Equality Commission of the City of Zagreb.

At the conference the development of gender equality and non-discrimination principles in European and national laws and policies, as well as as in the case law and the practices of ombudsman institutions, was discussed, which represents the very objective of the book “Gender Equality: Law and Policies,” edited by Prof. Snježana Vasiljević and published by the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb. The book represents an original contribution by a group of authors with extensive experience in researching sociological, theological, and legal disputes related to the understanding of the concept of gender equality and the prohibition of discrimination. During the conference, the book’s authors presented the results of their long-standing scientific research in the field of gender equality.