My name is Jana Paunović (27) from Belgrade. I completed my undergraduate studies in History at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, and I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in international humanitarian law and human rights at the Faculty of Political Sciences. My areas of interest include minority rights, migration, transitional justice, and feminism. I have worked in journalism and was actively involved in various educational and human rights initiatives. I have designed and led workshops for high school and university students, aiming to break down prejudices and raise awareness about the needs of asylum seekers in Serbia. Additionally, I was a sustainable development ambassador in the international project A Part of Europe 2030, where I worked on raising awareness of global sustainable development goals. As an alumna of the Thorvald Stoltenberg program at the Utøya Memorial Center in Norway, I further deepened my understanding of the challenges faced by post-conflict societies. The program allowed me to gain a greater insight into how I can contribute to strengthening democratic values and protecting human rights, particularly through youth education. I am also a member of an informal group advocating for reproductive rights and better access to reproductive healthcare for women with disabilities. Through this program, I aim to highlight issues related to the reproductive rights of women with disabilities, such as limited access to gynecological examinations due to architectural barriers, lack of information and adapted medical services, forced contraception and sterilization, as well as the social stigmatization of motherhood for women with disabilities. In the future, I aspire to establish an organization focused on inclusion, the prevention of extremism, and peacebuilding, particularly in post-conflict societies and fragile democracies. My vision is to contribute to the creation of sustainable protection mechanisms for minority and marginalized communities through this organization.
