, stable sources of funding, which reduces their exposure to risks from the international environment. the banking sector remained adequately capitalised, highly liquid and profitable in 2017. our quarterly macroprudential stress tests show that the domestic banking sector, as a whole, would remain resilient to shocks even if the worst - case scenario materialised. i wish to particularly highlight the exceptional results achieved in reducing npls owing to measures undertaken in the context of the npl resolution strategy and other regulatory measures of the national bank of serbia. after the national bank of serbia passed the decision on the accounting write - off of bank balance sheet assets in august 2017, gross npls worth rsd 100 bn were written off in 2017, much more than in the earlier years, while rsd 24. 5 bn was assigned to non - banking sector entities. the npl share in total loans declined sharply, by almost 14 pp from the start of implementation of the strategy. in may 2018, this share stood at 8. 6 %, meaning that npls fell below their pre - crisis level. such a significant reduction in npls is indicative of considerable efforts invested in their resolution and the success achieved. it also reflects the great commitment of the national bank of serbia, government and market participants. at the same time, this will further support future credit and economic activity. in 2017, the national bank of serbia also adopted a set of regulations transposing the international financial reporting standard 9. these regulations reflect the national bank of serbia ’ s commitment to encouraging adequate implementation of international standards, increasing the transparency of financial reports in terms of the manner of valuation of balance sheet items, and strengthening confidence in the banks ’ financial position. by regulating the banking area in the way it is done in the european union and upgrading the regulatory framework, the national bank of serbia strengthened further the already high resilience of the banking sector. in accordance with the strategy for implementation of basel iii standards in the republic of serbia, in december 2016 a set of regulations were adopted, in effect as of 30 june 2017. among other things, basel iii standards introduce new capital buffers, which are some of the most important macroprudential policy tools. this helps increase the quality of capital and improve the resilience of the domestic banking sector to systemic risks, contributing to the preservation and strengthening of financial stability in the republic of serbia. ladies and gentlemen, members of the press and dear colleagues, behind us is a very successful year, as we

jorgovanka tabakovic : women ’ s leadership and sustainable development - truly equal speech by dr jorgovanka tabakovic, governor of the national bank of serbia, at the international conference “ women ’ s leadership and sustainable development – truly equal ”, belgrade, 2 october 2019. * * * the most profound mystery is that of human being. human being, man and woman. women are accused of impractical and dangerous sentimentality, but can we say that men are inherently realistic? immortal genes and the alternation of matriarchy and patriarchy – what does it all prove? the relativity of superiority and differences. a man can live without a woman, but without women, there is no future. women are still kept outside of certain areas and roles in society. this is the mirror of gender essentialism which is often a tool of ostracism. women are gaining ground in central banking and of this process i can speak confidently only from my own experience. there are women who have been loved three times in their life. first by their mothers, who delivered them to this world, then by their husbands whom they married, and lastly by the children they delivered. the same is true of men. and love is that sacred root of plants that exude strength and love – for everything they do, for everyone around them and for anything they may face. all who are born yearning to be loved, and raised with a lack of love, have a more difficult time succeeding in life, i think, i believe – because i can only speak with certainty about my own experience. i had the support of others but not because i was a woman, rather because i desired knowledge, i was open to learning, talking, committed to myself and to others. i didn ’ t seek the company of those who wanted to indulge me, but of those who were able to think and see far ahead, beyond their own pocket and their own lives. we should be aware that this world should not be a simple alternation of matriarchy and patriarchy but rather that we should support each other ’ s best characteristics while moving towards the holiest of goals. there are such riddles and challenges ahead of us that require various voices, different experiences and wisdom. we shouldn ’ t labour under the illusion that all women would give the same response to any particular question. we should therefore include more women in decision - making, because women are talented and dedicated, and want to