Adrian Zeqiri - Head of Office
Before taking over management of the ECMI Kosovo office in 2002, Mr. Zeqiri was directly involved with local governance and democratisation for six years while working with the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. As Democratisation Officer and Local Government Support Specialist, he was responsible for developing and implementing projects in support of the local government of the Gjilan/Gnjilane region. Through this position, Mr. Zeqiri has gained substantial knowledge of local and central government structures and experience reviewing draft legislation and policies related to democratisation. Moreover, he developed a strong network of contacts with members of the government, civil society and international organisations, all of which continue to benefit ECMI Kosovo’s work today. While with the OSCE, Mr. Zeqiri completed a Professional Academic Training Programme on political theories, conflict resolution and project management skills. Prior to his professional experience, he also studied English language and literature at the University of Prishtina and he is fluent in English, Albanian and Serbian.

Under Mr. Zeqiri’s leadership, ECMI Kosovo has played a key role in the development and inclusion of minority rights throughout Kosovo’s status negotiations. Through his contacts among civil society and at the highest levels of Kosovo’s government, he was able to conduct many informal discussions on Kosovo’s status, generating a positive environment for the inclusion of Kosovo’s minority communities in the negotiation process. This enabled Mr. Zeqiri and ECMI Kosovo to draft key legislation on minority rights for post-status Kosovo, including the ‘Rights of Communities and their Members’ section of the constitution and the Law on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Communities and their Members in Kosovo. With independence now established, ECMI Kosovo is supporting both the institutionalisation of minority policies within the government, as well as the restructuring of local governance through decentralisation, drawing heavily from Mr. Zeqiri’s experience with the OSCE and with ECMI Kosovo over the past six years. Through these past and current projects, Mr. Zeqiri has developed a strong reputation for ECMI Kosovo’s expertise, dedication and effectiveness. This empowers ECMI Kosovo to continue pursuing projects that will have maximum benefits for communities and interethnic relations in post-independence Kosovo.

Kelley Thompson - Project Manager
Ms. Thompson began working with ECMI Kosovo in June 2008. She is engaged in the Consultative Council for Communities and municipal education projects, as well as in the development of projects in the fields of education, security and civil society. Ms. Thompson holds a Master’s Degree in Central and Eastern European Studies from the School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies at University College London. During her studies, Ms. Thompson specialised on nationalism, conflict and identity in the former Yugoslavia, as well as minority rights theory and its application in European and international law. Research topics included the role of intercultural education in identity formation (FYR Macedonia), the impact of language rights on interethnic relations (Croatia, Spain), institutional design for governing divided societies (Estonia), and the link between nationalism and gender (Belarus). Ms. Thompson also received advanced training in qualitative research methods, specialising in discourse analysis. Additionally, Ms. Thompson has degrees in International Relations: Peace and Security Studies and German: Culture and Commerce from the University of California, Davis. Prior to ECMI Kosovo, Ms. Thompson worked as Independent Programme Coordinator for an international student exchange programme, responsible for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. She has also been engaged as editor of an Eastern European-themed academic journal published by University College London. Supplementing her academic and professional experience, Ms. Thompson has volunteered with Refugee Transitions in San Francisco, California as a tutor and mentor for children from Afghanistan and for Minority Rights Group in London conducting database management.

Lars Burema - Project Manager
Mr. Burema began working with ECMI Kosovo in September 2008. He has been responsible for the development of the Ethnopolitical Map of Kosovo and is currently engaged in the Decentralisation Project. Mr. Burema has a longstanding interest in post-conflict development, which he has explored through work and study. Previously, Mr. Burema has completed an internship at the Conflict Management programme of the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, during which he co-authored the study “Eyes Wide Shut? The Impact of Embedded Journalism on Dutch Newspaper Coverage of Afghanistan”. He has a Master’s Degree in ‘Conflict, Security and Development’ from King’s College London, for which he wrote a thesis on the post-conflict elections in Afghanistan and completed courses on ‘Diplomacy and Security’ and ‘Nationalism and Security’. Moreover, Mr. Burema has a BA in International Politics from University College Utrecht, for which he also completed an exchange semester at the Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

Gaëlle Cornuz - Project Manager
Ms. Cornuz began working with ECMI Kosovo in November 2008. She is engaged in the Office of Community Affairs project. Ms. Cornuz holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International Studies of Geneva, Switzerland, throughout which she specialised in Human Rights, Humanitarian Law and International Security. Before joining ECMI Kosovo, Ms. Cornuz interned with several human rights and humanitarian NGOs. With the International Center for Transitional Justice, she participated in a project with the Initiative for Peace-building, a project funded by the European Commission, researching on transitional justice mechanisms included in peace agreements in Nepal and Indonesia. She also delivered critical reviews of UN Human Rights Council’s sessions in which transitional justice issues where raised. Interning with Geneva Call, an NGO engaging non-state armed groups on the landmine ban, she worked for the Support Department in charge of publications and conferences’ organisation, as well as for the Asia Department, monitoring political developments and compiling profile of armed groups active in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Northeast India. In addition, Ms. Cornuz volunteered for the UN Human Rights Council Welcome Desk of Mandat International.

Burim Gagica – Financial Officer
Mr. Gagica has been working with ECMI Kosovo since July 2006. He is responsible for all ECMI Kosovo operational and project financial matters. Prior to joining ECMI Kosovo, Mr. Gagica worked as Business Services Manager for AAFES, providing financial oversight for a range of businesses located within Camp Bondsteel. Mr. Gagica has also worked as a translator between Albanian and English languages for TRW.

Gazmen Salijević - Project Assistant
Mr Salijević began working for ECMI Kosovo in the beginning of November 2008, providing support to all current projects, especially regarding the Ethno-Political Map of Kosovo and Support for the Decentralisation Process. Mr. Salijević has previously worked as a researcher for the European Roma Rights Center Budapest-Pristina, the Kosovo Enterprise Program, the OSCE, KFOR and the Kosovo Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Forum.

Vullnet Abdyli - IT Technical/Web Designer
Mr. Abdyli began working with ECMI Kosovo in September 2008, providing IT support and designing the ECMI Kosovo website, ethnopolitical map and promotional materials. After obtaining a Diploma in New Media Production at South Seas Film and TV School in New Zealand in 2002, Mr. Abdyli started working for Edenz Colleges  as a New Media Designer. During the years he worked for Edenz, Mr. Abdyli was responsible for creating and maintaining the website for all departments, intranet development, database application, creating a CD-ROM (video shooting and editing), designing a Brochure and providing IT support to staff when needed. At the end of 2005, Mr. Abdyli had an opportunity to work for Datum Connect, a Website Company that is #1 for customised websites in New Zealand. His responsibilities at Datum were to create all customised designs for clients including changes to encoding of graphics and providing graphic support/advice for clients and Project Managers.