Workshops: Working Together to Improve Minority Education in Kosovo
12-18 and 19 February 2010
European Centre for Minority Issues Kosovo (ECMI Kosovo) conducted workshops on education for minority communities in three municipalities: Prizren/Prizren, Peja/Peć and Ferizaj/Uroševac. The workshops, supported by UNICEF, aimed to build cooperation between municipal officials and civil society representatives to improve the education of minority communities in their municipalities. This included presentations on minority rights and mechanisms of participation, followed by group discussions on the participants role and responsibilities for minority education and ways to enhance their cooperation. The workshops will be followed with the publication of Guidelines for Civil Society and Municipal Government Working Together on Minority Education’.

ECMI Launches the Project "Enhance and Integrate Community Concerns within the Work of the Government"
20 January 2010
In December 2009, ECMI Kosovo initiated the project “Enhance and Integrate Community Concerns within the Work of the Government” supported by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland. This project is a continuation of the previous projects of support to the Office of the Prime Minister. Two events, a workshop on “Parliamentary Best Practices” and a ceremonial conference entitled “Office of the Prime Minister’s Work for the Protection and Promotion of Community Rights”, were held respectively on the 14 and 15 January in order to launch the project.

ECMI Kosovo Conference “Minority Governance Best Practice"
14-16 December 2009
On 14-16 December 2009, ECMI Kosovo, with the support of the CCC Secretariat, organized the Conference “Minority Governance Best Practice” in Mavrovo, Macedonia. The Conference aimed to explain to the Consultative Council for Communities’ (CCC) members how minority governance works in wider Europe. Present to the Conference were representatives of ECMI Kosovo and ECMI HQ; representatives of ICO and OSCE; and the CCC members, including representatives of the Ministry for Local Government Administration, the Ministry of Community and Return and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

CCC Decentralisation Training
20 November 2009
On 20th November 2009 ECMI Kosovo organised a training on the decentralisation process and its impact on communities in Kosovo. Present were the members of the Consultative Council for Communities (CCC), representatives of the Ministry for Local Government Administration (MLGA) and of Municipal Preparation Teams and civil society representatives.

Workshops for Civil Society and Municipal Officials on Minority Education in the Municipalities
9-10 October 2009
On 9 and 10 October 2009 ECMI Kosovo conducted two workshops on education for minority communities at the municipal level. The workshops are part of a pilot project supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which aims to improve the delivery of education to minority communities in three municipalities: Ferizaj/Uroševac, Peja/Peć, and Prizren/Prizren. The workshops aimed to present the findings of ECMI Kosovo’s research in their municipalities, gain feedback for two upcoming publications, ‘Manual for Municipal Officials: Actively Protecting and Promoting Community Education’ and ‘Advocacy for Community Education: A Guidebook for Civil Society’ and enable representatives from different municipalities to compare experiences in community education. Information on the workshops can be found at (link to info bulletin).

Voter Education in New Municipalities
29 September – 15 November 2009
To promote awareness of the 15 November 2009 Municipal Elections ECMI Kosovo developed a voter education campaign targeting the Serb and RAE communities in the 3+1 new municipalities where elections were organised: Novo Brdo/Novobërdë, Gracanica/Graçanicë, Klokot- Vrbovac/Kllokot-Vërboc and Ranilug/Ranillug. The activities included face to face meetings with community representatives, the organisation of round tables, the development of printed materials (i.e. leaflets, flyers and posters), the organisation of a press conference and the broadcasting of radio clips. ECMI Kosovo and its field officers coordinated all their activities closely with the CEC, ICO and Municipal Preparation Teams.

Workshop for Nomination of Replacement Serb Civil Society Members to the CCC
17 September 2009
On Thursday 17 September, the Secretariat of the Consultative Council for Communities (CCC) and the European Centre for Minority Issues Kosovo (ECMI Kosovo) organised a workshop at the Ognjiste Restaurant in Gračanica to facilitate the nomination of two Serb representatives to the CCC. These nominees were to replace the two Serb members of the CCC who had recently resigned their positions. Present at the meeting were around 30 representatives from Serb civil society, the General Secretary of the CCC, Ms. Nafiye Gaş; ECMI Kosovo Director, Mr. Adrian Zeqiri; and the Deputy Head of the German Embassy in Kosovo, Mr. Eckart Balurock. Following presentations on CCC procedures and activities to date, participants engaged in discussion and asked questions, after which they were given time to independently debate potential nominees. After this, the workshop reconvened and four nominees were presented: Bojan Gudzić, Nataša Radojević, Slaviša Antić, and Stanica Komvačević. ECMI Kosovo will now support these nominees to submit their CV and a statement of interest to the Office of the President, after which President Sejdiu will select two representatives to serve on the Council for the remainder of this term.

Publication of Reports on Municipal Education
September 2009
ECMI Kosovo has published two reports on minority education in the municipalities, as part of the UNICEF-funded project ‘Improving service delivery and minority rights awareness at the municipal and civil society levels’, based on field research conducted in Peja/Peć, Ferizaj/Uroševac and Prizren/Prizren. The reports can be viewed here. The first report assesses the capacities and knowledge gaps of municipal officials to deliver minority education and ensure an equal and inclusive educational system. The second report considers the role that NGOs play in ensuring the adequate delivery of minority education. Both reports provide recommendations to strengthen the capabilities of both actors to improve the education of Kosovo’s most vulnerable communities. These reports served as the foundation for the production of a manual on promoting minority educational rights for municipal officials and a guidebook for civil society for lobbying the local government to improve minority education. The guidebook and manual will be published later this month and utilised for a series of training workshops to be held in October.

ECMI Kosovo Conference "Decentralisation and Civil Society Involvement"
10 September 2009
On 10 September 2009 ECMI Kosovo organised a conference on ‘Decentralisation and Civil Society Involvement’. The event took place at restaurant Markov Konak in the future municipality of Gracanica/Graçanicë. The conference was part of ECMI Kosovo’s project on ‘Support to Minority Communities in the Decentralisation Process’ financed by the Ministry for Foreign affairs of Finland. The conference was aimed at facilitating dialogue on the decentralisation process and particularly the role civil society can play in this process.

Round Table on Decentralisation and Youth – Ranilug
10 August 2009
On Monday 10 August ECMI Kosovo organised a round table on Decentralisation and Youth in the future municipality of Ranilug/Ranillug. The round table was intended to provide information on the decentralisation process and encourage participants to become actively involved in the process. The meeting was attended by young people from the Ranilug/Ranillug region, Ms. Jelena Antic (local activist) and ECMI representatives. Ministry of Local Government Administration leaflets on decentralisation were distributed. For the relevant information bulletin please click here.

Decentralisation Outreach – Serb Women in the Future Municipalities
June – July 2009

During June and July 2009 ECMI Kosovo focussed its activities on women living in the future municipalities of Gračanica/Graçanicë, Novobërdë/Novo Brdo, Parteš/Partesh and Ranilug/Ranillug. In coordination with local women’s NGOs: ‘Our Home’; the ‘Women’s Committee for the Protection of Human Rights’ (WCPHR); and ‘Ruka-Ruci’, ECMI Kosovo organised eight round table and two focus group discussions. These activities had three main goals: (1) raising awareness on decentralisation and answering any questions on this topic, (2) raising the most important issues faced by women in the new municipalities. These goals were addressed through the round tables. The third (3) goal was to help develop ideas on how the new municipality and the community itself could work to address these issues. This goal was tackled in the focus group discussions. As the Municipal Preparation Teams (MPTs) are established, ECMI Kosovo will work to assist local women to advocate for their interests using the conclusions of the round table and focus group discussions. For the report click here..

Workshop on Community Engagement and Institutional Coordination
25 July 2009
ECMI Kosovo organised a workshop on Community Engagement and Institutional Coordination on 25 July 2009 at the Grand Hotel of Pristina. The workshop, intended at  providing a forum of discussion between governmental institutions for communities, exploring ways of increased coordination and engagement with communities, was attended by representatives of key governmental institutions for communities and members of the Consultative Council for Communities (CCC).

Round Table on Local Self Government in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North
08 July 2009
On Wednesday 08 July the ECMI Kosovo organised, in cooperation with the Serb NGO ‘Center for Migration Studies’ (CIM), a round table on Local Self Government in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North. The round table took place in the office of CIM in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North and was intended to promote an open and informed discussion on local self government and decentralisation. The meeting was attended by representatives of NGOs, activists and representatives of ECMI Kosovo. For the relevant information bulletin please click here.

Consultative Council for Communities (CCC) in Reçanë/Rečane
30 June 2009
European Centre for Minority Issues Kosovo (ECMI Kosovo) organised a workshop for members of the Consultative Council for Communities (CCC) in Reçanë/Rečane in municipality of Prizren. The aim of the workshop was to provide support to the CCC members in drafting of the CCC Work Plan through the setting of strategic objectives.

Launch of the Strategy Development Process for the Consultative Council for Communities
16 June 2009
ECMI Kosovo organised a workshop for members of the Consultative Council for Communities (CCC) at Villa Gërmia in Prishtinë/Priština. The aim of this workshop was to initiate the drafting of the CCC Strategy through the conduct of a SWOT analysis. The workshop was attended by CCC members from civil society and political parties representing the Bosniak, Serb, Turk, Ashkali, Roma and Montenegrin communities, as well as representatives of the CCC Secretariat, ECMI Kosovo and the International Civilian Office.

Round Table on Decentralisation – Lepina (Lipjan Municipality)
09 June 2009
In the village of Lepina in the municipality of Lipjan the European Centre for Minority Issues Kosovo (ECMI Kosovo), in cooperation with the ‘Committee on the Protection of Women’s Rights’, organised a round table on ‘Decentralisation and the Establishment of Municipal Preparatory Teams (MPTs)’. This round table was part of the ECMI Kosovo project on decentralisation funded by the Finnish Government, for which ECMI Kosovo is organising a series of round tables in all six new municipalities. The round table was intended to present the decentralisation process and the establishment of the Municipal Preparation Teams specifically. The meeting was attended by representatives of Serb women’s NGOs, Serb village leaders, Ms. Snezana Karadzic from the ‘Committee on the Protection of Women’s Rights’ and representatives of ECMI Kosovo.

Round Table on Decentralisation – RAE Community Members (Gracanica)
10 June 2009
Iin the Roma Mahalla of Gracanica the European Centre for Minority Issues Kosovo (ECMI Kosovo), in cooperation with Mr. Afrim Osmani, director of the Roma Education Centre, organised a round table on ‘Decentralisation and the Establishment of Municipal Preparatory Teams (MPTs)’. This round table was part of the ECMI Kosovo project on decentralisation funded by the Finnish Government, for which ECMI Kosovo is organising a series of round tables in all six new municipalities. The round table was intended to present the decentralisation process and the establishment of the Municipal Preparation Teams specifically. The meeting was attended by representatives of the RAE community in Gracanica and representatives of ECMI Kosovo.

Round Table with Serb Women’s NGOs - Novobërdë/Novo Brdo
27 May 2009
In the municipality of Novobërdë/Novo Brdo the European Centre for Minority Issues Kosovo (ECMI Kosovo) organised a round table on ‘Decentralisation and the Establishment of Municipal Preparatory Teams (MPTs)’. This round table was part of the ECMI Kosovo project on decentralisation funded by the Finnish government. The round table took place in Novobërdë/Novo Brdo and was intended to present the decentralisation process and the establishment of the Municipal Preparatory Teams. The meeting was attended by representatives of women NGOs operating in the region and representatives of ECMI Kosovo.

Induction Training for Members of the Consultative Council for Communities
21-24 May 2009
ECMI Kosovo organised a three-day induction training workshop for members of the Communities Consultative Council of Kosovo (CCC) in Ohrid, Macedonia. The aim of this workshop was to prepare the CCC members to fully assume their roles on the council, by strengthening their understanding of its mandate and mechanisms for the exercise of mandate, while initiating the development of its annual strategy. CCC Members from both political parties and civil society participated in the workshop, including the Serb, Bosniak , Turk, Gorani, Ashkali, Roma and Montenegrin communities, as well as representatives the Office of the President, the CCC Secretariat, Ministry for Communities and Returns (MCR) and the International Civilian Office.

ECMI Kosovo/MLGA Conference: Decentralisation – A Strategy for the Future
3-4 April 2009
On 3-4 April the European Centre for Minority Issues Kosovo (ECMI Kosovo) in cooperation with the Ministry for Local Government Administration (MLGA) organised a conference on decentralisation with the theme ‘Decentralisation – A strategy for the Future’. The conference took place at Hotel Belvedere in Durres, Albania. The aim of this conference was to reflect on the progress that had been made so far with regard to the decentralisation process and to debate possible MLGA strategies for the future. The conference was attended by MLGA officials including MLGA minister Sadri Ferati and representatives of the ICO, UNDP, Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM) and ECMI Kosovo. ECMI Kosovo’s assistance was part of its decentralisation project funded by the Finnish government.”

Publication of ECMI Report on the Institutional System for Communities
January 2009
ECMI Kosovo released a report entitled Strengthening the Institutional System for Communities in Post-Independence Kosovo. This report is the result of a research launched at the end of 2007, which has been conducted with the support of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs as part of ECMI Kosovo’s Project Support to Minority Communities in Kosovo during the Status Transition Period. Strengthening the Institutional System for Communities in Post-Independence Kosovo provides a comprehensive analysis of the central-level institutions for communities, including the two institutions created after independence, the Consultative Council for Communities and the Office for Communities Affairs within the Office of the Prime Minister. The aim of the report is to provide recommendations on areas of cooperation and synergy between State institutions in order to increase the efficiency of community rights’ protection. This publication has been distributed to all State institutions working on community issues, international organisations and foreign representations in Kosovo.

CCC Workshop with Serb Civil Society Representatives
6 November 2008
On Thursday 6 November the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI), in cooperation with the Office of the President, organised a workshop for civil society representatives of the Serbian community in Kosovo. The workshop took place at Hotel Victory in Pristina and was intended to inform the participants on the status of the development of the Community Consultative Council (CCC) and specifically on the nomination procedure for candidates for the CCC. Most importantly, the meeting was used to establish a procedure for electing the Serbian nominees for the CCC.

CCC Workshop with RAE Civil Society Representatives
29 October 2008
On Wednesday 29 October the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI), in cooperation with the Office of the President, organised a workshop for civil society representatives of the RAE (Roma; Ashkali; Egyptian) communities in Kosovo. The workshop took place at Hotel Victory in Pristina, with the aim of informing the participants about the Community Consultative Council (CCC), including its status, functions and procedures for community representation, and facilitating the internal discussion and consultation among RAE civil society organisations on its representatives in the CCC.

CCC Workshop with Turkish Civil Society Representatives
27 October 2008
On Monday 27 October the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI), in cooperation with the Office of the President, organised a workshop for civil society representatives of the Turkish community in Kosovo. The workshop took place at White House Restaurant in Reqan-Prizren, with the aim of informing the participants about the Community Consultative Council (CCC), including its status, functions and procedures for community representation, and facilitating the internal discussion and consultation among Turkish civil society organisations on its representatives in the CCC.

CCC Workshop with Bosniak Civil Society Representatives
23 October 2008
On Thursday 23 October the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI), in cooperation with the Office of the President, organised a workshop for civil society representatives of the Bosniak community in Kosovo. The workshop took place in Hotel Afa and was intended to inform the participants on the status of the development of the Community Consultative Council (CCC) and specifically on the nomination procedure for candidates for the CCC. Most importantly, the meeting was used to establish a procedure for electing the Bosniak nominees for the CCC.

Launch of the Consultative Council for Communities
June 27, 2008
The President of Kosovo, Mr. Fatmir Sejdiu, chaired the first meeting with representatives from all communities in Kosovo to launch the Consultative Council for Communities (CCC).  The meeting, which was organised by ECMI, had strong attendance by all community representatives- Serb, Bosniak, Turk, Gorani and Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian- coming from community political parties and civil society. During this meeting, Mr. Fatmir Sejdiu stated that the CCC is a constitutionally mandated body, whose mandate is reiterated and developed in the Law on Communities.  He further spoke of his intentions to establish the CCC as soon a possible with the full participation of all communities.  To initiate this process, the president briefly outlined the composition of the CCC, as foreseen in the Law on Communities. He also detailed the nomination procedures for membership in the CCC.  These proposed measures were met with optimism from the community representatives and they expressed their hopes that the Council will be an effective body to address the needs of all Kosovo communities.