Background

Based on Ahtisaari’s Comprehensive Proposals and the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, the Kosovo Government and the International Civilian Office have been engaged in implementing the decentralisation process since 2008. This has resulted in the establishment of five new Municipalities (Gračanica/Graçanicë, Klokot-Vrbovac/Kllokot-Vërboc, Parteš/Partesh and Ranilug/Ranillug) and enlargement of an existing one (Novo Brdo/Novobërdë), during 2009 and 2010. These are all Serb-majority municipalities. On the other hand, due to political circumstances, the establishment of the Municipality of Mitrovicë/Mitrovica North has been delayed and is unlikely to be achieved in the near future. In addition to bringing services closer to citizens of all communities, the establishment of new municipalities has also brought important positive changes through creating better conditions and incentives for integrating minority communities, especially the Serbs, into Kosovo society.  ECMI Kosovo has supported this process within the framework of the ‘Support to Minority Communities during and after the Decentralisation Process’ project.

Building on this, ECMI Kosovo, through the ‘Support to Minority Communities during and after the Decentralisation Process’ project extension, intends to contribute to stabilising multi-ethnic relations in Kosovo and furthering socio-economic and political inclusion of communities by supporting the municipal institutions and local communities in the field of local economic development. We also intend to support the Municipal Preparatory Team (MPT) and other relevant stakeholders on the ground in preparing for establishment of the new Municipality of Mitrovicë/Mitrovica North. The project extension was implemented from September 2011 and will be completed at the end of 2013. The project has two components, the first focusing on supporting sustainable development in multi-ethnic communities in Gračanica/ Graçanicë, Klokot-Vrbovac/Kllokot-Vërboc, Novo Brdo/Novobërdë, Parteš/Partesh and Ranilug/Ranillug, and the second on supporting the decentralisation process in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North. ECMI Kosovo Activities

• Conducting a detailed and comprehensive analysis of, and needs assessment with, relevant stakeholders on the socio-economic situation and local economic development in the newly-established municipalities.  Additionally, a Socio-Economic Profile of each municipality will be developed and launched which will be available on the respective Municipal website, which will serve as tools for fundraising and investment promotion to support local economic development and providing training to relevant municipal staff on maintaining the websites.
• Working with the Ministry of Trade and Industry in the area of business registration and taxation policies, with a view to better integrate local businesses operating in the newly-established municipalities within the relevant policy framework, as well as directly supporting them on project and business development and management, and in establishing local multi-ethnic business associations while facilitating their integration in Kosovo-wide business associations.

Working with the MPT for Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North and other relevant stakeholders in developing and implementing a community outreach strategy, including outreach and public awareness activities (public events, public awareness materials, media debates), as well as a voter education campaign in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North (subject to political circumstances allowing for establishment of the new Municipality).

Expected Impact
The project is expected to support local socio-economic development by improving the informational infrastructure and capacities for the administration’s of newly-established Municipalities (Gračanica/Graçanicë, Klokot-Vrbovac/Kllokot-Vërboc, Novo Brdo/Novobërdë, Parteš/Partesh and Ranilug/Ranillug) in the relevant areas. It is also expected to improve consultation and coordination amongst business entities and with government institutions, at both central and local levels. Moreover, the project is expected to enhance capacities of the local business community for business development and investment promotion, as well as market accessibility. On the other hand (subject to political and security circumstances), the project is also expected to increase the awareness of the relevant stakeholders and community members in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica North on the process of decentralisation and local government reform, as well as to increase awareness of the needs of communities at the central and local governmental level. Importantly, the project will ensure greater participation of communities in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica North in the decentralisation process and enhance the capacities of both communities and government to address community issues.

Funding
The ECMI Kosovo ‘Support to Minority Communities during and after the Decentralisation Process’ project extension is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland.

Contact
Artan Çollaku 
collaku@ecmikosovo.org
Tel. +381 (0)38 224 161

Background

Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje was the first municipality in Kosovo to endorse a Municipal Action Plan for the Integration of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Communities as a result of the engagement and lobbying of local civil society. However, no efforts have been made so far by the Municipality to incorporate the Action Plan with the duties of municipal officials. The Action Plan has not been operationalised (with no budget assigned), and no monitoring and evaluation system has been designed for its implementation. Hence, it is necessary to support Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje’s municipal officials to use the Action Plan as guidance in their work on delivering education to Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities and to subsequently implement the actions defined by the Plan. The experience from this municipality can then be transferred to other municipalities in Kosovo, in order to promote the inclusion of children from the three communities into Kosovo’s education system.

The direct beneficiaries of the project will be municipal officials in Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje working on educational service delivery and, to a lesser extent, the representatives of local civil society working on integration of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities. The indirect beneficiaries of the project will be the members of these three communities Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje. In the long term, other municipalities will be able to draw on the experiences of the Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje municipality.

ECMI Kosovo Activities

• Develop and conduct a baseline study and a comprehensive needs assessment of municipal officials’ capacities;
• Provide capacity-building training and technical assistance to municipal structures;
• Assist the municipal officials with operationalising the educational component of the Municipal Action Plan;
• Establish a task force on Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian education within the municipal structures and provide support for its effective functioning;
• Document and present the results of the project as a model of best practice for replication in other municipalities;

Expected Impact
The outcome of the project will be the increased capacity of municipal officials to deal with Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian education and to implement the activities of the education component of the Municipal Action Plan for the Integration of these three communities through capacity building training sessions, on-the-job training, mentoring and direct assistance. Furthermore, written materials will be produced (manual on operationalisation, guidebook, training handouts) to serve as long term reference materials for further use by municipal officials of Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje, as well as municipal officials in other municipalities or any other relevant stakeholders. In the long-term, the project aims to contribute to the enhancement of the quality of education for children from the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities and the promotion of their deeper inclusion into the education system.

Funding
ECMI Kosovo would like to thank the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for funding the project.

Contact
Andrea Najvirtova, Project Manager
najvirtova@ecmikosovo.org 
Tel. +381 (0)38 224 161

Background

On paper, the legal framework for the protection of vulnerable and marginalised groups in Kosovo is very comprehensive. In recent years, many laws and a number of comprehensive policy strategies have been approved with the aim of protecting vulnerable and marginalised groups (VMG’s). However, to date, there is little evidence that individuals are reaping the benefits of these laws and policies in their everyday lives. Sources continue to point to the unequal treatment of VMG’s across Kosovo society, from discrimination on the grounds of gender or disability, to restricted access for minority communities to essential services such as social security, health and education care, and ongoing problems for returnees, IDP’s and repatriated person in accessing personal documents and public records.

ECMI Kosovo is leading the project ‘Enhancing the Positive Impact of the Law for Vulnerable and Marginalised Groups (VMG’s) in Kosovo’ in cooperation with CLARD with the aim to address the existing shortfall in legal aid provision that currently affects VMG’s. It will tackle the problem of VMG people generally having a low level of awareness regarding their legal rights and remedies and provide such persons with full access to comprehensive legal aid. Where vulnerable persons are unable to access the Legal Clinics, for reasons of disability, isolation, or lack of affordable transport, the action will make provision for CLARD lawyers to visit potential claimants in their homes. The project will also address the lack of legal and technical capacity among representatives of CSO’s working with VMG’s through training on the legal and institutional protections afforded to VMG’s and also on effective advocacy. It will tackle the low levels of judicial awareness of the legal and institutional framework for the protection of VMG’s through expert training sessions. The project will also address the problem of the current lack of qualified and experienced legal aid lawyers in Kosovo through a programme to train four young Kosovo lawyers in legal aid delivery.

ECMI Kosovo Activities
ECMI Kosovo will carry out the following activities:

• Publish core project documents (a legal handbook, an information booklet, an information flyer) and run a legal aid website in order to raise the awareness of VMG’s of their legal rights and remedies.
• Provide persons from VMG’s with free legal aid, including advice on legal matters, drafting of official letters/requests/protests, filing of lawsuits, lodging of appeals, obtaining personal documents, etc.
• Provide training to municipal and district court judges on international legal standards in the protection of VMG’s, and the legal system for the protection of VMG’s in Kosovo.
• Undertake ‘strategic litigation’ in cases of particular public interest (e.g. cases of institutional discrimination or non-implementation of key laws).
• Support advocacy campaigns conducted by civil society with the aim of achieving specific reforms to deficient laws/implementation practice relating to VMG.
• Conduct training to young lawyers in providing legal aid to vulnerable and marginalised persons in Kosovo.

Expected Impact
The project is expected to enhance the positive impact of the law for persons from VMG’s, directly empowering them, raising their awareness of the legal rights and remedies to which they are entitled and, crucially, providing them with legal aid services to which they would not otherwise have access. Furthermore, training for judges on the laws and institutions for the protection of VMG will bring Kosovo jurisprudence further into line with international standards and practice. In the medium-term, the project will encourage the filing of court cases on important social issues and to create ‘legal precedents’, that is, concrete judicial rulings on particular areas of the law, which will enhance the overall clarity of the legal framework in Kosovo. In the long-term, the project will enhance popular perceptions of the rule of law among vulnerable and marginalised persons, increasing their confidence in the judiciary and bringing them closer to Kosovo laws and institutions.

Funding
The project ‘Enhancing the Positive Impact of the Law for Vulnerable and Marginalised Groups in Kosovo’ is funded by the European Union and managed by the European Commission Liaison Office to Kosovo.

Contact
Lars Burema, Project Manager
burema@ecmikosovo.org
Tel. +381 (0)38 224 161
Mob. +377 (0)44 567 029

Background

The Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities constitute the most marginalised persons in Kosovo, facing the highest rates of poverty, mass unemployment and lowest levels of education. While these problems are interrelated, improving their education is the primary vehicle for their empowerment towards increased economic and social development. At the same time, Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian children face chronic challenges in their inclusion in the education system, including late or non-enrolment of children, low attendance, poor performance and high dropout rates. To address these challenges, there has been an overall tendency for teachers to use non-identification of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities as a tool of integration and to allow the students from these three communities to pass with lower academic performance and tolerate absences, rather than to motivate and support the students and build parent engagement.  This reveals a lack of understanding of the real needs of the communities and exacerbates their educational problems. Accordingly, this project aims to increase sensitivity to the rights, interests and needs of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities within the school learning environment, engaging teachers, education officials, civil society organisations and parents from the three communities.

This project represents the second phase of ‘Building Sensitivity for Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Communities in Schools’ project implemented in 2010, by extending the activities to another three municipalities with substantial Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian population: Ferizaj/Uroševac, Obiliq/Obilić and Lipjan/Lipljane.

ECMI Kosovo Activities

• Organisation of Sensitivity Training Workshops for Teachers;
• Raising Awareness of Parents of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian pupils through teachers’ visits to the neighbourhoods;
• Conduct ‘Building Cooperation’ Workshops with Teachers and Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Parents;
• Dissemination of Informational Booklets to Primary and Secondary School Teachers.

Expected Impact
The aim of the project is to increase the inclusion of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian children through greater enrolment, attendance and progression in primary and secondary schools.  Increased inclusion will be based on an improved understanding of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities by teachers, deeper parent-teacher engagement and greater communication and cooperation among education stakeholders.

Funding
ECMI Kosovo would like to thank the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) High Commissioner on National Minorities for its support in the implementation of the project “Building Sensitivity for Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian Communities in Schools‘.

Contact
Andrea Najvirtova, Project Manager
najvirtova@ecmikosovo.org 
Tel. +381 (0)38 224 161

Background
Albanian and Serbian are the two official languages of Kosovo. They have equal status and equal rights as to their use in Kosovo institutions. The Law on the Use of Languages guarantees that the official languages are used on an equal basis for meetings and work at the municipality. However, municipal civil servants are only required to speak one official language of Kosovo for employment, not both, which may limit regular communication and cooperation among municipal staff when a common language is lacking, and marginalise the contributions of speakers of the less spoken language or limit them to work solely for their community group

During March-May 2010, ECMI Kosovo conducted research on language competencies of municipal government officials in five multi-ethnic municipalities. The research concluded that existing language competencies are not sufficient for effective inter-ethnic communication and cooperation among speakers of both official languages. While many officials are willing to learn the official languages of Kosovo, they lack the opportunities to do so as few, if any, language courses are offered. The project aims to provide municipal officials in the pilot municipality of Štrpce/Shtërpcë with six-month language training in Serbian and Albanian.

The project draws on the outcomes of the previous research, tailoring the courses to the specific needs and requirements of the municipal officials.  It represents the first phase of language training provision, which should be followed by a second phase of further six-month’s language training in 2012.

ECMI Kosovo Activities
The activities will require eight months and will include:

• Organisation of language training;
• Provision of technical support and monitoring of regular courses of Albanian and Serbian language;
• Evaluation of the language training and delivery of practical recommendations for the second phase of the project and other follow-up projects.

Expected Impact
The project is expected to have the following results:

• 12-month Albanian and Serbian language programmes specially targeting municipal officials designed and organized;
• 6-month courses on both of Kosovo’s official languages conducted, and ;
• formulation of practical recommendations for the second phase of the project and other follow-up projects aiming at improving the language competences of municipal civil servants.

Funding
ECMI Kosovo would like to thank the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) High Commissioner on National Minorities for its support in the implementation of the project “Provision of Language-learning Opportunities for Municipal Officials in Kosovo”.

Contact
Andrea Najvirtova, Project Manager
najvirtova@ecmikosovo.org 
Tel. +381 (0)38 224 161

The CCC began in 2005 as an informal body attached to the Kosovo Delegation to the status negotiations, made up of representatives from minority communities. The Council developed a ‘Framework for the Protection of Rights of Communities in Kosovo’, which provided a multi-layered and interlocking system of constitutional and legal measures to ensure the full protection and enjoyment of individual and community rights for members of the minority communities in Kosovo. The Framework was presented at the status negotiations, and later served as the foundation for the ‘Law on the Promotion and Protection on the Rights of Communities and their Members 2008 (Law on Communities)’.

The CCC was legally established in Article 60 of the 2008 Kosovo Constitution, with the details of its mandate fleshed out in Article 12 of the Law on Communities. The Council was formally established by Presidential Decree on 15 September 2008, and held its inaugural session on 23 December 2008.

Thus, the CCC is now a constitutionally-mandated institution, comprised of community representatives from both civil society and political parties, and key government officials. Through its mixed memberships, and its strategic location within the Office of the President, it provides members of communities with a forum from which to monitor and influence the legislative process, and to advance their needs and interests within government programmes and policies.

ECMI Kosovo Activities

• Through the provision of technical assistance and training, ECMI Kosovo supports the CCC and its Secretariat by ensuring long-term institutional and operational capacity for more sustainable functioning of the organisation.
• Provide assistance for ensuring and functionalizing consultation mechanisms for the CCC to influence the work of the Government. The consultation mechanism is stipulated with the adoption of Government Rules of Procedures, which foresees consultation with the CCC during legislative drafting processes.
• In order to safeguard the current mechanisms which ensure affirmative minority representation and involvement throughout the electoral system reform, ECMI Kosovo provides continuous recommendations and expertise support for the Consultation Working Group on electoral reform.

Ensure technical support to the Secretariat in improving the institutional visibility, transparency and accountability of the CCC in relation to other institutions and local community representatives.

Expected Impact
The longer term impact is to fully empower the CCC and make it a functional institution, which would have the highest level of access to government, and capable of monitoring legislative activities and protecting/promoting community interest.

Funding
ECMI Kosovo would like to thank the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office for their supports.

Contact
Jeta Bakija, Project Manager
bakija@ecmikosovo.org
Tel. +381 (0)38 224 161