PRESS RELEASE: Launch of The Second Joint Civil Society Report on Human Rights in Kosovo in 2020

Pristina, 31 May 2021: We are pleased to announce the official publication of the second joint civil society human rights report in Kosovo. The report provides an overview of the human rights situation in Kosovo in 2020, including the main problems and challenges to realizing human rights, human rights violations, and the evolving human rights implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and related containment measures. It assesses civil and political rights; economic, social, and cultural rights; human rights issues relating to specific groups and persons in vulnerable situations; and several cross-cutting human rights topics, such as corruption and human rights, transitional justice, and the environment and human rights.

Thirty-four civil society organizations (CSOs) working on protecting and promoting human rights in Kosovo have joined forces to draft this report, which has been produced at the end of an inclusive and participatory process. In addition to further enhancing cooperation and coordination between civil society actors from different backgrounds, this report continues to fill a critical gap by providing joint monitoring and reporting on human rights in Kosovo at the local and international levels. It addresses the most pressing human rights issues and challenges in Kosovo that were chosen after a thorough consideration of the local context during a consultative process with a number of human rights CSOs. In addition, the report provides concrete recommendations to Kosovo institutions that are aimed at improving the human rights situation in Kosovo.

CSOs contributing to this report call on Kosovo institutions and other relevant stakeholders to take appropriate actions and measures, as per the recommendations provided in the report, in order to address the human rights concerns and problems identified and presented in the report. Unless addressed, these concerns and problems will most likely persist or even deepen, continuing to hinder the enjoyment of human rights in Kosovo as guaranteed by Kosovo’s Constitution, legislation, and several directly applicable international and regional human rights instruments. As some of these human rights challenges have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and measures to contain it, we also call on Kosovo authorities and all other actors to place human rights at the heart of the COVID-19 response and recovery.

The following 34 CSOs contributed to the referred report: Advancing Together (AT), Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture (ACDC), Balkan Sunflowers Kosova (BSFK), Center for Legal Aid and Regional Development (CLARD), Center for Protection of Women’s Rights, Center for Social Groups Development (CSGD), Centre for Equality and Liberty (CEL), Civil Rights Program Kosovo (CRP/K), Diakonie Mitrovica, FOL Movement, Forum for Civic Initiative (FIQ), Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS), Handikos, Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo (HLCK), Integra, Coalition of Non-governmental Organizations for Child Protection (KOMF), Kosova Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (KRCT), Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KCSF), Kosovar Gender Studies Center (KGSC), Kosovo Law Institute (KLI), Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), Kosovo Young Lawyers (KYL), Medica Gjakova, Missing Persons Resource Center (MPRC), New Social Initiative (NSI), NGO AKTIV, NGO THY, Partners Kosovo Center for Conflict Management, Roma in Action, Roma Versitas, Social Housing and Property Rights in Kosovo (SHPRK), Terre des Hommes Kosovo, Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians (VORAE), and Youth Initiative for Human Rights – Kosovo (YIHR KS).

The report was produced with support of the Human Rights Component of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as part of a project entitled “Engaging with civil society on human rights monitoring and reporting”.

The full report is available in Albanian, Serbian, and English and enclosed in this press release.

ALB: https://yihr-ks.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2020-CSO-Annual-Human-Rights-Report-Albanian.pdf
SRB: https://yihr-ks.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2020-CSO-Annual-Human-Rights-Report-Serbian.pdf
ENG: https://yihr-ks.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2020-CSO-Annual-Human-Rights-Report-English.pdf

For any questions you might have, please contact Marigona Shabiu (marigona@yihr.org) and/or Hilmi Jashari (hilmijashari@gmail.com).