05.09.2023. » 19:51 | ACDC
The conference on the advancement of minority rights in Kosovo: The Role and challenges of the Consultative Council for Communities
Today, the NGO ACDC held a conference dedicated to improving minority rights and consultative mechanisms in Kosovo. The conference featured panelists including Aleksandar Rapajić, Program Director at ACDC, Avnija Bahtijari, Coordinator for Public Relations at the Secretariat of the Consultative Council for Communities, and Almedin Fejza, Chairman of the Language Working Group in the Consultative Council for Communities.
Today, the NGO ACDC held a conference dedicated to improving minority rights and consultative mechanisms in Kosovo. The conference featured panelists including Aleksandar Rapajić, Program Director at ACDC, Avnija Bahtijari, Coordinator for Public Relations at the Secretariat of the Consultative Council for Communities, and Almedin Fejza, Chairman of the Language Working Group in the Consultative Council for Communities.
Aleksandar Rapajić introduced the work of the Consultative Council for Communities and emphasized its crucial role. He highlighted that the Consultative Council for Communities comprises all communities in Kosovo and the Kosovo government, operating under the auspices of the President of Kosovo. The mandate of the Consultative Council for Communities includes facilitating regular exchanges of opinions between communities and the Government of Kosovo, as well as supporting organizations and expressing the views of non-majority communities on legislation, public policy, and programs of particular importance to them. He also stressed that the Council faces limited resources for its work.
Avnija Bahtijari, Acting Coordinator for Public Relations, pointed out that, in addition to regular monthly meetings, the Council has working groups dealing with legislation, language issues, education, culture, social matters, and employment. He emphasized that the key distinction between the Council and other institutions lies in its ability to provide recommendations and comments on laws and acts in the early stages of development. He also highlighted that the Council is a constitutional category and operates as an consultative mechanism. He pointed out the need for the Government to allocate the Council's rightful budget and distribute it proportionally among communities to promote their respective cultures. Solving the budget issue will enable the Council to have a greater impact.
Almedin Fejza, Chairman of the Language Working Group, drew attention to the fact that institutions often do not respond to the Council's recommendations, and the Council actively participates in the early stages of drafting administrative instructions. Furthermore, he emphasized that the relationship between institutions and the Council is unsatisfactory, and they often do not receive responses or explanations as to why their recommendations were accepted or not in line with the law. He highlighted that the Council does not receive enough attention from institutions, especially regarding critical community issues that remain unresolved.
Aleksandar Rapajić further explained that Council representatives come through non-governmental organizations that register to participate, and Council members should be well-informed about the issues facing their represented communities. The practice includes holding annual meetings of community organization representatives, and it was emphasized that the success of the Council's work depends on the commitment of community representatives to work together.
The conference highlighted the need for greater engagement by institutions and increased attention to the Council's recommendations to address urgent issues facing minority communities.
The conference was organized as part of a project supported by the Kosovo Civil Society Foundation (KCSF) and co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Sweden, and Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The project is implemented by the NGO Aktiv in collaboration with the NGO ACDC.
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