Kosovo Campaign Educates Public on U.N. Standards
Avoko, a coalition of NGOs supported by USAID's Kosovo NGO Advocacy Project (KNAP), completed the public education campaign on the United Nations standards for Kosovo, "Standards: What Do They Mean To Me?"
"Civil society wasn't offered the possibility to contribute in drafting the plan for achieving or implementing the standards, and this is one of the reasons why citizens are not sufficiently informed about standards, said Shqipe Pantina, coordinator of the Avoko campaign. “They do not have a clear understanding on how to contribute to the implementation of a program for which they were not asked to give their opinion."
The campaign—comprised of a series of open debates, broadcast of a TV video, and the dissemination of an informational leaflet on standards for Kosovo—ran during April and May of this year across 15 Kosovo municipalities. Public interest generated through these efforts yielded a number of recommendations for Kosovo, including: effecting the transfer of judicial, security and property rights competencies from internationals to locals; continuing support for U.N. Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo and Kosovo Government efforts to pressure Serbia for the return of bodies to Kosovo; increasing the commitments of international and local institutions to respect human rights for all and protect the rule of law in Kosovo; and calling for the international community to exert pressure on Serbian Kosovar representatives in order to secure their constituents’ cooperation in the fulfillment of standards. Another key need that was identified was the establishment of open meetings with citizens to explain the standards, the implementation and evaluation processes, and what will happen after fulfillment, as well as the role of citizens in all these steps.
The campaign was financially supported by USAID in cooperation with East-West Management Institute, Inc. (EWMI) and the Foundation for Democratic Initiatives (FDI) through the Kosovo NGO Advocacy Project (KNAP). The Advocacy Training and Resource Center (ATRC) provided technical support for the campaign's implementation.
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