OSCE Mission in Kosovo calls for stronger protection of community rights by municipalities

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 27 June 2014 – Municipal mechanisms for the protection of community rights and interests should be further improved to ensure more active participation by communities in local governance and public affairs, concludes a report by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo published today.

The existing municipal mechanisms include communities committees, offices for communities and returns, as well as the positions of deputy mayor for communities and deputy chairperson of the municipal assembly for communities.

The report finds that the application of these mechanisms has advanced inter-community relations, but highlights the need to develop detailed secondary legislation which would further improve their functioning in practice. While some municipalities established posts for deputy mayor for communities, although were not obliged to do so by law, one municipality where such a post was obligatory under the law did not establish it.

“Municipalities have an important role to play in ensuring the protection of communities’ rights and interests,” said Director of the OSCE Mission’s in Kosovo Human Rights and Communities Department, Hjortur Sverrisson. “This report and its recommendations on how to tackle the shortcomings will assist the municipalities in their endeavours to fully comply with legislation and to ensure non-majority communities’ constructive participation in local governance.”

The report “An Assessment of Local-level Mechanisms for the Protection and Promotion of Communities’ Rights and Interests in Kosovo” covers the period from April 2012 to October 2013 and is based on regular OSCE Mission monitoring activities and a targeted survey.

The report is available at www.osce.org/kosovo/120343

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is mandated with human rights protection and promotion, democratization and public safety sector development.