Fighting discrimination is central to democratic developments in Kosovo, say OSCE Mission and Kosovo Government

PRISTINA, 26 June 2007 - Fully enforcing the Anti-Discrimination Law would help integrate all members of society and aid reconciliation in Kosovo, according to a joint booklet compiled by the OSCE Mission and Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) that was released today.

"The Anti-Discrimination law is one of the most important laws for a democratic society," said Jonuz Salihaj, the PISG Minister of Justice.

He noted that Kosovo has adopted many laws that comply with European standards and international best practices, but "when it comes to the implementation, we have much work to do. Therefore, Kosovo authorities together with our international partners, such as the OSCE, are fully committed to create institutional mechanisms for better implementation of our laws."

The publication, a compilation of articles by Government representatives, the legal community and non-governmental organizations, follows a roundtable meeting organized by the OSCE Mission in April. The authors analyze the implementation of the Anti-Discrimination Law, which provides a framework to protect all ethnic groups, protect human rights and enable all communities to participate in public life.

The authors recommend Kosovo's institutions combat language discrimination, further empower the Ombudsperson Institution and run a public awareness campaign to educate people about the law. They also call on civil society to strengthen its role in advocating anti-discrimination and reconciliation policies.

Ambassador Werner Wnendt, the OSCE Head of Mission, said the Government needs to take a leading role in fighting discrimination.

"The effective implementation of the Anti-Discrimination Law provides an important opportunity for Kosovo's institutions to improve the lives of all people in Kosovo and to demonstrate their democratic development and commitment to European standards," he said.

The OSCE Mission helped Kosovo's Government draft the Anti-Discrimination Law.