OSCE Mission concludes induction program for new Kosovo Assembly members

PRISTINA, 5 February 2008 - Newly elected members of the Kosovo Assembly completed a five-day course today on parliamentary procedures and practices that was supported by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

"With half of the Assembly members assuming their position for the first time, there was a need for a comprehensive introduction to democratic parliamentary practices and to the reforms and standards achieved by the Assembly so far," said Franklin De Vrieze, Chief of the Central Assembly and Political Parties Section in the OSCE Mission.

The programme covered the Assembly's legislative, oversight and representative functions. Participants learned how the Assembly works through Committees, Parliamentary Groups and the Presidency.

A key component in the programme was the Assembly's role in government accountability and respect for human rights.

During the induction programme, the OSCE Mission presented two new publications: a Glossary of Parliamentary Terms and a Compilation of Assembly Monitoring Reports.

The OSCE Mission, together with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and USAID, supported the programme by providing parliamentary expertise and helping to develop the course contents.

In 2001 and 2004, the induction programme was fully organized by the OSCE and NDI. This time, however, outgoing Assembly and the Secretariat members provided most briefings, enabling a transfer of knowledge from the longer serving Assembly members to new ones, and promoting the sustainability of the institution.