Newsroom
New publication voices concerns of Kosovo's minorities
PRISTINA 1 July 2003
PRISTINA, 1 July 2003 - Ensuring that the voices of the many minority groups in Kosovo are better heard is the goal of a new booklet published by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
The publication Joining In - Minority Voices, which was presented today to Kosovo's Committee on Rights and Interests of Communities, was developed as a response to concerns voiced by Kosovo's non-Serb minority population. It is the first of its kind in this scope and inclusiveness.
It aims at formulating recommendations for Kosovo's municipalities on better representation for minority groups, and is meant to contribute to the long process of institution-building and minority participation in Kosovo initiated by the OSCE Mission.
The booklet is based on data collected from questionnaires given in over 70 meetings to more than 800 people. The questionnaire addressed two major fields of municipal services: public services and minority-specific municipal services.
The meetings made clear that it was extremely difficult to collect accurate data on general living conditions and how services are being provided to minorities in Kosovo. The results of the survey also noted that institution-building to accommodate ethnic diversity is still at a very early stage.
The OSCE Mission in Kosovo's mandate is to support the development of democratic structures, which represent the collective interests of all communities in Kosovo.
Copies of the booklet are available from the OSCE Mission in Kosovo in four languages: English, Albanian, Serbian and Turkish.
The publication Joining In - Minority Voices, which was presented today to Kosovo's Committee on Rights and Interests of Communities, was developed as a response to concerns voiced by Kosovo's non-Serb minority population. It is the first of its kind in this scope and inclusiveness.
It aims at formulating recommendations for Kosovo's municipalities on better representation for minority groups, and is meant to contribute to the long process of institution-building and minority participation in Kosovo initiated by the OSCE Mission.
The booklet is based on data collected from questionnaires given in over 70 meetings to more than 800 people. The questionnaire addressed two major fields of municipal services: public services and minority-specific municipal services.
The meetings made clear that it was extremely difficult to collect accurate data on general living conditions and how services are being provided to minorities in Kosovo. The results of the survey also noted that institution-building to accommodate ethnic diversity is still at a very early stage.
The OSCE Mission in Kosovo's mandate is to support the development of democratic structures, which represent the collective interests of all communities in Kosovo.
Copies of the booklet are available from the OSCE Mission in Kosovo in four languages: English, Albanian, Serbian and Turkish.