OSCE Mission in Kosovo

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💡How can civil society turn participation into real influence?Over two days, representatives from Civil Society Organiza...
08/10/2026

💡How can civil society turn participation into real influence?

Over two days, representatives from Civil Society Organizations, including Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, strengthened their knowledge and practical skills on public participation, community engagement and policymaking.

💬 Through interactive discussions and practical exercises, participants explored how to identify community priorities, engage relevant stakeholders, use formal and informal participation mechanisms, and develop more concrete and evidence-based contributions to decision-making at both local and central levels.

The workshop also provided space for participants to exchange experiences, reflect on barriers to meaningful participation and discuss ways to make civil society engagement more inclusive, structured and effective.

Ensuring every child has access to education starts with co-ordinated action! facilitated a meeting between the Municipa...
08/10/2026

Ensuring every child has access to education starts with co-ordinated action!

facilitated a meeting between the Municipal Education Directorate of Fushё Kosovё/Kosovo Polje and the Prevention and Response Teams towards Abandonment and Non-Registration of two lower primary schools: Selman Riza and Daut Bogulevci.

Discussions focused on strengthening co-operation to prevent school absenteeism, dropouts and non-registration, particularly among children from Kosovo Roma, Kosovo Ashkali and Kosovo Egyptian communities, while sharing good practices to address these challenges.

Ambassador Gerard McGurk: "I welcome last night's election of President Justina Shiroka-Pula by the Assembly, completing...
07/10/2026

Ambassador Gerard McGurk: "I welcome last night's election of President Justina Shiroka-Pula by the Assembly, completing the formation of institutions.

I commend the parties for showing the will to compromise and reach agreement. The interests of the people and communities they represent must always come first.

Kosovo has once again elected a woman as President, continuing an important tradition. That example now needs to reach every other area of public life. Women need more space in decision-making, greater financial independence, and stronger protection from gender-based and domestic violence.

President Shiroka-Pula will find a committed partner in as she works to advance these priorities."

As part of our  16 Days of Activism   campaign, we were in Dragash/Dragaš for a community engagement session with studen...
05/10/2026

As part of our 16 Days of Activism campaign, we were in Dragash/Dragaš for a community engagement session with students of “Fetah Sylejmani” School.

Together with Municipal Officer for Gender Equality Lindita Piraj, we had an insightful conversation on sexual harassment in schools, with a focus on prevention, the importance of reporting and creating a safe environment where students feel able to speak up.

🔎 Key takeaways included:
▶️ Verbal, psychological and physical violence identified as most prevalent.
▶️ No school psychologist in place.
▶️ Strong interest from the school management to continue awareness-raising sessions.
▶️ The session was the first activity of this kind in their setting.

📌 The session also highlighted areas for further action:
▶️ Strengthen school protection and support systems, including advocating for the recruitment of school psychologists and dedicated municipal funding.
▶️ Scale up prevention efforts through structured awareness-raising sessions and accessible, confidential reporting mechanisms in rural schools.

🤝 Continued engagement with students, schools and local institutions is essential to preventing violence and promoting safer, more inclusive environments.

Specialized training for Kosovo Police to strengthen protection of migrants’ rights! Practical case scenarios, interacti...
05/10/2026

Specialized training for Kosovo Police to strengthen protection of migrants’ rights!

Practical case scenarios, interactive exercises and discussions on the European Convention on Human Rights, the Palermo Protocol and the Roadmap for Changes were part of the training. The aim was to strengthen police officers’ ability to identify vulnerabilities, trafficking risks and protection needs, including those of children and unaccompanied minors.

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo remains committed to supporting Kosovo institutions in strengthening human rights-based and effective responses to migration and trafficking in human beings.

🏃 Run for change. Stand together against gender-based violence.Join “16K for 16 Days: Echoes of Change” in Mitrovicë/Mit...
03/10/2026

🏃 Run for change. Stand together against gender-based violence.

Join “16K for 16 Days: Echoes of Change” in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, a 16-kilometre run bringing communities together to promote solidarity, equality and a future free from gender-based violence.

You can register here to take part in the run: Register here: https://forms.gle/54Mp8bi2vNyHKC9u8
Registration is FREE!

📅 18 October 2026
🕙 Start: 10:00 AM
👕 Participant check-in and bib collection: 08:30–09:30

Run with us or come cheer, every step and every voice can inspire change! 🧡

Local safety starts with people working together 🤝 It depends on communities, police, municipalities and other local par...
02/10/2026

Local safety starts with people working together 🤝 It depends on communities, police, municipalities and other local partners co-operation to understand concerns and develop solutions that respond to the needs of those they serve.

Bringing communities and institutions together to identify issues and develop practical responses is at the heart of the Local Public Safety Committees (LPSCs) work. To support them, we joined the Kosovo Police in four revitalisation and training sessions for over 40 newly appointed LPSC members from the Prishtinë/Priština, Mitrovicë/Mitrovica South, Mitrovicë/Mitrovica North and Gjilan/Gnjilane regions.

Through practical discussions on partnership-building, problem-solving and community safety, participants strengthened their skills to engage with communities, identify local priorities and work with police, municipalities and other partners to address them.

Strong local partnerships can help turn local concerns into local solutions.

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo held a conference today on inclusive electoral processes, bringing together representatives o...
01/10/2026

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo held a conference today on inclusive electoral processes, bringing together representatives of institutions, political parties, civil society, and other international and local partners.

They discussed barriers and opportunities related to enhancing inclusive participation in electoral processes of women, non-majority communities, and persons with disabilities.

The discussion drew on assessments conducted through Mission-supported projects with Democracy for Development (D4D), the Kosovo Disability Forum, and NGO AKTIV following electoral processes in Kosovo in 2025 and 2026, as well as observation reports by local civil society organisations part of the Democracy in Action. ODIHR’s presence allowed for sharing of comparative practices across the OSCE region.

“Elections are genuinely democratic when all eligible voters and electoral actors can participate freely, equally and meaningfully, and exercise their electoral rights without discrimination. Inclusivity is therefore not an additional feature of a credible electoral process; it is part of its foundation,” said Ambassador Gerard McGurk, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

Kreshnik Radoniqi, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC), emphasized the CEC’s commitment to increasing participation in electoral processes.

“Kosovo has an advanced electoral legal framework, which contains important guarantees for equality, non-discrimination, and the participation of all citizens. However, legal guarantees must be accompanied by consistent implementation, and the progress achieved should serve as a foundation for further advancing electoral standards,” he said.

Zenel Leku, Chairperson of the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP), emphasized the complementary roles of electoral institutions and civil society in ensuring an inclusive process.

“An electoral process is safe and secure only when voters and stakeholders have access to adequate legal remedies to address their grievances. True inclusivity depends not only on sound legal provisions, but on our collective commitment, institutions and civil society alike, to actively utilize and uphold these safeguards,” he said.

The conference concluded with an emphasis on sustained co-operation among electoral institutions, political actors, civil society, international partners, and communities to ensure that lessons identified through each electoral cycle are translated into concrete and measurable improvements.

📸 OSCE / Albena Hana

📘 Greater co-operation between municipalities and communities can contribute to better services, stronger local governan...
01/10/2026

📘 Greater co-operation between municipalities and communities can contribute to better services, stronger local governance and more effective use of public resources.

Our Head of Mission, Ambassador Gerard McGurk, continues to advocate for greater inter-municipal co-operation, encouraging dialogue and the exchange of good practices among municipalities and communities.

The thematic report the Mission developed examines existing practices across Kosovo and offers findings and recommendations to help make such co-operation more structured, inclusive and effective.

See the report here: https://shorturl.at/PoRdE

Ministria e Administrimit të Pushtetit Lokal

📸 OSCE / Albena Hana

Women’s meaningful participation in decision-making is essential to advancing gender equality.📍 In Pejë/Peć, representat...
30/09/2026

Women’s meaningful participation in decision-making is essential to advancing gender equality.

📍 In Pejë/Peć, representatives of institutions, civil society, women’s organizations and students of “Haxhi Zeka” University gathered for an exchange on the barriers and challenges affecting women’s participation in public life and decision-making.

The event highlighted the persistence of gender stereotypes from an early age, including within families and schools, and the need to address and challenge them. It also underscored the importance of women working together across political affiliations and strengthening political will to ensure the effective implementation of relevant legislation.

Participants also acknowledged the progress made over the past 25 years, such as increased participation of women in politics and sport, and the development of stronger policies and legislation, despite remaining challenges.

The issues raised and recommendations put forward will provide a basis for future actions and activities in the municipality.

🤝 Greater co-operation, visibility and empowerment of women at the local level can contribute to more inclusive and gender-responsive governance.



📸 OSCE/Erton Decani

Address

Abdyl Frasheri 12
Pristina
10000

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00
Thursday 08:00 - 17:00
Friday 08:00 - 15:30

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