Pristina, 24 September 2025 – Ombudsperson, Naim Qelaj participated in the 9th Regional Conference of Equality Bodies from South-Eastern Europe, which was held on 22nd and 23rd of September in Split, Croatia.

The conference was organized by the Ombudsperson of Croatia and the theme was about the cooperation between equality bodies and civil society organizations.

The Ombudsperson Qelaj was part of the panel focusing on good practices and opportunities for deepening this cooperation in the region. In his speech, he thanked the host, colleagues and attendees, emphasizing the importance of maintaining an open and continuous dialogue with civil society organizations.

He recalled that in 2022, the Ombudsperson’s Dialogue Forum with Civil Society was established, which operates on the basis of a strategic document and action plan, which is monitored every three months and reviewed every year. This forum has enabled the addressing of topics of common interest, brought the institution closer to citizens and vulnerable groups, and ensured the timely handling of current issues.

Ombudsperson further emphasized that this cooperation has contributed to the unification of positions while maintaining institutional independence, to the inclusion of civil society concerns in its recommendations, and to the faster identification of systemic violations.

He also highlighted the challenges of this process, including the need to maintain the balance between institutional independence and coordination with civil society, as well as dealing with the large number of requests from organizations wishing to be part of the network.

Ombudsperson also emphasized that civil society organizations are currently facing a lack of funding for their projects, which may jeopardize their functioning and weaken protection from external influences, as well as from threats that are often directed at human rights defenders.

Ombudsperson thanked for the opportunity to participate and proposed that the 10th Conference of this Network be held in Kosovo, describing this as an important opportunity for strengthening regional cooperation and promoting equality throughout the South-Eastern European region.