The OSCE Mission in Kosovo will continue to support the crucial work of the Ombudsperson Institution, was the parting message of the OSCE’s outgoing Head of Mission, Ambassador Werner Wnendt, when he met today with Acting Ombudsperson Mr. Hilmi Jashari.
In stressing the importance of the Ombudsperson Institution’s leading role in protecting the human rights and freedoms of all Kosovans, Ambassador Wnendt praised the Institution’s tireless work in the face of financial uncertainty, an unresolved legal status, and the ongoing limbo created by the long-overdue appointment of a local Ombudsperson.
It was the OSCE that established the Ombudsperson Institution in 2000. Since that time and throughout Ambassador Wnendt’s tenure, the OSCE has provided the Institution with essential operational, financial and expert support. The Ambassador oversaw the departure of the international Ombudsperson, the drafting of new legislation and the final stages of the Institution’s transfer into local hands. His departure comes as the Institution seeks to gain greater financial, legal and political support from the Kosovo authorities.
“I am pleased to be leaving the Ombudsperson Institution in safe hands,” the Ambassador said, “but I would feel better knowing that the Kosovo authorities are as committed to the Institution as the OSCE is.”
The Acting Ombudsperson thanked Ambassador Wnendt for his continuous support to the Institution over the past two-and-a-half years, assuring him that the legacy of that support would be felt long into the Institution’s future.