Prishtina, on June 5, 2022 – World Environment Day finds the country in front of environmental problems which restrict the rights of the citizens of the country, without any visible action of the competent institutions which would present positive changes in the environment.

Although in the Constitution of the country  – “Responsibility for the environment” is included in the chapter on human rights, environmental protection is listed in the values ​​on which the constitutional order is based, the state has failed to take concrete steps to rank the environment in country priorities.

The Ombudsperson draws the attention of the institutions to the Constitutional and legal obligations they have to commit to guarantee everyone the opportunity to influence decisions related to the environment and also to ensure that the impact on the environment is taken into account in the process of decision making.

Water, air and soil pollution, waste mismanagement, failure to control noise, lack of quality monitoring, shortcomings in decision-making processes, lack of information and access to justice on environmental issues, remain a major concern for our society and continue to be challenges for public authorities.

On this day, the Ombudsperson invites all responsible Institutions to create sustainable policies and take concrete steps to promote the creation of a healthy environment for the people of Kosovo and to make the environment a priority for the government.