Prishtina, 3 July 2023 – The Ombudsperson, Mr. Naim Qelaj, in cooperation with the OSCE office in Kosovo, organized a roundtable in Graçanica on the topic “Strengthening of inter-institutional cooperation in the promotion of human rights and good governance”.

Representatives of local institutions, civil society and human rights activists from this municipality participated in this roundtable, who have raised a multitude of issues that concern the residents of the Municipality of Graçanica.

Initially, the Ombudsperson spoke about his mandate and powers, emphasizing that he has a supervisory mandate in the work of public authorities and respect for human rights, protecting citizens from illegal action or inaction of institutions. He exercises this role by issuing reports with recommendations where he finds violations of human rights, and asks the authorities to take measures to restore violated rights.

Another concern raised was regarding the non-registration of citizens in the civil registers and the lack of personal documents, to which the Ombudsperson replied that the Institution of the Ombudsperson (IAP) issued a report with recommendations and concluded that the right to legal identity is a guaranteed right for every citizen and has given recommendations to local and central authorities on the measures to be taken so that no citizen of Kosovo remains unregistered and without a legal identity.

As for the reporting on cases of discrimination, the Ombudsperson has found that the reporting against discrimination is very small, and this is the result of the lack of general information of citizens about the law and about the rights they can enjoy, and that measures should be taken that encourage citizens to report discrimination.

In relation to the rights and condition of persons with disabilities, the Ombudsperson said that the IAP has launched several investigations on cases that are more sensitive and into systemic problems, launching an investigation into the employment of people with disabilities, created a questionnaire which was sent to all public institutions in the country, to see how many are respecting the law on employment and re-qualification of persons with disabilities. Other investigations are also being done to look at the work of the medical commissions that assess and re-assess the ability of people with disabilities, as well as in relation to access to physical infrastructure and spaces for people with disabilities.

Another concern raised by the public was the lack of a proper road to the cemetery of the Roma community, located near the village of Preoc. The Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Graçanica for communities, Leutrim Ajeti, emphasized that the municipality of Graçanica and that of Fushë Kosova are cooperating to find a solution to this issue. After the meeting, the Ombudsperson visited this place and upon seeing the situation, he opened a case for investigation.

During the roundtable, the mandate and powers of the Ombudsperson were presented, as well as data for the past year in which 1,595 complaints were received, of which 10 percent of complaints were made by non-majority communities.

“The largest number of complaints have been made against the justice bodies due to the delay of judicial procedures, various ministries, local government, the police and others”, said in her presentation, the senior legal advisor in the office of Graçanica, Ms. Aleksandra Dimitrijevic.

The Head of the Section for Rights and Justice in the OSCE office in Kosovo, Mr. Mark Lasser, participated in the meeting and stated that the Ombudsperson has an important role in identifying human rights challenges and issuing recommendations to other institutions.

Also, Mr. Ljubisa Karadzic, Chairperson of the Municipal Assembly Committee for Education, who said that he is ready to cooperate and work on solving many problems that the communities in this municipality have.

The Ombudsperson Institution intends to hold a series of round tables across the regions of Kosovo, with the aim of promoting respect for human rights, fostering a culture of transparency and accountability in public administration, with a focus on local governance.

These roundtables will serve as an important platform for the promotion of the regional offices of the Ombudsperson Institution, the education of stakeholders on human rights, the importance of implementing recommendations and the promotion of inter-institutional cooperation for better governance.