Prishtinë, 19 December 2023 – The Ombudsperson, throughout 2022, conducted investigations in order to assess whether employment level of persons with disabilities is in accordance with legal provisions and liabilities, specifically with the Law No. 03/L-019 on Vocational Ability, Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities, as well as to verify whether the current level of employment of persons with disabilities in the Republic of Kosovo represents discrimination, actually if the principle of equality before the law is respected.

For this purpose, Ombudsperson Institution has conducted a comprehensive investigation involving the Government of the Republic of Kosovo as well as 38 municipalities of the Republic of Kosovo.

As for the central level is concerned, the Ombudsperson has been served with the response from the Office of Good Governance, from which it derives that at the central level, which includes the Office of Prime Minister and 15 Ministries, 3 of Ministries have not met the legal criterion for employment of persons with limited abilities, while 6 Ministries has partially fulfilled this criterion.

As for the local level, out of 38 Municipalities, 26 Municipalities have sent their responses, of which 7 Municipalities have not met the legal criterion for the employment of persons with disabilities, 8 Municipalities have partially met the legal criterion for the employment of persons with disabilities, 4 Municipalities have not provided data on the employment of persons with disabilities, while 12 Municipalities have not responded to the Ombudsperson’s requests pursuant to the Constitution and the Law on the Ombudsperson.

Therefore, the Ombudsperson, inter alia, has ascertained that Article 1 of Protocol No. 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which deals with the general prohibition of discrimination, and which stipulates that: ” The enjoyment of any right set forth by law shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other status.”

The liability to hire persons with disabilities is provided for by the Law No. 03/L-019 on Vocational Ability, Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities.

Therefore, the Ombudsperson has addressed recommendations to the Ministries and Municipalities that do not meet this obligation that provides for the rights of persons with disabilities, to undertake specific targeted measures in accordance with the legal regulations as per to fulfill the legal liability related to employment of persons with disabilities.