Pristina, March 14, 2024 – The Ombudsperson, Naim Qelaj hosted Ambassador Marek Szczygiel, director of the office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities.

The Ombudsperson spoke about his mandate and powers, as well as about the work and activities that the Institution did regarding the receiving and investigation of citizens’ complaints. He said that the Institution enjoys the trust of the general public from the evaluations made by local and international organizations.

The Ombudsperson said that he receives numerous complaints from the non-majority community, highlighting the receipt of 251 complaints during the past year, out of which 154 complaints were registered by the Serbian community, out of a total of 1,660 complaints received during 2023.

He said that based on the complaints received, the cases are mostly related to property issues, delays in court proceedings, non-recognition of diplomas and employment issues. Also, other non-majority communities have filed complaints involving social and economic problems, complaints about displacement and return, and complaints about language rights in education.

The Ombudsperson stressed that a standard has been created in communication and respect for the implementation of the Ombudsperson’s recommendations, however, there is a need for increased supervision of the implementation of these recommendations by the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo.

The Ombudsperson’s Institution has continuously maintained regular communication with citizens including all communities through the organization of meetings in coordination and cooperation with civil society organizations. All representatives of all communities have participated in these meetings and good practice has been shown as an opportunity for citizens to freely express their worries and concerns.

Mr. Qelaj said that there is an institutional will to respect language rights in the country, in this aspect the institution has good cooperation with the Office of the Language Commissioner, underlining that there is an awareness of the authorities about respecting the law on languages, but that challenges continue to exist due to the lack of translators.

Ambassador Marek Szczyigl emphasized the role and importance of the Ombudsperson’s Institution in the protection of human rights for all citizens, congratulating the Ombudsperson for his work and commitment so far.