Pristina, October 1st, 2025 – The Ombudsperson on Wednesday gathered Ambassadors and representatives of international agencies and organizations, expressing gratitude for the cooperation over the years, and in particular those with which the Ombudsperson’s Institution has been engaged in projects.

This cooperation with international partners is emphasized to be since the establishment of the Ombudsperson’s Institution in 2000, which this year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Institution.

The Ombudsperson, Mr. Naim Qelaj, said that this support and this cooperation will continue further, being convinced that it is in the interest of the country to maintain and strengthen this partnership in the direction of further advancing the respect for human rights.

Mr. Qelaj said that during these years the Institution has received tens of thousands of citizens who have filed complaints requesting the respect of their rights. He added that for the last ten years, the Ombudsperson has issued more than 2 thousand recommendations to public authorities.

The Ombudsperson said that recently the country is facing a major challenge with the lack of political will to constitute the Kosovo Assembly and form the government and other institutions. He added that in recent years there has been a tendency to attack independent institutions and the media.

The Ombudsperson also said that Kosovo’s non-membership in the Council of Europe remains a concern, and that in the future he believes that all stakeholders will be engaged, and with international support, for Kosovo to join this important organization.

Mr. Qelaj finally thanked the participants, requesting continued cooperation to raise awareness of the respect of the Ombudsperson’s recommendations and his stances by public authorities, as well as raising the awareness of the authorities to guarantee a suitable working environment for the Ombudsperson.

The Head of the European Union Office in Kosovo, Mr. Aivo Orav, said that the Ombudsperson’s Institution marks great achievements in terms of respecting human rights and equality in Kosovo. He added that maintaining the independence of the Ombudsperson’s Institution means increasing public trust.

The meeting was also attended by the Head of EULEX, Mr. Pietro Barbano, the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Mr. Gerard McGurk, the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Pristina, Ms. Mary-Ann Hennessey and representatives of other international organizations. They highly appreciated the work and role of the Ombudsperson in the protection and promotion of human rights as an important mechanism for the functioning of democracy in the country.

The participants also emphasized that the independence of the Ombudsperson’s Institution is of particular importance and pledged to cooperate in the future.