Prishtina, 18 May 2026 – The Ombudsperson, Mr. Naim Qelaj, participated in a roundtable discussion on the occasion of the presentation of the guideline “Integrating Roma and Sinti Issues in the Work of National Human Rights Institutions and National Equality Bodies”. The roundtable was organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which launched this guideline.

The Ombudsperson highly praised the guideline on integrating Roma and Sinti issues as a powerful instrument for promoting human rights and equality for the Roma community, but also for other non-majority communities.

He said that inciting cooperation is one of the main goals of this guideline and the Ombudsperson’s Institution will use it as a guide in its work and activities.

Mr. Qelaj said that he has organized many field visits with the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities and continues to do so. In most of these visits, violations have been found and as a result, cases have been opened ex officio regarding the provision of adequate housing conditions.

The Ombudsperson also emphasized that from the cooperation with NGOs dealing with the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, other challenges have been identified, such as employment, property rights and education issues.

In 2025, the Ombudsperson Institution received 11 complaints from the Roma community, 23 complaints from the Ashkali community and 8 complaints from the Egyptian community. The most frequent complaints included property issues – including construction permits and certification of ownership; recognition of the Romani language in official use in municipalities; allegations of violation of rights in employment relationships; undignified medical treatment, and prolonged court proceedings in civil disputes.

In 2021, the OSCE/ODIHR conducted a needs assessment with the aim of drafting a report that analyzed the needs for strengthening the capacities of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and National Equality Bodies (NEBs) to more effectively address issues affecting Roma and Sinti communities in the context of their work.