IFES - Kosovo

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Kosovo

Members of Handikos, a Kosovo-based organization for people with disabilities, participate in IFES and OSCE training.

Kosovo has been governed by the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo since 1999 under the guidance of UN Security Council Resolution 1244. Discussions on the final status of Kosovo were launched in 2005.

IFES has been providing technical assistance in Kosovo since 1998 when an agreement between Slobodan Milosevic and the international community was reached that allowed for diplomatic verification and humanitarian assistance as well as some sort of self-rule for Kosovo and elections within nine month's time.

IFES conducted a comprehensive electoral assessment for future elections with the aim of establishing the quality of population registries for the province and the extent of the Kosovar Albanian population's participation in public administration and electoral processes. IFES also provided assistance in the areas of election processes, capacity building of civil society and promoting the rule of law.

Past Projects

Civil Society Capacity Building (2001-2005)

Prior to the local elections in Kosovo, IFES focused on facilitating discussion on electoral issues within civil society by advising and supporting events and working groups initiated by NGOs and other actors to encourage civil society to engage with electoral recommendations and their implications on democratic institutions in Kosovo. This support included informal channels for advising civil society actors on transitional electoral systems, supporting their outreach activities, and assisting with building better coordination between civil society, elected officials and the international community. These activities were complemented by the implementation of IFES’ Transitional Election Resources Project.

The objective of the Transitional Election Resources Project was to provide educational, human, and funding resources to Kosovar civil society organizations (CSOs) participating in the election transition so that the public can contribute to the transition and have confidence in the process and conclusion. The educational resources took the form of research, comparative studies, assistance for public forums, and focused media programs in support of local CSO activities. In addition, the project carried out a sub-grant program to directly assist CSOs with relevant programming to support the electoral transition.

Election Administration (1998-2001)

Since 1998, IFES has provided technical assistance to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the administration of Kosovar elections. IFES assisted the OSCE and UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to create a civil registry, a necessary step toward normalizing public administration and registering voters in the Yugoslav province. Leading up to the successful October 2000 municipal elections and the November 2001 parliamentary elections, IFES assisted the OSCE in establishing a legal electoral framework; developing a technical infrastructure; and training election officials, poll workers and members of the Municipal Election Commissions (MECs).

After the elections of October 2000, IFES conducted its first Post-Election Survey and Conference. Based on the results of the survey and the conference, IFES developed a series of training seminars for MEC members throughout Kosovo. The seminars, led by international trainers, introduced election officials to important concepts in election administration, including international standards and voter education. In addition, IFES sponsored a team of international trainers to train the Polling Station Commissions (PSCs) on Election Day procedures. The results of both training programs were tested in the first parliamentary elections in November 2001, which were hailed as a success by the international community. Through these training seminars, IFES enhanced the capacity of local election officials to administer elections in a professional and effective manner in anticipation of the eventual departure of the international community. IFES employed a similar post-electoral strategy that included the second IFES Survey of Electoral Administration and Performance, and post-election roundtable. Activities were held in the context of delegating responsibilities of electoral administrations to institutions within Kosovo.

Judicial System Reform

Since 2004, IFES has been implementing a project to improve the capacity of the Kosovar judicial system to enforce civil court judgments fairly and effectively. Building upon its comprehensive research projects on the execution of court judgments in Latin America and on emerging Global Enforcement Standards, IFES is collaborating with the National Center for State Courts on a multi-year program to reduce case backlogs, improve stakeholder information flows and promote more confidence in the legal system. A stakeholder working group brings together representatives of the courts, private/public sectors, and legal community to tackle joint problems and identify creative solutions to roadblocks in the system. These reforms will help set the stage for economic and political progress and the development of a Rule of Law culture.

Under this project, IFES is also undertaking a number of public information and outreach activities. IFES conducts a yearly national survey to monitor public perception of the judiciary and, more broadly, of the rule of law environment in Kosovo. Following the 2004 survey, which showed a poor understanding and confidence in the judiciary, IFES and NCSC developed a number of public outreach materials on the judicial organization and processes. These materials were used in training sessions at the community level through a group of experienced Kosovar public information trainers.