Prishtina, 2 November, 2023
The commitment of the Government of Kosovo to continue the fight against racial discrimination was expressed today by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, with whose speech the Western Balkans Summit against Racial Discrimination continued its work.
“We are here with the commitment to face racial discrimination, to defeat racism and fight inequality. In order to realize the Government’s vision, we must face the existing injustices, especially discrimination. In order to preserve the community, we must fight discrimination where it is most present: against the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities”, he said in the opening speech of the second day of the summit.
In the meantime, he also mentioned the achievements of the Government in this fight, first of all the Anti-discrimination Platform: raportodiskriminimin.org. On this Government platform, citizens can report cases of discrimination against the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, in which case the Prime Minister declared that we are accepting, researching and addressing the presence of racial discrimination in our society.
At the same time, the two online initiatives “Kosova Generation Unlimited” and “Superpuna”, which enable the connection between employers and potential employees digitally, are actions of the Government that offer employment opportunities for youth from communities, for a fairer state.
“With investments from the government in the Kosova Generation Unlimited initiative, we aim for 15% of the internships offered to be for young people from non-majority communities. The latest figures show that so far we have achieved that 9% of the interns are from non-majority communities, so we have not yet reached where we want and need, but nevertheless a number roughly in line with the representation of non-majority communities in Kosovo said the prime minister.
The Western Balkans Summit against Racial Discrimination is an annual event that brings together key stakeholders from across the region to share practices and strategies for addressing and combating racial discrimination against the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities.
On the second day of this summit, a total of five sessions will be held, in which panelists from institutions and civil society will discuss: Responsible budgeting for Roma: Good practices and challenges at the two levels of government; Institutional mechanisms for the implementation of laws and policies against racial discrimination; Digital literacy: Examining barriers to Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities; Success stories and best practices in the fight against racial discrimination – Experience from the Western Balkans; as well as Community Based Services.
This year, with the motto “Unity in diversity”, the Summit does not only focus on challenges, but also on success stories and good practices, whether those of institutions or communities. In addition to bringing together experts, leaders and activists to discuss and develop effective strategies to combat racial discrimination in all its forms, the Summit provides a platform for sharing the stories and experiences of people affected by racial discrimination.
The summit is organized by the Office for Good Governance/Office of the Prime Minister, supported by the consortium consisting of VoRAE, HEKS, Terre des Hommes Kosovo, with funds from the Swiss Development Agency (SDC).
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Dear Ms. Beate Elsasse, Head of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Kosovo,
The honorable Mr. Sylejman Elshani, Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports,
The honorable Mr. Isak Skenderi, Executive Director, Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians,
Dear Ms. Ljatifa Sikovska, Member of Parliament of North Macedonia,
Dear members of the Assembly of the Republic,
The honorable Mr. Habit Hajredini, Director of the Office for Good Governance, Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Non-Discrimination,
Dear representatives and participants,
Ladies and gentleman,
We are here today together with a pledge to confront racial discrimination, defeat racism and fight inequality.
Since the beginning of our government, we have set our priorities and vision for justice for all without distinction. To realize this vision, we must face the injustices that exist, especially discrimination. Therefore, our Strategy for advancing the rights of the Roma and Ashkali communities, which was approved in 2022, is the first strategy where the fight against discrimination is included as a component in itself.
To preserve the community we must fight discrimination and to address cases of discrimination we must do so where it is most present: towards the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities. That is why we have created the possibility of reporting on the “Report Discrimination.org” platform, launched by the Office for Good Governance in 2022, where we invite not only Roma, Egyptians and Ashkali people, but all citizens to report discrimination wherever they are they encounter it.
Until now, the citizens of our country have reported various cases to private companies, health institutions, the police and universities. Our team has reviewed each reported case and legal experts have referred the cases to the relevant institutions to take collective action. These actions are actions of the institutions that follow the reporting, since reports that are not acted upon are useless and sometimes seem counter-productive, therefore collectively we take responsibility that the word that comes to us about a discrimination anywhere becomes our action against to that discrimination.
So we are acknowledging, researching and addressing the presence of racial discrimination in our society.
Other actions of the Government, towards equality, are two online initiatives of the executive – it is Kosova Generation Unlimited and Superpuna.
Kosovo Generation Unlimited is a government initiative in cooperation with UNICEF and businesses. It offers paid internships to young people aged 16-24.
On the other hand, Superpuna is a government initiative to subsidize young people aged 18-25.
What we have seen in these two initiatives is how the online element affects the employment of discriminated groups. As the connection between the employer and the potential employee is made digitally, CVs or biographies are reviewed without information on ethnicity. So those who handle these CVs do not know the ethnicity of the person. This has eliminated some of the discrimination that might otherwise occur during the interview process. We know that when we read a text the mind and attention is influenced by the title of that text, and we need to come together in the universality of human rights and the rule of law, where we focus on the substance and not the title. Once the substance and at the end the title, not the title at the beginning so that there is no substance at all. The rule of law has no other meaning. Equality is not the destination, it is the starting point. We must start as equals, if we do not treat each other as equals, if we do not put first and foremost what we have in common and not what may eventually differentiate us, then we cannot to have democracy, freedom and rights. Therefore, even with this online platform, we have taken care that the content, the substance precedes the form, precedes the title.
With investments from the government in the Kosova Generation Unlimited initiative, we aim for 15% of the internships offered to be for young people from non-majority communities. The latest figures show that so far we have achieved that 9% of interns are from non-majority communities, so we have not yet reached where we want and need, but nevertheless a number roughly in line with the representation of non-majority communities in Kosovo. When I met some of these young people, they proved to me the power of such initiatives, in the first steps of the professional life of young people, because it is about the age group where the journey of career, profession, life and experiences is defined that they receive in the future and become a contribution to society and the state.
By employing youth from the communities, we offer opportunities for them, but also for all citizens of Kosovo, for a fairer state.
During today’s summit, here, we will talk about the direction we are going with anti-discrimination policies. The topic of budgeting necessary for the realization of the rights of communities will be discussed – both at the municipal and central level. Institutional mechanisms for the implementation of laws and policies against racial discrimination will be discussed. We will learn from each other’s experiences in providing services related to communities, but we will also be inspired by success stories in combating discrimination.
I understand that politics is a battle of ideas, but governance is a democratic service, so in me you can find the prime minister who is here as a chief servant first and foremost, for those who have the greatest needs and the most violated rights.
I hope that by the end of the day, you will leave the summit with new ideas, useful contacts and increased inspiration.
Thank you.
Last modified: November 2, 2023