Prishtina, 22 October, 2024
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, participated in the launch of the project by the Council of Europe “Promoting social cohesion by strengthening minority rights and minority languages in Kosovo”.
In his opening speech, the Prime Minister said that today is an appropriate day to launch any project that aims to have far-reaching positive effects, such as this one, which promotes social cohesion by strengthening minority rights and minority languages.
“In the same way, the project that is bringing us together today – strengthening minority rights and languages - fits into the environment we have created and will have its impact because of the systems we have worked on and improved over time. we are in government”, said Prime Minister Kurti.
Prime Minister Kurti has mentioned the progress that has been achieved since the fifth opinion of the Advisory Committee, starting with the verification of diplomas from the University of North Mitrovica and the legal basis we have created for the verification of high school diplomas from schools that teach in Serbian language; then the arrangements made for the registration to be as inclusive as possible of national minorities with positions created in the Kosovo Statistics Agency for each non-majority community and nearly 500 positions for members of non-majority communities as registrars and supervisors, so that each family can have a registrar from their community; improving textbooks available to Bosnian and Turkish students; and revising the social welfare support system, which is disproportionately used by non-majority communities – where 11% of families receiving social welfare are from the Serbian community and another 14% are from the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, and in other fields. Regarding the latter, the Prime Minister said that we plan that the new approach we are piloting will encourage beneficiaries of social welfare payments to move into the labor market as a sustainable way out of poverty.
“We welcome the new energy, continued inspiration and additional support for these and similar processes that this new project brings,” he said, adding that today we join you in celebrating this new opportunity to combine our efforts. for this common purpose anyway.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Dear Ms. Mary Ann Hennessy, Head of the Office of the Council of Europe in Pristina,
The honorable Mr. Enis Kervan, deputy in the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo,
Dear Ms. Emma Lantschner international expert Advisory Committee for the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities,
The honorable Mr. Habit Hajredini, Director of the Office for Good Governance,
Dear representatives of diplomatic missions of Kosovo,
Dear representatives of civil society organizations in Kosovo,
Dear attendees,
Ladies and gentlemen,
This morning I learned that October 22nd is the date that in 1879 Thomas Edison successfully tested the first practical electric incandescent light bulb. So it is an appropriate day to launch any project that aims to have far-reaching positive effects, such as today, which promotes social cohesion by strengthening minority rights and minority languages. I’ve read a little bit about Edison’s discovery, and I think it’s a particularly good metaphor for what we’re starting now, because it’s not that Edison’s was the first light bulb to be invented using a filament that glowed; but his lamp was successful because it was adapted to an effective lighting system, with the right materials and environment that were available. In the same way, the project that is uniting us today – strengthening minority rights and languages – fits into the environment we have created and will have its impact because of the systems we have worked on and improved during our time. in governance.
Allow me now to address you in Serbian, but we could also speak Bosnian, to return to Albanian again later.
U jačanju manjinskih jezika, možemo biti ponosni na poboljšanja koja smo učinili u situaciji koju smo nasledili. Pod našim upravljanjem rešili smo pitanje prevoda u Skupštini kojeg nije bilo na srpskom jeziku; počeli smo da prenosimo sastanke vlade uživo i na albanskom i na srpskom jeziku, i obezbedili smo da saopštenja za javnost iz Kabineta premijera budu, po prvi put od proglašenja nezavisnosti, objavljena na oba zvanična jezika istovremeno. Ove godine smo utrostručili budžet Kancelarije poverenika za jezike za projekte sa civilnim društvom koji obezbeđuju primenu Zakona o upotrebi jezika. Doneli smo Vladinu
Odluku o formiranju Kancelarije za kontrolu i harmonizaciju jezika koja će povećati broj prevodilaca za srpski jezik i obezbediti, uz pomoć Ambasade
Švajcarske zajedno sa OEBS-om, da imamo tačne verzije zakona i podzakonskih akata na oba službena jezika. Iz Kancelarije za pitanja zajednica pri Kabinetu premijera od prošlog proleća šaljemo dvonedeljni bilten koji obuhvata mogućnosti Vlade i naših partnera, koji je dostupan na albanskom, srpskom, bosanskom, turskom i romskom jeziku i ide za preko 1000 nevećinskih aktivista i drugih staratelja. Ali znamo da ima više da se uradi – ne samo zato što penzionisanjem dvojezične generacije, gubimo prevoditeljski kapacitet između albanskog i srpskog jezika, nego moramo da zadržimo ove jezičke veštine u razvoju, zarad konkurentne privrede i kohezivnog društva.
In general, the filaments of the day-to-day and comprehensive promotion of language rights fit into our broader systems for addressing the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. I thank director Habit Hajredini and the members of the Technical Group he leads, especially my adviser Elizabeth Gowing from my cabinet of advisers to the prime minister, for their work in coordinating the implementation of the recommendations. We have been able to demonstrate significant progress since the fifth opinion of the Advisory Committee. For example:
• with the verification of diplomas from the University of North Mitrovica and the legal basis we have created for the verification of high school diplomas from schools that teach in the Serbian language;
• then, with the arrangements made for the registration to be as inclusive as possible of our national minorities, with positions created in the Kosovo Statistics Agency for each non-majority community and nearly 500 positions for members of non-majority communities as registrars and supervisors, so that every family can have a registrar from their community;
• with the implementation of the decision of the Constitutional Court for the Monastery of Deçan and the last meeting of the Implementation and Monitoring Council;
• with the creation of a dynamic inter-institutional working group for the reporting and prevention of early marriages in the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, which has received wide support from the communities, from civil society, from local and central institutions as well as international partners. The work done has begun to have an impact at the local level to support hundreds of girls whose health, education and access to employment are threatened by early marriage every year;
• by increasing our support for learning centers – this year with a quarter of a million euros to support these essential mechanisms for educational success for those who are most marginalized;
• then, with our improvement of textbooks available to Bosnian and Turkish students;
• by revising our social welfare support system, which is disproportionately used by non-majority communities – where 11% of families receiving social
welfare are from the Serbian community and another 14% are from the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities . We plan that the new approach we are piloting will encourage recipients of social welfare payments to move into the labor market as a sustainable way out of poverty.
We welcome the new energy, continued inspiration and additional support for these and similar processes that this new project brings. We know that we have a lot of work ahead of us and we are aware of one of the most famous sayings of the inventor of the light bulb, Thomas Edison: we must match ‘1% inspiration with 99% work’. But our institutions are ready to achieve our common goal of social cohesion through the rights of minorities and their languages. Meanwhile, today we join you in celebrating this new opportunity to combine our efforts towards this common goal anyway.
Dear attendees,
When I light a candle in the room, the atmosphere seems romantic, but there some are more visible and some may not be visible. When the electric pot is turned on, everyone becomes visible in the room and appears together. Visible to each other; visible to all.
Thank you very much.
Hvala puno.
Last modified: October 23, 2024