Lack of adequate budget allocation seriously hampers the work of Kosovo’sConsultative Council for Communities, reports ECMI Kosovo.

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The purpose of the Consultative Council for Communities (CCC) is to “provide a mechanism for regular exchange between the Communities and the Government of Kosovo” and to “afford to the Communities the opportunity to comment at an early stage on legislative or policy initiatives that may be prepared by the Government, to suggest such initiatives, and to seek to have their views incorporated in the relevant projects and programs.” The CCC began in 2005 as an informal body attached to the Kosovo Delegation for Status Negotiations. The Council is located within the Office of the President and comprises mainly representatives of all minority communities in Kosovo and also representatives of the Government and other relevant public institutions. Its mandate is defined by Article 60 of the Constitution of Kosovo and the Law on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Communities and their Members in Kosovo.

The Ombudsperson of Kosovo is an independent institution mandated to review cases of human rights violations or abuse of authority by public bodies. The Ombudsperson can accept and investigate complaints, free of charge, from any person in Kosovo who believes that his/her rights have been violated by any public institution in Kosovo. The institution carries out investigations, publishes reports and offers legal services and public advocacy. It also monitors policies approved by public institutions in order to ensure that they are in line with standards of human rights and good governance. In cases where the Ombudsperson deems a case has a considerable impact on a person, a group or all citizens of Kosovo and concerns international human rights standards, it can publish a special report including recommendations for the government. It is also able to investigate independently of any personal complaint when it deems a human rights violation has taken place. If such a violation is found, the Ombudsperson will try to find solutions through different channels; it can, for example, mediate between the victims and public institutions, recommend actions to public institutions, publish reports and voice its concerns in the media.

Every municipality in Kosovo has a Municipal Office for Communities and Return (MOCR). These offices are mandated to “protect and promote the rights of communities, the equal access of all communities to public services and the creation of conditions for sustainable return of refugees, displaced persons and repatriated persons”. Consequently, they carry the responsibility of assisting returnees/repatriates and members of minority communities.

The respect and protection of minorities is enshrined in both European and international law. Both the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Art. 2) and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Art. 27), two basic texts on international human rights, mention the right to one’s cultural, religious and linguistic identity, free from discrimination.

At the European level, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (Art. 22) also includes a provision to respect cultural, religious and linguistic diversity.

Click on the links below to learn more about other legal instrument relating to essential minority rights: