This report is the second in a series from the project: Improving Service Delivery and Minority Rights Awareness at the Municipal and Civil Society Level. The project seeks to provide support to local municipal authorities and civil society organisations to deliver education to students from minority communities.

Throughout 2011 and 2012, ECMI Kosovo has advocated against the segregated education of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian children in Kosovo’s education system. On Wednesday 16 January 2013, this resulted in a lawsuit being submitted on behalf of eight parents of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian children who were placed – by the ‘Mustafa Bakija’ school in Gjakovë/Ðakovica – in a segregated first grade class separate from their Albanian peers. This information bulletin sets out all actions taken by ECMIKosovo leading up to the submission of the lawsuit.

“ECMI Kosovo would like to announce that today, on 16 January 2013, a lawsuit was submitted against the Directorate of Education of the Municipality of Gjakovë/Ðakovica, in response to the discriminatory practice taking place in the ‘Mustafa Bakija’ primary school where Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian children have been placed in a segregated class separate from their Albanian peers. ECMI Kosovo has for a long time worked to stop and prevent the segregation of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian children in Kosovo and has closely supported this lawsuit as part its project ‘Enhancing the Positive Impact of the Law for Vulnerable and Marginalised Groups (VMGs) in Kosovo’, funded by the European Union and managed by the European Union Office in Kosovo.”

ECMI Kosovo strongly condemns the desecration of a number of Orthodox graveyards that took place between Sunday 20 January and Monday 21 January.

On 31 January 2013, The European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) Kosovo organised a Conference in

Prishtinë/Priština to present its report on ‘Socioeconomic Condi_ons in Northern Kosovo’.

This report is based on a questionnaire administered to 721 respondents in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North,

Leposavić/Leposaviq, Zubin Potok and Zvečan/Zveqan to identify the population’s perceptions, needs

and concerns on the following socioeconomic issues: Healthcare, Education, Social Welfare and

Employment.

ECMI Kosovo has developed a policy brief assessing the minority communities figures established by the Kosovo Population and Housing Census 2011. The policy brief compares final census data, released in September 2012, with previous population estimates made by ECMI Kosovo and the OSCE Mission in Kosovo in 2010 and 2011, as well as electoral participation data. Minority population statistics are of great significance in Kosovo, not least because a series of community rights and provisions are linked to them.