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Central institutions

Consultative Council for Communities

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.

Office for Community Affairs

The Office for Community Affairs (OCA) was established in 2008 under the Office of the Prime Minister to act as focal point for community issues within the government. The OCA assesses the situation facing minority communities in Kosovo and advises the Prime Minister and the Government. It monitors the impact of government policies on minority communities, raises awareness of rights and policies, supports initiatives addressing identified needs and distributes information on laws and policies affecting communities.

Office of the Language Commissioner

The Office of the Language Commissioner was established in April 2012 to preserve, promote and protect Albanian and Serbian as official languages with equal status, and to protect the language rights of people who speak other community languages.

The Language Policy Board, along with the Language Policy Network, is one of the supporting mechanisms of the Office of the Language Commissioner. The Board, composed of twenty members representing relevant institutions, experts and linguistic communities, provides institutional support for the development, implementation and enforcement of language policies. The Office reports to the Board and submits annual reports to the Government and the Assembly.

The Office supervises implementation of the Law on the Use of Languages and investigates complaints about recognition and use of official languages and other community languages. The Language Commissioner advises the Government and institutions on language use.

Office of Good Governance

The Advisory Office on Good Governance, Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Gender Issues operates within the Office of the Prime Minister. It advises and monitors government ministries on good governance, human rights, equal opportunities and gender issues and engages communities in that work.

The Office of Good Governance coordinates and monitors the Strategy for Advancing the Rights of the Roma and Ashkali Communities in the Republic of Kosovo 2022–2026 and its action plans for 2022–2024 and 2025–2026. The 2009–2015 strategy covered Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities together. Egyptian community representatives declined inclusion from 2017, and the 2017–2021 and 2022–2026 strategies cover Roma and Ashkali communities.

Ministry for Communities and Return

The Ministry for Communities and Return works to protect the rights of communities and returnees, including the right of refugees and internally displaced persons to return under Article 156 of the Constitution of Kosovo. It promotes conditions for sustainable return through trust, dialogue and reconciliation. It works to ensure that central and local policies address community and returnee rights, including free movement, language use, freedom of expression, equal representation, access to courts, housing and local services.

Committee on Rights and Interests of Communities and Returns

The Committee on Rights and Interests of Communities and Returns is a permanent committee of the Kosovo Assembly and safeguards community interests in the legislative process. It is composed of Assembly members holding seats reserved or guaranteed for the Serb community, other non-majority communities and the majority community. It reviews legislation, makes recommendations based on the rights and interests of communities and can propose laws addressing their concerns.

Municipal institutions

Municipal Office for Communities and Return

Municipal Offices for Communities and Return are mandated to protect and promote community rights, help ensure equal access to public services and create conditions for the sustainable return of refugees, displaced persons and repatriated persons. They assist returnees, repatriated people and members of minority communities.

Municipal protection against discrimination

Under Government Regulation No. 03/2017, municipalities designate a unit or officer for protection against discrimination. The unit or officer coordinates, monitors and reports on measures to prevent discrimination and promote equality and equal opportunities.

Municipal Communities Committee

Municipal Communities Committees comprise representatives from communities living in the respective municipality and members of the Municipal Assembly. Each community residing in a given municipality must have at least one representative on the committee, and representatives of minority communities make up the majority of its members. These committees review municipal policies, practices and activities for compliance with community rights and recommend measures to protect and develop ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity.

Deputy Chairperson of the Municipal Assembly for Communities

The Deputy Chairperson of the Municipal Assembly for Communities is required where minority communities make up at least 10% of the municipality’s population. The Deputy Chairperson reviews complaints from community members about municipal assembly acts or decisions, refers complaints to the assembly and can request reconsideration. Under the conditions set by the Constitution, the Deputy Chairperson can refer an act or decision to the Constitutional Court.

Deputy Mayor for Communities

The Deputy Mayor for Communities is required where minority communities make up at least 10% of the municipality’s population and advises the Mayor on issues related to minority communities.

Independent institutions

Ombudsperson

The Ombudsperson of Kosovo is an independent institution mandated to review human-rights violations or abuse of authority by public bodies. Any person in Kosovo who believes that a public institution has violated their rights may make a complaint free of charge. The Ombudsperson investigates complaints, monitors public policies, issues reports and recommendations and can initiate investigations on its own. It can also mediate between complainants and public institutions.

The Ombudsperson may support Kosovo citizens whose rights have been infringed by a public authority abroad by referring their case to the responsible institution. Its domestic public-authority mandate excludes UNMIK and KFOR. Its powers are investigative and recommendatory, and court decisions remain within the jurisdiction of the courts.

Since 2015 the Ombudsperson has also served as Kosovo’s equality body under the Law on Protection from Discrimination. In that role it can examine discrimination complaints involving private parties.

Constitutional Court

The Constitutional Court decides constitutional complaints and reviews matters of vital interest under the Constitution. See ECMI Kosovo’s 2012 booklet on the Constitutional Court for an introduction to the Court and its procedures.

Related work

Last reviewed November 2026