CDF Human Rights Program in Kosovo 2019-2023

In 2022, CDF continued building capacities of Implementing partners, initially through our in-house resources given that we have a high level of Technical Expertise in the areas of Admin, Finance, HR, and Procurement. Specifically, CDF worked with its partners to identify areas of capacity building, and through an external consultant, provided technical assistance in the areas of Financial Budgeting, including the narrative budgeting part, Internal Control, Procurement, Contract Management, Monitoring, and Evaluation capacity building program. In this way, CDF has worked through to increase the potential of its partners and provide greater effectiveness in their daily work. As an example, CDF provided training on the Financial Capacity Building of 20 Human Rightivism and other CDF implementing partners to help their ability to understand and effectively use QuickBooks on various financial skills, including personal and organizational financial management, budgeting, and reporting. The GAP Analysis of the Human Rights and the critical role of CSO in Human Rights in Kosovo is completed. This study will help significantly all Human Rightivism implementing partners to understand more in-depth the macro aspect of Human Rights in Kosovo and position their impact and role on the picture of general Human Rights in Kosovo. Mid-term evaluation conducted in 2022 with the main objective to assess the achievements of the Human Rightivism project funded by Sida and provide detailed recommendations. CDF will use this review's findings, lessons learned, and recommendations for strategic discussion and decision-making related to existing functions and approaches, both within the project core implementation and beyond. The results achieved by partners are clustered in here below based on the themes, rather than based on IP. Marginalized and vulnerable groups The theatre play "Father and Father" has had a tremendous impact and was exceptionally well received by the community of civil victims of war, the general public, the media, art critics, and the artistic community. The response received in every reprise of the play was immense, making this a special event in Prishtina and Kosovo's social and cultural life. "Father and Father" addresses the issue of missing persons from the recent war in Kosovo by revealing a shocking story and a deep social trauma. This wound has remained unhealed and holds the characters captivated forever. Critics considered this play as one of those plays that suffocate with their simplicity. Same-sex marriage in the Civil Code of Kosovo: 90 CSOs and human rights activists commenced a petition regarding the inclusion of same-sex marriage in the Civil Code of Kosovo. LGBTI Community organized the working group for drafting the Law on Civil Registry and included the change of name and sex in line with Resolution 2048 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Unpaid Care Work in Kosovo: A critical discussion, it was finally conducted for the first time at the country level, Research on Unpaid Care Work in Kosovo (Unpaid Care Work). The research consisted of a time-use survey with a representative sample and six focus group discussions with citizens of Kosovo. This project has disclosed statistical data on how the citizens of Kosovo spend their time - especially the differences between women and men in relation to work, parenting, caring for children, etc., as well as the perceptions of the types of citizens' work. In addition, the publication has initiated debate and interest in the subject. Housing remains a crucial challenge for many minority community members in Kosovo. With the initiative and advocacy activities of Human Rightivism Implementing Partner, European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) initiated Law No. 03L-164 on Financing of Special Housing Programmes of Kosovo in setting up several assistance schemes for these cases. The Law anticipates institutional and economic instruments for addressing housing issues and establishing suitable housing for families in need, carried out in conjunction with relevant municipalities. In addition, the Government of Kosovo approved the "Strategy for Inclusion of Roma and Ashkali Communities in the Kosovo Society 2017-2022". The Strategy anticipates concrete action and measures to ensure housing for families in need as part of concerted action that the Strategy foresees for the full integration of these communities. Environmental Rights as a human right One of the most significant environmental challenges for the Republic of Kosovo is the need for adequate national policies to properly maintain the surface waters such as rivers, lakes, swamps, etc. Based on this situation and the high importance of making the public aware of the long-term consequences of polluted waters, as a result of project intervention, established cooperation with the Hydro-Meteorological Institute of Kosova to measure the water quality and published for the first time the results online. This campaign has been evaluated as one of the most important, established recently, and as a result, it took lots of public attention. With significant success, numerous strategic lawsuits throughout this year were through 2022. One of the favourable decisions of the Supreme Court of Kosovo was the case of the Hydro Power plant 'Lepenci 3' in Kaçanik. With this decision, the Supreme Court has finally concluded on "the suspension of decisions on water and environmental permits for the Hydropower Plant "Lepenci 3", which will remain in force until the final decision of the case according to the lawsuit. This lawsuit and its court conclusion are significant because it protects against further damage to the environment and holds Kosova's institutions accountable and responsible for their actions. Highlighted results and steps forward in improving the well-being of Persons with Disabilities Continuous advocacy work of Organizations representing Persons with Disabilities, in cooperation with the Government of Kosovo, Kosovo Parliament Members as well as Local Institutions, has made a great impact on several vital subjects: Announcement of 2022 as the "Year of Persons with Disabilities" by the Prime Minister of Kosovo. Inclusion of the representatives of Organizations of Persons with disabilities within a group that monitors the implementation of Government activities for Persons with Disabilities. Within Law No. 08/L-066 on budget allocations of the Republic of Kosovo for 2022, funds have been allocated for the engagement of 100 care assistants (for children/students with disabilities). After creating an accurate Database of Blind Persons in Kosovo, it derived preparation of research on their needs in Education and inclusion in the labor market. For the first time, the research provided data evidence and conclusions of engagement within relevant institutions for the Education, training, and employment of blind persons. Labor rights are finally getting the institutional attention it deserves Ongoing advocacy from our partner organizations, including reports, conferences, media appearances, and different tools, have not gone in vain. The labor inspectorate's budget for next year has been doubled, effectively also increasing the number of inspectors from 35 to 135, which will be safeguarding the labor rights of employees in Kosovo. For the first time, Kosovo is producing a decent working conditions report. Moreover, a great showcase of the collaboration between institutions and CSOs will ensure that the report will only be on desks after finished. The Ministry has pledged to use the findings to intervene in the issues identified by CSOs. More than 500 men and women, especially vulnerable ones, have been reached only at the beginning of the campaign to ensure that everybody has workplace contracts. However, we feel confident that soon having an arrangement will become the norm and will not even be part of the discussion. Thirty-six students of Law have undergone specialized training on labor rights and become official alums of the Young Lawyers Network. In their internship programs, they ensured everyone gets equal access to opportunities in litigations. The inclusive approach towards dealing with labor rights violations has contributed to increasing employees' trust, especially vulnerable groups, in reporting violations in the workplace. Accountability and transparency of the labor inspectorate are crucial. A new system database has been created for field inspectors to report their inspections. At the same time, this year will see the labor inspectorate moving from old-fashioned reports to new visualized, with new and desegregated data.