Albanian Language Media:

• The problematic inclusion of the Serbian List in the new government (RFE)
• Weber: There are no new Washington initiatives related to Kosovo (Klan)
• EU with Special candidate for Western Balkans (Express)
• Hoxha: No indictment has been filed yet (Kallxo)
• Vetevendosje Movement in Tirana: Vucic persona non grata in Albania (media)
• ECAP receives a complaint from Vetevendosje Movement (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Dacic: Serbia’s campaign on withdrawal of recognition is not against Kosovo (KIM radio, Tanjug, TV Happy)
• US Ambassador Godfrey on Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (RTS, B92)
• Fabrizi: “Mini-Schengen” not an obstacle but stimulus to EU membership (N1)
• Kozarev kept at Jarinje crossing point more than two hours (RTS)
• Russian Ambassador: No so-called recruitment can harm Russo-Serbian relations (RTS, N1, Beta)
• Miroslav Lajcak special EU envoy for the Western Balkans? (RTS, Vecernje Novosti, B92, Tanjug)
• Two investigations into murder of Oliver Ivanovic: Accusations without evidence (Insajeder, KoSSev)
• Weber: Serbian List victory was expected (KIM radio, Slobodno Srpski)

Opinions:

• Mlambo-Ngcuka: End rape—an intolerable cost to society (Koha Ditore)

International:

• Merkel and Macron Publicly Clash Over NATO (The New York Times)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Around 900 premature deaths from air pollution in Kosovo every year (Zeri)
• Campaign against gender-based violence starts with march and other activities (media)

 

 

Albanian Language Media

 

The problematic inclusion of the Serbian List in the new government (RFE)

The news website reports that according to Albanian and Serb political commentators, the inclusion of Serb representatives in the new government of Kosovo will prove a difficult task both for the leading candidate for Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, but also for the Serbian List which has secured ten seats in the Assembly.

Kurti, who leads the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV), which has won the highest number of votes in the October 6 parliamentary elections, has said that the Serbian List will not be included in a ruling coalition that the LVV aims to form with the Democratic League of Kosovo. Kurti however has also said that he will respect the Constitution of Kosovo, which guarantees a ministry in the government for the Kosovo Serb community. 

Ramush Tahiri, political commentator, told RFE that in the current circumstances, the Serbian List is against a government that would be led by Albin Kurti and that the latter does not agree with the program of the Serbian List, which represents Serbia’s interests.

“What is important is that only the votes of the Serb MPs determine the concrete name of the minister. If however the Serbian List nominates its candidate and who is approved by Albin Kurti, this would mean that it would have a member in government, but that person would not be a partner of the coalition, because the program prevents, so to say, a coalition with the Serbian List. In this case, the Serbian List would remain in the opposition or it would support the government at times, but it would not be a partner in Kurti’s ruling coalition,” Tahiri argued.

Dusan Janjic, Director of the Belgrade-based Forum for Ethnic Relations, said in an interview with the news website that there are several options to resolve the situation. The first option, he argues, is for the Serbian List not to be part of the ruling coalition in Kosovo, but the appointment of a Serb representative for minister would become a problem if this person is not supported by over half of the minority MPs in the Assembly.

“The second problem revolves around the price that Kurti is willing to pay in order for the Serbian List not to abandon the institutions as a response that would become legitimate. In other words, ‘if you don’t want us here, then we will walk away from everything’. It is difficult to predict what a future arrangement could be, but it certainly involves direct or indirect consultations with Belgrade, and as far as I know, this is the biggest problem for Kurti. Another problem for Kurti is that in the event he doesn’t need the Serbs, he would need another Albanian political party [to join],” Janjic added.

Tahiri also said that even if the Serbian List has a ministry in the new government – if the new government has only 12 ministries – and be in the opposition in the Assembly, this would put Kurti in a more comfortable position in his government.

“This does not put Kurti in a bad position. On the contrary, it makes him comfortable in terms of the program and policies,” he said.

Janjic said a government without the Serbian List is possible only if Kurti secures a convincing majority within the Albanian political corps. “Kurti needs one or two more partners from the Albanian side and then he can move without the 10 (Serbian List) MPs and certainly he could manage the risks. On the other hand, I think it would be better for the Serbian List not to be part of the ruling coalition. They could do much more in the opposition. So far, they have been part of the ruling coalition, then they walked away from the Assembly, while the ruling coalition was still standing. When you look back, nothing has been done in terms of the demands of the Serbian List because of which they boycotted the government. In the end it turned out that they were only there to get their salaries,” Janjic said.

Serbian List representatives did not want to comment on their possible involvement in the new coalition government.

Other political commentators have said that the Serbian List would give up on a ministry in the new government only if advised to do so by Belgrade.

Weber: There are no new Washington initiatives related to Kosovo (Klan)

Bodo Weber, Senior Associate of the Democratization Policy Council in Berlin, said Richard Grenell’s nomination as Special Presidential Envoy for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue does not mean greater involvement of the U.S. to resolve the Kosovo issue in the next period.

“In Kosovo, Serbia and the region, nomination of two special envoys, Matthew Palmer for Western Balkans and Richard Grenell for Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, was interpreted as a new engagement and focus of the American administration in Western Balkans,” Weber said.

He added that last parliamentary elections showed to some extent the democratic potential of Kosovo, however this is being shadowed with the events after closure of the polling stations.

“Everything is happening since then, with counting, some objections of election results, votes from Serbia and alleged poisoning of people at the Pristina registration center. Unfortunately, this in a way partially affects that good message of democracy in the region,” Weber said.

EU with Special candidate for Western Balkans (Express)

The European Union already has a main candidate for the role of the special envoy for Western Balkans.

The EU continues seeking a distinguished figure for the role of the special Envoy for Western Balkans.

The most serious candidate is head of Slovak diplomacy Miroslav Lajcak. Serbian media report.

The EU wants in this manner to soften the impact of the United States of America in the region.

As an expert on the region and experienced politician, engaged at different functions, Lajcak is the candidate who fulfills all the criteria.

Furthermore, there are allegations that he has already discussed his new role with the future head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell.

“The U.S. has two representatives for Western Balkans while we do not have any. Therefore, for this reason, things are flowing in this manner,” Lajcak is quoted as saying during his meeting with Borrell.

Hoxha: No indictment has been filed yet (Kallxo)

Kosovo’s special prosecutor Syle Hoxha denied media reports according to which the Special Prosecution has raised against two Serbs, former members of the Kosovo Police, for aiding in the assassination of Kosovo Serb political representative Oliver Ivanovic in 2018. “No, it is not true. We have not filed an indictment yet. When we do this, you shall be notified,” Hoxha told Kallxo today.

Vetevendosje Movement in Tirana: Vucic persona non grata in Albania (media)

The Vetevendosje Movement centre in Albania has organised a peace march for November 28 to oppose what it calls Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s meddling in the internal affairs of Albania and Kosovo, several news outlets report. 

The centre has called for the Serbian President to be declared persona non grata in Albania. “It is not up to him to comment on the agreements between the two independent Albanian countries. We understand that from his perspective, as a former Minister of Milosevic and a former secretary of Seselj, Kosovo is under Serbia. But for Albania and all its citizens, Kosovo is an independent and sovereign country, recognised by the majority of Western democracies and it stands in alliance with them. Vucic and all other chauvinistic politicians cannot undo this. Nor can they avoid recognising Kosovo through a formula such as the ‘Mini-Schengen’,” the centre said in a statement.

ECAP receives a complaint from Vetevendosje Movement (media)

Head of Kosovo’s Election Complaints and Appeals Panel Mul Desku said that after the recount of the ballots from 1407 polling station, they received one complaint from Vetevendosje Movement which concerns administration of counting at Count and Results Center. He informed that ECAP will inform this political entity with their decision very soon. 

Desku said that from the moment of the start of the recount, they have received 20 complaints. 

Kosovo’s Central Election Commission (CEC) informed that they are waiting for the legal deadline for eventual complaints at ECAP with regards to the administration of counting at Count and Results Center, prior to proceeding with the announcement of the results of the counting process.

 

 

Serbian Language Media

 

Dacic: Serbia’s campaign on withdrawal of recognition is not against Kosovo (KIM radio, Tanjug, TV Happy)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told Belgrade based TV Happy that Serbia's campaign on withdrawal of recognitions is not against Kosovo but wants to force Pristina to make some compromise, KIM radio reported. 

"They do not want to compromise, they say ''116 countries have recognized us''. Now, let's see how many have recognized them?  Pacoli complained to me that I had ruined his career and asked me why I was doing all this on recognition. We are not working against Kosovo, but force them to make some compromise,” Dacic told TV Happy.

Dacic said that he had recently visited the Pacific countries and that most of them had no diplomatic relations with Serbia.

Diplomatic relations were established with the state of Nauru in September and still do not exist with countries such as Samoa and Vanuatu, the minister stressed.

"I can't help but wonder what these people before us were doing. If we do not have diplomatic relations, it means that you have no contacts with that country, that you do not exist for that country. They recognize Kosovo, and not recognize us. We have allowed this. And the situation is not just in the Pacific,” Dacic stressed.

He also said that the work is ongoing with UNESCO and Interpol members, which are not states but represent territories that voted for Kosovo's entry into those organizations, to move to the "Serbian side".

Asked whether the Maldives would withdraw recognition, Dacic recalled that an affair had been launched in their parliament that Kosovo had given two million dollars to the foreign minister.

"If anyone thinks we're going to give two million to withdraw recognition, that's not the way we talk. The one who recognized Kosovo is preparing to run against the candidate for the current President of the Maldives, and that is where our interests overlap,” the minister concluded.

US Ambassador Godfrey on Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (RTS, B92)

The US Ambassador to Serbia Anthony Godfrey told RTS America's goal is to encourage dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, as well as pointing out how much people in the region would benefit from finding a solution to the Kosovo issue.

"A lasting solution would be the one that both sides come up with, with which both sides can live and that would lead to regional stability. Any solution that is unfair, unbalanced or imposed from abroad will not be long lasting", Godfrey said in an interview with RTS, after visiting this media outlet.

He also said the interest of the United States of America is to make the Western Balkans a place of stability and prosperity, where, as he says, democratic values are respected, as well as state borders, while the countries in the region nurture good relations.

"As far as we are concerned, and for Serbia as well, the best way to achieve this is following the path to the European Union. So, my goal is to use all my energy and all the resources of the US Embassy in Belgrade to help Serbia achieve the goal it has set itself, and it is EU membership", Ambassador Godfrey noted.

Fabrizi: “Mini-Schengen” not an obstacle but stimulus to EU membership (N1)

The European Union sees the so-called "mini-Schengen" as an element that would facilitate the accession of the Western Balkan countries to the EU, not as a hindrance or obstacle to the integration process, head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi told N1 at the Young Leaders Forum in Novi Sad.

Fabrizi added it is important for them that this initiative be open to all, that is, to the complete "Balkan Six," which in addition to Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia, includes Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.

"I think the initiative is in line with what countries are already doing in the Euro-integration process. The only new element is the identity card travel. This is the only additional item. Clearly, the political framework is there, and as long as it is in line with enlargement rules, we support that," Fabrizi noted.

Kozarev kept at Jarinje crossing point more than two hours (RTS)

Deputy Director of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Dusan Kozarev was kept for more than two hours at Jarinje crossing point on Friday and was unable to attend the ceremony to mark Mitrovica North municipal day and 75th anniversary since its liberation in WWII, RTS reports.  

Kozarev told RTS that somebody took the right to prevent freedom of the movement, violates all reached agreements, adding there is no rational explanation for such decisions. Following the two-hour delay, Kozarev could proceed to Leposavic town.

Kozarev said there was no explanation provided for the delay, adding there are rarely any, and if they are given, they relate to some sort of security threats, some lists or even bacteriological standards.  

Russian Ambassador: No so-called recruitment can harm Russo-Serbian relations (RTS, N1, Beta)

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Botsan Harchenko said on the occasion of the recent spy affair that no "scandalous story" could harm the Russo-Serbia relations and that not everyone in the world was happy with their co-operation, calling on Belgrade to give it up.

"What is most important in this whole story (...) is that our bilateral relations and friendship between Serbia and Russia are stable, now. They are solid, meaningful, with such perspective and depth that no scandalous story or alleged recruitment by a Russian soldier can do any harm to our relations," Harchenko told Radio Television Serbia.

He added that there were often cases where some scandalous stories would show up amid some significant high-level meetings, which were later denied.

Regardless of everything, he said the two countries are moving on.

See at: https://bit.ly/33ikFnE

Miroslav Lajcak special EU envoy for the Western Balkans? (RTS, Vecernje Novosti, B92, Tanjug)

The EU is intensively looking for a suitable person for a new post of Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, while Miroslav Lajcak, chief of the Slovakian diplomacy is mentioned as the most serious candidate, Belgrade-based Vecernje Novosti reports.

According to the daily the EU's goal behind this initiative is to first and foremost mitigate the US influence in the region.

As a good connoisseur of the situation and an experienced politician who has already performed many important assignments in this region, Lajcak, who speaks Serbian with almost no accent, practically fulfills all the conditions, the daily continues.

It also said, citing well-informed sources, that Lajcak had a very important two-hour meeting with future European Foreign Minister Josep Borrell in Brussels earlier this week, far from the public eye.

"The US has two representatives for the Western Balkans, whereas we have none. That's why it goes like this", Lajcak said resignedly to Borrell, referring to the slow pace of enlargement and the growing distance of the region from the EU, a source told Vecernje Novosti.

The newspaper adds that "casting" for this post has been going on for some time, since the composition of the new European Commission has been determined, stating that it is still pending whether the Special Representative will represent only the EC or the entire EU.

Meanwhile, Tanjug news agency reported that Lajcak’s cabinet responding to the media speculations that he is the most serious candidate to take up the post said that the appointment of a special EU envoy for the Western Balkans would be desirable and would represent a positive signal to the countries in the region that the EU is still engaged.

They also added, as far as they are informed there is an ongoing discussion in the EU regarding establishing one such function.

Two investigations into murder of Oliver Ivanovic: Accusations without evidence (Insajeder, KoSSev)

Despite 16 surveillance cameras on the surrounding buildings, the only thing we know about the murder of Oliver Ivanovic is the same thing we knew on that first day – he was shot dead with six bullets from the back. We do not even know where the footage from those security cameras are, KoSSev portal reports on the Belgrade-based Insajder article.

The Kosovo prosecution claims that surveliance cameras on Ivanovic’s party premises were not working and that they were turned on within minutes of the murder. Ivanovic’s associates dispute this.

Ksenija Bozovic, a Civic Initiative “Freedom-Democracy-Justice” official and one of the closest associates of the assassinated Oliver Ivanovic, told Insajder that Ivanovic would never allow for the cameras to stop functioning.

“Oliver was there and would never let the cameras stop functioning for 12 days. His workday began with him drinking his coffee and turning on those cameras on his computer,” Bozovic said. Ivanovic regularly reviewed the footage because he was targeted on several occasions.

He was assassinated on January 16th last year. Belgrade claims it was done by Albanians. Pristina claims that the investigation leads to northern Kosovo and that his killer is in Belgrade.

As part of an investigation by the Kosovo Prosecution, Nedeljko Spasojevic, the chief investigator of the North Mitrovica Kosovo police, and Marko Rosic, have been in custody for a year. Spasojevic is suspected of aiding the perpetrator by helping him escape from the crime scene in an official police vehicle, while Rosic is suspected because of a note found in Ivanovic’s pocket containing a license plate number of a jeep owned by his family.

Three months later, Dragisa Markovic, one of the two police officers who was the first to come to the scene, was released from custody. According to the prosecution, he leaked information from the investigation to someone from the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Markovic did not agree to an interview with Insajder, and his lawyer Dejan Vasic said Markovic only called an ambulance.

“When they found Oliver there was no blood, he thought that he had a heart attack, that he was sick … it was only later revealed when his body was transferred to the hospital that he was actually shot,“ Vasic said.

When asked by an Insajder reporter how it is possible not to see the six bullets, Vasic replied that he does not know but that he believes his client.

See at: https://bit.ly/37BLBSP

Weber: Serbian List victory was expected (KIM radio, Slobodno Srpski)

Senior Associate of the Council for Democratization Policy in Berlin, Bodo Weber, said on TV Show Slobodno Srpski (Free Serbian) that the past parliamentary elections in Kosovo have shown some democratic potential, but the shadows are thrown by the events after polling stations have closed, KIM radio reported. 

"The possibility of changing the government in a peaceful democratic way was a kind of hope or signal of democracy for the whole region, I would say it was a signal until the election day. But everything that's been going on since then, with some objections to the election results over Serbian votes from Serbia and the alleged poisoning of people at the Pristina Census Center unfortunately, in a way, partially destroys that good message of democracy in the region," Weber said.

Speaking about the results of the elections in Serbian communities, Weber said that the convincing victory of the Serbian List did not surprise him at all. He believes that the Serbian List was created with the support of the West for a certain period, but that the period was extended.

"The fact that we have the Serbian List is a product of our Western policy in 2013, when it was questioned whether a list would be formed that was practically delegated and formed from Belgrade to serve its purpose. At that time, the West decided it was inevitable at that moment, but I am sure it was not planned to be a permanent situation in Kosovo and in the Serb community. It was once a decision that was meant to serve the integration of Serbs in Kosovo into the Kosovo state and political system, but we can see that it has become a permanent condition," Weber said.

Dialog reset required

Weber believes that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will not continue without certain changes, which should be defined by the new European administration, as the dialogue intermediary. 

"In my deep conviction, there will be no continuation of negotiations, without some essential reset by which definition will begin of what did not exist i.e. the negotiating frameworks that will have to take us back to where the political dialogue began, to make it clear that these were not status negotiations that the status dispute has been resolved. According to the European Union, if Serbia wants to join the EU, it must accept the reality that Kosovo will not return, which means that Serbia will have to recognize Kosovo's independence in some specific framework. So, without this framework, I don't see how the Pristina side could agree or agree to abolish fees and sit down again," Weber said.

Washington has no new initiative

Commenting on the nomination of Richard Grenell as Special Envoy of the White House for Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Weber says that this does not mean greater US engagement in the coming period to resolve the Kosovo issue.

"In Kosovo and Serbia and the region, the appointment of two special envoys, Matthew Palmer for the Western Balkans and the other, Richard Grenell for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, has been interpreted as a new engagement and that with it a focus has been put on the Western Balkans by the US administration. However, I would exactly interpret the opposite. It seems to me, more like a sign that they no longer have a new initiative," Weber said.

Weber believes that Grenell, who is the current US ambassador to Germany, has imposed himself as a US presidential envoy.

"I have no evidence, but I suspect that Mr. Grenell has, on his own initiative, asked Mr. Trump to be important and perhaps to advance his career if he is the one who will initiate the agreement (between Belgrade and Pristina), but as I said, I do not see greater involvement of America than before. In fact, on the contrary, I do not believe that Mr. Grenell has exactly that expertise and understanding that he can play a bigger role. Quite the contrary, I see that we will have the unity of the European Union that we did not have in Mrs Mogherini's time." 

The EU policy at the time of Mogherini was irresponsible

Weber believes that the policy of the former EU administration on Kosovo was more than irresponsible.

"It was the complete privatization of European politics by Federica Mogherini and her team of four to five people. This is unique in the history of the common foreign and security policy of the EU, which is not so old, that the High Representative, in charge of that policy, completely privatized the negotiation process. She has led it completely non-transparently, and thus became somehow dependent on two negotiating presidents, and led the process, in a way, into a crisis from earlier, without principles, or democratic values, only with a view to reach an agreement, whatever," concluded Bodo Weber in the Show Slobodno Srpski (Free Serbian), reported KIM radio.

 

Opinions

 

Mlambo-Ngcuka: End rape—an intolerable cost to society (Koha Ditore)

United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

If I could have one wish granted, it might well be a total end to rape. That means a significant weapon of war gone from the arsenal of conflict, the absence of a daily risk assessment for girls and women in public and private spaces, the removal of a violent assertion of power, and a far-reaching shift for our society.

Rape isn’t an isolated brief act. It damages flesh and reverberates in memory. It can have life changing, unchosen results—a pregnancy or transmitted disease. Its long-lasting, devastating effects reach others: family, friends, partners and colleagues. In both conflict and in peace it shapes women’s decisions to move from communities through fear of attack or the stigma for survivors. Women and girls fleeing their homes as refugees also risk unsafe transport and insecure living conditions that can lack locked doors, adequate lighting and proper sanitation facilities. Girls married as children in search of increased security at home or in refugee camps can get caught up in legitimized conditions of rape, with little recourse for those wishing to escape, such as shelter and safe accommodation.

In the vast majority of countries, adolescent girls are most at risk of sexual violence from a current or former husband, partner or boyfriend. As we know from our work on other forms of violence, home is not a safe place for millions of women and girls.

Almost universally, most perpetrators of rape go unreported or unpunished. For women to report in the first place requires a great deal of resilience to re-live the attack, a certain amount of knowledge of where to go, and a degree of confidence in the responsiveness of the services sought – if indeed there are services available to go to.In many countries, women know that they are overwhelmingly more likely to be blamed than believed when they report sexual assault, and they have to cope with an unwarranted sense of shame. The result of these aspects is a stifling of women’s voices around rape, significant under-reporting and continuing impunity for perpetrators.Research shows that only a small fraction of adolescent girls who experience forced sex seek professional help. And less than 10 percent of women who did seek help after experiencing violence contacted the police.

One positive step to increase accountability is to make rape universally illegal. Currently more than half of all countries do not yet have laws that explicitly criminalize marital rape or that are based on the principle of consent. Along with criminalizing rape, we need to get much, much better at putting the victim at the centre of response and holding rapists to account. This means strengthening the capacity of law enforcement officials to investigate these crimes and supporting survivors through the criminal justice process, with access to legal aid, police and justice services as well as health and social services, especially for women who are most marginalized.

Having more women in police forces and training them adequately is a crucial first step in ensuring that survivors begin to trust again and feel that their complaint is being taken seriously at every stage of what can be a complex process. Progress also requires that we successfully tackle the many institutional and structural barriers, patriarchal systems and negative stereotyping around gender that exist in security, police and judicial institutions, as they do in other institutions.

Those who use rape as a weapon know just how powerfully it traumatizes and how it suppresses voice and agency.This is an intolerable cost to society. No further generations must struggle to cope with a legacy of violation.

We are Generation Equality and we will end rape!

 

 

International

 

Merkel and Macron Publicly Clash Over NATO (The New York Times)

With relations at a new low, Chancellor Angela Merkel berated President Emmanuel Macron over his comments about the alliance’s ‘‘brain death.”

BRUSSELS — Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, was uncharacteristically furious. At a dinner to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, she huddled with President Emmanuel Macron of France, who had just given an interview in which he cited the “brain death” of NATO and wondered whether its commitment to collective defense still held.

Mr. Macron had also been the sole leader to veto the start of lengthy membership talks for North Macedonia to join the European Union, despite Skopje’s having done everything Brussels had asked of it, including changing the country’s name.

See at: https://nyti.ms/2Oh9zef

 

 

Development/Humanitarian

 

Around 900 premature deaths from air pollution in Kosovo every year (Zeri)

According to World Banka data, air pollution in Kosovo annually causes 852 premature deaths, 318 cases of chronic bronchitis, 605 admitted cases to hospitals and 11,900 emergency visits, the paper reports. Children are the most vulnerable to this and they are faced with numerous health problems.

Bukureze Surdulli, a researcher with the Pristina-based Coalition of NGOs for Child Protection in Kosovo (KOMF), told the paper on Sunday that Kosovo has yet to draft a proper strategy on how technology can help improve the air situation.

“There is no awareness-raising campaign on how technology can contribute to the protection of air and health at the same time. The government puts this at the end of their budget lines. So far Kosovo institutions have not drafted an awareness-raising strategy to protect children from air pollution,” she argued.

Campaign against gender-based violence starts with march and other activities (media)

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the UN Women organization will open today “16 days of activism against gender-based violence” campaign, which will be accompanied with lighting up the National Public Library “Pjeter Bogdani” in orange. 

“The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day. 

Every year iconic buildings around the world are lit up in orange to bring global attention to the threat of violence against women and girls. 

High profile officials from local and international organisations will participate in the ceremony, while Alia El-Yassir, regional director of UN Women for Europe and Central Asia, and Urlika Richardson, UN Kosovo Team Development Coordinator in Kosovo, will address the participants.

On the occasion of the opening of this campaign, an awareness march will be organized in Gjakova at 12:30 hours.  The participants will march from the current Gjakova municipality building, to Carshia e Vogel Street.  

Worldwide, one in three women and girls experience violence in their lifetime. It happens in every country and every society. Too often, it is normalized and goes unpunished.