“Being a woman with disability means facing double discrimination,” Chairperson of an NGO Organization of Persons with Disabilities, Dragan Josifovic said today in a debate in Gracanica dedicated to promoting artistic development of women with disabilities, KIM Radio reported.

Kosovo Minister of Local-Governance and Administration, Ivan Todosijevic and USAID Assistant Director for Europe and Asia, Brock Bierman signed yesterday an agreement on LEGO project, worth 12 million euros encompassing 14 municipalities in Kosovo, out of it 10 with the Serb-majority, RTV Puls reported.

The President of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi, and the Ambassador of the United States of America in Kosovo Greg Delawie, signed today amendment of the bilateral agreement on the Development Objective Agreement Grant (DOAG) .

The agreement includes determination of the U.S. government to help Kosovo institutions attain reforms which would push Kosovo’s development forward.

Director of USAID in Kosovo James Hope said that the USAID since 1999 to date invested about $ 850 million in Kosovo. Hope said that USAID programs support for the whole Kosovo, adding that special attention was devoted to the programs that are designed to support a minority, vulnerable groups and the women. "The programs have a national perspective. My rough estimate is that out of 850 million, about 15 per cent of the money was directed towards the minority communities in Kosovo," said Hope in the talk show Slobodno Srpski.

During a conference on “Increased Participation of Marginalized Groups in Kosovo” today, the Ambassador of the United States in Kosovo, Greg Delawie, said that everyone has a responsibility to ensure that all groups are able to exercise their full rights. “When people are pushed to the margins of society, they have a much more difficult time exercising their economic, political, cultural, and social rights. This exclusion constrains economic development and undermines the democratic process.

On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the USAID Property Rights Programme launched a media campaign on public awareness for women’s property rights.The United States Ambassador, Greg Delawie, said that less than 19% of women in Kosovo own property, while an even smaller percentage has access to heritage. He added that exclusion of women from the right to heritage is an economic loss for Kosovo.

A business development training workshop organized by USAID gathered some 15 women, Kosovo Albanians, Kosovo Serbs and Kosovo Turks from Zubin Potok, Zvečan/Zveçan and North Mitrovica, to exchange mutual experience in this sector and learn from each other. The training is one of many to be organized for women in business that aims to increase employability opportunities for women of the area. Delicious sweets and baked goods are not just tasty but also a business opportunity for women in the north of Kosovo.