Kosovo Human Development Report 2010 - UNDP Kosovo - United ...

complex history between Kosovo-Albanians
and Kosovo-RAE, their frequent
population movements, strong internal
ethnic bonds and common language
have also precluded efforts to integrate
them into Kosovan society. In some areas
they are tolerated, in others they are
discriminated against. In very few places
are they being supported, consulted
and represented. 193
Lack of civil status complicates political
inclusion for RAE, up to one third
of whom are not registered at birth and
do not have any civil documentation.
Although RAE are not the only community
affected by lack of civil status
(which violates a basic human right and
puts individuals at risk of statelessness),
they are certainly among the most vulnerable
without significant recourse to
broader legal and civil support networks.
Kosovo’s IDPs, many of whom are ethnically
RAE, face equally high barriers to
political representation and participation.
Returnee families, particularly those
re-settling into areas where they are ethnic
minorities, have faced hostility from
neighbours and struggle to achieve inclusive
and fair political representation at
the local level. These issues, representing
ongoing fallout from Kosovo’s decades
of repression and 1999 conflict, are undermining
its democracy and human
rights record.
(iv) Residents of municipalities without
political outreach efforts:
political participation varies highly
by municipality with participation
lowest in areas with economic difficulties,
geographical barriers or
other complicating factors. There is
a direct correlation between outreach
on the part of authorities and
participation in the political process
– underlining once again the need
for effort on both sides in the democratic
cycle. In 2009, one out of three
respondents reported being aware
86 | KOSOVO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2010
T a b l e
of municipal public meetings organised
within the last 12 months,
with Kosovo-Serbs relatively less informed
than Kosovo-Albanians (14
versus 32 percent). However, only 8
percent attended a municipal public
meeting. In municipalities such as
Dragash/Dragaš, where information
outreach to inhabitants is very weak,
attendance at municipal meetings is
correspondingly low 194 (see Table 5.5
below).
5.5
Municipality
Skënderaj/
Srbica
Dragash/
Dragaš
Rahovec/
Orahovac
Shtime/
Štimlje
Gllogovc/
Glogovac
Public perceptions of
openness of municipalities
for citizen participation, by
municipality
Municipalities rated most open to
citizen participation
Feel
welcome
Feel
informed
Attended
meeting
(s)
83 % 75% 12%
77 % 1 % 0 %
60 % 15 % 2 %
56 % 0 % 0 %
50 % 35 % 3 %
Source: Kosovo Mosaic Survey, UNDP 2009
Among the five municipalities with
the highest municipal meeting attendance
rates, two have a Kosovo-Serb
community: in Zubin Potok and Leposaviq/Leposavić,
nine and eight percent
of respondents respectively – marginally
above the national average - had attended
a municipal public meeting in
the past year. No respondents from Dragash/Dragaš,
Lipjan/Lipljan or Mamushe/Mamuša
have attended a municipal
public meeting in the last year – speaking
to a profound disconnection between
authorities and communities in these areas.
195