UNMIK/PR/27

Press Release

17 August 1999

STATEMENT BY THE SRSG ON RE-STARTING PUBLIC SERVICES 

PRISTINA - The Special Representative of the Secretary-General Dr. Bernard Kouchner launched two important initiatives this morning from Pristina Hospital aimed at supporting the people in building better public services and a better Kosovo.

Public health workers in Pristina are being paid, for the first time in months, through an UNMIK arrangement for public employees. Under the arrangement, UNMIK is making ad-hoc payments from a UN trust fund to more than 2,000 health professionals. Judges, prosecutors, and customs officials are also included in the payment programme, which will be expanded to other parts of Kosovo in the coming days.

"Through your continued work in this hospital, each one of you is doing his or her part," the Special Representative of the Secretary General Bernard Kouchner told health workers at Pristina Hospital this morning. "You are doing this work for the people and we at the United Nations want to show you that you are not alone in your efforts."

The SRSG announced at the hospital that on Sunday he will start broad-based consultations involving representatives from all sectors of the health system on what they wanted to see in Kosovo health care in the future.

"Being a doctor myself, I fully understand how crucial a health system is for a society and how crucial it is that it truly reflects what the people of Kosovo want and that it meets its expectations," he said. "We will work together on this, as we are working together on other issues."

Also this morning, the SRSG launched from the hospital the official beginning of the "I love My City - Pristina" beautification project that will include garbage collection and cleaning of the city's green areas. With joint funding from UNMIK and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the project will create more than 300 jobs for people in Pristina. It will continue until 15 November when a more sustainable, self-financed operation can begin. KFOR will provide logistical support for the garbage disposal including dumping the waste in a landfill on the outskirts of Pristina.

The programme will be accompanied by a media campaign that will include schools in order to involve all the people of Pristina.
 
"We are here today to launch an important initiative aimed at creating a cleaner and healthier environment in the city of Pristina," Dr. Kouchner said on the project.