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| United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo | UNMIK news No. 110 | ||
| UNMIK, KTC condemn terrorist attacks in United States | |||
"Those terrorist attacks were not only aimed at the United States of America but also at the fundamental values upon which the USA and the United Nations are built: peace, democracy and human rights," the SRSG declared. "We will not be dissuaded by terrorists from continuing our work to maintain peace and build democracy." KTC members representing political parties, civil society and ethnic and religious organizations also made statements of condemnation, shock and dismay over the events in the U.S. Principal Deputy SRSG Gary Matthews thanked the speakers for their support and said he would convey their messages to John Menzies, head of the U.S. Mission in Kosovo. Demonstrations of solidarity with the American people were held throughout Kosovo. In various locations in the Pristina Region, a total of 35,000 Kosovo Albanians took to the streets, while in Gjilan/Gnjilane Region some 3,600 held peaceful processions. Demonstrations were also held in Rahovec/Orahovac and Pejë/Pec Region. |
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JIAS Co-Heads Council sets economic priorities for 2002-2004 |
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| Four strategic priorities for Kosovo's future government for 2002-2004-economic growth, poverty alleviation, human resource development, and good government-have been presented by Mehmet Hajrizi and Roy Dickinson, Co-Heads of the Department of Reconstruction, to the Council of JIAS Co-Heads this week. Achieving sustainable economic growth and creating jobs would depend heavily on the new Government's and UNMIK's ability to provide an environment in which enterprise can flourish, to manage public finances effectively and transparently, and to deliver high quality public services. Establishment of the right legal framework for enterprise and investment, as well as a stable and secure political climate were also of crucial importance. With some 12 per cent of the population of Kosovo living in extreme poverty, the future government's policy will be crucial in enabling these people to escape from their plight. A comprehensive and targeted strategy-focussing not so much on hand-outs as on jobs-had to be developed, the Co-Heads said. Integrated rural development programmes should complement more general support for the agricultural sector. The Government will still require technical assistance on developing and implementing the most efficient and sustainable instruments for social welfare and other policy measures aimed at poverty alleviation. Since Kosovo's most important natural resource is its people, choices about policy and investment in education and vocational training would largely determine whether the province remains the poorest part of Europe or sets itself on the path towards becoming a modern European economy, the Co-Heads warned. Moving to higher value added production and services demanded higher skill and innovation levels which, in turn, required a highly educated labour force. But above all economic and social development depend on good government. Kosovo needed rapid and substantial investment in building up the capacity of municipal and central civil servants to take over all responsibility from UNMIK staff and to ensure that institutions and structures develop efficient and transparent ways of working within a strategic framework set by the Government. The quality of government also depended heavily on government's accountability to citizens. In this regard, investment into vigorous development of NGOs and media would be crucial. These priorities were presented to the Co-Heads in order to initiate debate prior to the adoption of the Public Investment Programme and budget in December, which should reflect new realities such as an expected dramatic decline in donor support and public expenditure. For example, recent estimates show that total public expenditure may decline from nearly 50 per cent of the GDP in 2001 to under 20 per cent in 2004. Donor assistance would also fall from DM 1.2 billion (34 per cent of the GDP) to DM 350 million (8 per cent) over the same period. Domestic private investment and foreign direct investment, even if they increased substantially, which was itself unlikely, would not significantly compensate for the decline in public investment in broad terms, and not at all in key social sectors. That is why Kosovo needed to do more to convince donors to continue their investments. It must demonstrate to them that it deserves to be a winner in the global competition for scarce funds. On the other hand, Kosovo economy itself should seek ways to contain growth in current expenditures and collecting more in revenue and user charges more quickly. The future government would also have to develop policies which will actively encourage Kosovars to invest and save, as well as those encouraging foreign private investors. Overall, economic policy making must take full account of the impact of donor funds and, more particularly, the impact of their reduction. The future government must urgently develop a single medium-term economic framework, spelling out medium- and long-run objectives alongside realistic projections of resource availability, which will allow it to link resources and priorities more closely. |
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| Returning Serbs begin rebuilding their lives | |||
A month after returning home in Osojane (Pejë/Pec Region), some 80 Serbs have begun to rebuild houses they left behind when fleeing Kosovo for fear of vengeance attacks for former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's 1999 crackdown on ethnic Albanians. So far they have completed 15 new roofs and started work in 25 houses. However, they have to finish some 50 more before the 329 other family members can move in. Meanwhile, the advance party is living in tents and sharing water from two wells, which they also had to clean. UNMIK attaches the highest importance to the success of the Osojane project and, with KFOR will do all it can to protect the returning Serbs. "If this one works, then others will come," says Susan Manuel, UNMIK spokeswoman. "If it doesn't work and nobody will come for a year, relations with Belgrade will sour and the confidence of the other Serbs will diminish. It is a test of viability of returns and … Serb community survival in general." Some ethnic Albanians initially showed their disapproval taking to the streets in protest. Nenad Djuric, a Serb returnee, said the protest had "caused us unease". Still, with KFOR peacekeepers at hand, he is ready to try to bridge the hatreds. "I think we should leave everything that happened aside," he says, "and give it a new try." They want to live in harmony alongside their Kosovo Albanian neighbours. "If we hadn't believed in good relations with our neighbours, we wouldnt have returned," another returnee told SRSG Hans Haekkerup during his recent visit to Zvecan in the Osojane valley. |
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| Briefs . . . | |||
| A large memorial service for Lazim Rexhepi, Kosovo Police Service officer killed in the line of duty attempting to stop a cattle theft near Gjilan/Gnjilane, was held on 13 September in Petrovce village. Acting Police Commissioner Thom Hacker led the ceremony. SRSG Hans Haekkerup expressed outrage over the murder in a statement. "This is the first murder of a member of Kosovo's police forces since the creation of the Kosovo Police Service and UNMIK Police," he said. "I condemn this terrible crime, and have instructed police to pursue all avenues to find the assailants." UNMIK Police has published its first annual report which covers policing effort in Kosovo in 2000. The 38-page publication describes the work of different police units-those dealing with crime investigations, missing persons, forensics, trafficking and prostitution etc. It also shows the work of special police units, including the canine unit from Ukraine, traffic police and protection units such as Close Protection Unit and High.Risk Escort Unit.Colourfully illustrated, the report gives full account of the establishment and growth of the Kosovo Police Service (KPS), conceived to be a professional, credible and impartial. The OSCE is to embark on a campaign aimed at unassigned voters and potential registrants. In order to reach people that have not been assigned to a polling centre, the campaign will highlight the following messages: "Registered since November 2000? Go to Voter Services Now!"; "Five minutes now saves five minutes on Election Day"; "Do you have five minutes for Kosovo's future? Go to Voter Services now!"; and "Kosovo's future depends on you. Do you know where to vote? Go to Voter Services now!" The chairpersons of polling station committees have undergone a training course designed to help the committees avoid some of the problems that occurred last year, such as long lines. The training also looked at the committee's particular responsibilities-for example, explaining the voting process to people and assisting voters with special needs, like illiterate and the disabled. The polling station committee members-all of whom are from Kosovo-operate alongside the OSCE, international polling station supervisors and local Municipal Election Commissions. Their job is to ensure the integrity and security of the voting process so that it takes place in a calm, orderly manner. A total of 16,240 observer application forms have been distributed by the OSCE. Of these, 14,340 were delivered to political parties, while 1,900 were distributed to the NGOs. Another 26 requests for observation accreditation have been approved by the Central Election Commission. A joint UNMIK-EU International Economic Workshop on the Tax and Trade Regime will be hosted by the European Commission (EC) and UNMIK this week. Introductions will be made the present DSRSG for Reconstruction and Economic Development, Andy Bearpark, together with a previous DSRSG, Jolly Dixon, who will represent the EC Directorate-General for Economy and Finance. The agenda will include present tax systems, the means of tax collection, expectations for future performance, and a review of planned amendments. Presentations will also cover targets for a self-sustaining budget and its simple administration, investor friendliness, compatibility with the EU's regional strategy and regional co-operation within the EU-led stabilization and association process. The workshop will be attended by representatives of the EC, USAID, the IMF and the World Bank. The Department of Labour and Employment
has ensured the placement of 2,504 job applicants. In comparison
with the same period in 2000, the job placement performance increased
by 160 per cent. However, and as a consequence of the continuous
efforts to increase the unemployment reporting Kosovo-wide, which
includes all ethnic communities, the number of unemployed registered
is constantly growing. To date, some 231,370 job applicants need
assistance of the employment offices, corresponding to an increase
of 41 per cent during the last 12 months. UNMIK News is a publication of the Division of Public Information, UNMIK Pristina - Tel: (381.38) 504.604 Ext. 5610, email: ellwood@un.org |
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