UN Radio
in Kosovo
Creation
of Multi-ethnic Employment Opportunities
Improving conditions for sustainable returns is a top agenda point for the UN Mission. Much of this is dependent on the creation of multi-ethnic employment opportunities. Five years after the 1999 Conflict – unemployment rates hover around 60%. This rate is even higher in minority areas, especially amongst Roma/Ashkali/Egyptian communities. It stands to logic that without jobs – returnee ambitions remain low.
With few
success stories to speak of, the Greek
non-governmental organization, the European Perspective and the American
Refugee Committee have joined forces to implement one jobs development program
in the Kosovo Polje Municipality. One focus of their project comes in the form
of small business assistance.
Atmosphere Marko works
Marko
“I opened this workshop 3 years ago, after I had finished my
school. This year, 3 or 4 months ago the European perspective gave me tools.
Thanks to that I can work faster and better. I received mostly new and good
tools.”
Marko Zivic is an auto-mechanic from the village of Kuzmin.
Zivic is one of 55 approved individual beneficiaries. The European Perspective
development assistance also includes 20 Albanians, 16 Serbs, 15 Ashkalis and 4
Romas. The assistance targets as
many as 31 different professions that are divided into four sectors: the
agricultural, manufacturing, trade and the service sectors. Training efforts, machine upgrades for the
manufacturing and agricultural sectors, and financial aid – all are aspects of
the European perspective approach to enticing people back to live and work in a
sustainable way.
Atmosphere Ragip works
Ragip Berisha, a Roma from Kosovo Polje is also one of the beneficiaries. The European Perspective helped his small blacksmith workshop with around 2,500 euros.
Berisha
“I’m supporting 9 members of the family, seven children, my wife and me, and an old mother. I’m depending on this work. Before the war I used to work as a technician in the Obilic power plant. Now I’m unemployed but I work as blacksmith privately. (Q: Could one survive of this job?) It’s a bit hard, because if I would have customers all the time it would be all right but sometimes there’s no work.”
Fotis Vlachos is the European Perspective’s Regional
Director. When choosing beneficiaries, Vlachos says they take into account the
needs of market economy – particularly important when considering the economic
reforms instituted by the international community.
Vlachos
“You have to see what type of business the beneficiary is
looking to create and in what ways he could get benefits. That means what
possibilities he has to sell the product in this local economy. So, we have to
estimate all the factors.”
Another of the beneficiaries, an Albanian from Kosovo Polje,
Nazmi Osmani, says he is satisfied with his work as a carpenter. Osmani joined
his European Perspective counterparts during a training workshop in Brezovica.
According to the EP, the 55 beneficiaries meet to discuss their common
problems. Osmani warns that the financial help itself is not enough to start a
business.
Osmani
“We are expecting too much. One should work more. Everybody
is looking for something. They re saying I got a cow but I have no food. It
would be the same if I would say I got the tools but I have no wood to work as
a carpenter. But the one has to work and to find a way to manage.”
The European Perspective is working on a similar project in
the returnee village of Belo Polje in Pec/Peje Municipality. Although the European
Perspective expresses optimism about the future – it remains to be seen whether
such initiatives are indeed going to create the conditions necessary for the
returns process. Added pressure is being put on the Kosovo government to
fulfill the returns standard before status discussions commence in mid-2005.
UN Radio in Kosovo will continue to report on such returns
initiatives in the months to come.