Outcome KOS_O_1

Advancing partnerships and resourcing; Effectively influencing for impact & scale

In the reporting period UN Women Kosovo continued to maintain strategic partnerships and to build new partnerships which lead to effective implementation of UN Women’s mandate in Kosovo. During 2023, five new WEPs signatories resulted as part of the joint MOUs with entities that represent private sector such as, Kosovo CSR Network, Kosovar-German Chamber of Commerce and Women Economic Chamber – G7 , aiming to foster private sector collaboration and advance GEWE agenda through Women’s empowerment principles (WEPs) . . With their networks bringing together businesses and organizations, including academia, the priv ate sector joined forces with UN Women toward the common goal of enhancing gender equality in the world of business. The overarching goal is to increase and disseminate the visibility of best practices in the private sector to promote gender equality and women empowerment among their members and advocate for the implementation of Women’s Empowerment Principles. These partnerships concluded recently with five (5) additional Women’s empowerment principles (WEPs) signatories and with high interest by others to join the + 7000 signatories around the globe. UBT, PwC, IBAS, City INN, Raiffeisen Bank and Procredit Bank became new Gender equality champions in Kosovo. The newly partnered private sector companies vowed to work under the 7 WEPs principles to enhance inclusive and equal working environments and invest in women empowerment and also report on their achievements in the WEPs official platform. Further, UN Women strengthened its long-standing partnership with the Kosovo President’s Office through support to the organization of the high-level forum on Women, Peace, and Security which was postponed to early 2024, because of political tensions in the North of Kosovo. President Osmani committed to leverage the WPS agenda for building gender sensitive climate resilience during COP28 UN Women has also facilitated the cross-border exchange with Vjosa Osmani Sadriu, President of Kosovo delivering keynote remarks in the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28) side event “What’s your peace?”, the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland co-hosted an event entitled ‘What’s your peace? Women leading the fight against climate change and complex crises in Asia: Leveraging the Women, Peace and Security agenda for building resilience’ . As part of the longstanding partnership with the President's Office, UN Women Kosovo is part of the Kosovo Committe for Democracy and Human Rights which is led by the President of Kosovo with participation of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers, Line Ministries, Agency for Gender Equality, and Women's Organizations. In the last meeting of the year, it was discussed to continue the coordinated work on elimination of violence against women (including through the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence), as well as other approaches to advancing the GEWE agenda. Through UN Women’s strategic partnerships with the Minister of Education (central level), Deputy Mayor of Prishtina (local level) and the private sector, the delegates committed to accelerate their work to economically empower women and girls through technology. During the UN Women Generation Equality Midpoint Regional Event in Almaty, Kazakhstan, themed "Accelerating Digitalization in Europe and Central Asia: Partnerships on Innovation and Technology for Women’s Economic Empowerment" held in Almaty, the Kosovo Delegation presented its commitments to advancing women's economic empowerment through technology and innovation. The Delegation from Kosovo, consisting of Arbërie Nagavci, Minister of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation; Donjeta Sahatçiu, Deputy Mayor of the Prishtina Municipality; and Uranik Begu, Board Member at Innovation Centre Kosovo and Plug & Play Director CEE, strategically positions itself as key players in fostering partnerships for innovation and technology. During the Western Balkans Summit, UN Women Head of Office, Vlora Nushi raised the importance of inclusive and participatory EU Western Balkans enlargement package to ensure that women & girls participate in all levels of the process. UN Women Kosovo Head of Office was invited to participate in the EU-Western Balkans Summit “Breaking the stalemate: women, youth, justice and enlargement” organized in Brussels by Friends of Europe on December 7 th , 2023. During the reporting period, UN Women continued advancing its strategic partnerships with the donor community. By implementing a strategic approach to resource mobilization, UN Women Kosovo PP has reached agreements with four new donors which will be finalized in 2024. As such, as one of the biggest donors, UN Women collaborated with the EU on several levels. Through, the Donor Recognition Campaign, the EU highlighted the years-long partnership with UN Women as the main partner for advancing GEWE. During the 16 Days of Activism, UN Women jointly with the European Union we unveiled significant achievements and insights gained during the implementation of the EU funded UN Women regional programme on Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW), in the presence of the Minister of Justice, and ambassadors. Finally, UN Women launched the GEF project which is financed by the EU. Further, UN Women established its strategic partnership with the National Audit Office, which joined the regional initiative of joint parallel gender auditing together with the national audit institutions of Albania and North Macedonia. Head of National Audit Office vowed maximal dedication to this important initiative that will also serve as best practice exchange among the audit institution in the Western Balkans. The parallel audit will focus on the inclusion of rural women in the labor market, one of the key gender issues globally and regionally.

Advancing partnerships and resourcing; Effectively influencing for impact & scale

In the reporting period UN Women Kosovo continued to maintain strategic partnerships and to build new partnerships which will lead to effective implementation of UN Women’s mandate in Kosovo. During 2022, partnerships established through joint MOUs with entities that represent private sector such as, Kosovo CSR Network, Kosovar-German Chamber of Commerce and Women Economic Chamber – G7. With their networks bringing together businesses and organizations, including academia, joined forces toward the common goal of enhancing gender equality in the world of business. The overarching goal is to increase and disseminate the visibility of best practices in the private sector to promote gender equality and women empowerment among their members and advocate for the implementation of Women’s Empowerment Principles. These partnerships concluded recently with two (2) additional Women’s empowerment principles (WEPs) signatories and with high interest by others to join the + 7000 signatories around the globe. Further, UN Women strengthened its long-standing partnership with the Kosovo President’s Office through support to the organization of the high-level forum on Women, Peace, and Security successfully organized for the first time in Kosovo on October 22nd and 23d. The Forum brought together a total of 500 participants from 36 countries. Under the slogan “Building Alliances for Sustainable Peace” leaders, experts, academics, civil society representatives, influencers, youth and other groups of interest came together to discuss challenges posed to the WPS agenda, as well as, to elaborate on the underlying importance of this agenda for enduring, equitable and sustainable peace.UN Women acting Deputy Regional Director Jo-Anne Bishop was also a speaker during the first day of the forum where she underlined the importance of including women in all peace negotiations and decision-making processes, especially during this time when Europe is facing one of its worst humanitarian crises. A total of 16 panels were organized on different topics ranging from Women, Peace and Security issues, Transitional Justice, Women’s participation in decision-making, dealing with the past and more. UN Women supported the Forum with a panel on Transitional Justice where UN Women Policy and Rule of Law Specialist, Emily Keeney shared best practices and lessons learned from UN Women Gender-Sensitive TJ programs including Kosovo and beyond During the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” campaign UN Women launched its partnership with Prishtina International Ariport, where as part of the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” awareness raising activities targeted passengers, specifically diaspora community. Additionally, also during the “16 Days of Activism” campaign UN Women established a new partnership with the Kosovo Basketball Federation, bringing together men and boys during a largely attended basketball game to raise awareness against domestic and gender based violence. Finally, UN Women continued its strategic partnership with well-known festivals in Kosovo (DokuFest, PriFest, Mural Fest) and the artistic community aiming to raise awareness about gender equality and promote a more inclusive and diverse cultural landscape by providing platforms for underrepresented voices, amplifying the works of women artists, and fostering critical dialogue around gender-related issues through creative expression.

SP OEE Output/Section Result KOS_O_1: Advancing partnerships and resourcing; Effectively influencing for impact & scale

Strategic partnerships have been integral to UN Women’s efforts in Kosovo, enabling transformative progress through collaborative action. By uniting with government institutions, civil society, the private sector, and international organizations, UN Women has strengthened collective momentum toward achieving gender equality. Through high-impact initiatives such as capacity-building workshops, economic empowerment programs, and awareness campaigns on gender-based violence, these collaborations have advanced critical priorities. Milestones include establishing the Gender-Responsive Budgeting framework, fostering rural women’s economic participation, and promoting gender-sensitive governance. These joint endeavors highlight the essential role of partnerships in driving sustainable and equitable development. Through its strategic partnership, UN Women Kosovo Office ensured an increase in resource mobilization resulting in the continuation of the DV/GBV project tackling stigma funded by British Embassy. In addition, in-kind support from donors was also ensured through their partnership in organizing UN Women events such as for example: the EU and UN Women event for 16 Days of Activism launching the Gender Profile, and others. During 2024 Eleven (11) new private companies from Kosovo signed Women Empowerment Principles in 2024. Kosovo now counts 25 WEPs signatories. This expansion reflects a growing commitment among the private sector to integrate gender equality into business practices. With their networks bringing together businesses and organizations, including academia, the private sector joined forces with UN Women toward the common goal of enhancing gender equality in the world of business. The overarching goal is to increase and disseminate the visibility of best practices in the private sector to promote gender equality and women empowerment among their members and advocate for the implementation of Women’s Empowerment Principles. The newly partnered private sector companies vowed to work under the 7 WEPs principles to enhance inclusive and equal working environments and invest in women empowerment and also report on their achievements in the WEPs official platform. Further, UN Women strengthened its long-standing partnership with the Kosovo President’s Office through support to the organization of the high-level forum on Women, Peace, and President Osmani committed to leverage the WPS agenda. UN Women also met with Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti to further discuss the upcoming Beijing +30 , UNSCR 1325 anniversary and other possible cooperation opportunities. During the reporting period, UN Women continued advancing its strategic partnerships with the donor community. By implementing a strategic approach to resource mobilization. As such, as one of the biggest donors, UN Women collaborated with the EU on several levels. Through, the Donor Recognition Campaign, the EU highlighted the years-long partnership with UN Women as the main partner for advancing GEWE. During the 16 Days of Activism, UN Women jointly with the European Union unveiled the strategic document Kosovo Gender Profile. UN Women strengthened its long-standing partnership with the Kosovo President’s Office through support to the organization of the high-level forum on Women, Peace, and Security which was organized in April 2024. The second edition of the WPS Forum focused on the two thematic areas: Conflict Related Sexual Violence and Climate Security. During the Forum, the President’s Office also launched the regional Women, Peace, and Security Center of Excellence in Kosovo (WPS Center of Excellence) which is an initiative of the Biden-Harris Administration. The Regional Center of Excellence is established in line with Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security on October 31, 2000. UN Women is a member of the Working Group tasked to develop the Concept Document for the establishment of this regional center.

SP OEE Output/Section Result KOS_O_1: Advancing partnerships and resourcing; Effectively influencing for impact & scale

Through sustained collaboration with government institutions, civil society, the private sector, and donor community, UN Women continues to reinforce collective resolve and coordinated action to safeguard and advance progress toward gender equality. During the reporting period a mission to Kosovo was organized by the Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. The mission reaffirmed UN Women’s strategic positioning, engagement with national stakeholders, and positively assessed the deployment of the triple mandate in a context marked by geopolitical shifts and progressive gender equality frameworks. Through its strategic partnership with the donor community, UN Women Kosovo Office ensured an increase in resource mobilization. A new partnership was established with Luxembourg, where a joint UN Project (UN Women, UNFPA, UNICEF) is in the final phases of negotiation with Luxembourg Embassy and as such is in the hard pipeline. Also, RM efforts resulted in the launching of the second phase of the DV/GBV project tackling stigma funded by British Embassy. Three regional projects are currently being implemented, TransformCare with FCDO, EU4GE with EU, and the “Youth for Peace” project supported by UN Peacebuilding Fund. As part of RD Sanz Luque’s mission to Kosovo, UN Women organized a meeting with the donor community partners with the objective of engaging directly with the donor community to strengthen partnerships and advocate for increased resource mobilization. The meeting provided a strategic platform to present UN Women’s ongoing programmes and achievements in Kosovo, demonstrate the impact of donor contributions in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment, and explore opportunities for sustained and enhanced financial and technical support. The meeting brought together UN Women’s core donors and key partners actively engaged by the Kosovo office, enabling strategic dialogue on resource mobilization for gender equality initiatives. Invited partners included representatives from Finland, Japan, Sweden, Italy, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Luxembourg, France, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Croatia. Partnerships with women’s organizations have become even more critical amid global backlash against gender equality and increasingly complex political dynamics. During the reporting period, UN Women signed Partner Agreements with four women’s organizations in advancing the economic empowerment of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Kosovo, as part of gender-sensitive transitional justice efforts. Also, UN Women engaged four women’s organizations as partners within the GBV project tackling stigma supported by the British Embassy. Further, UN Women strengthened its long-standing partnership with the Kosovo President’s Office through launching the For All Women and Girls campaign in Kosovo, and support to the organization of the high-level forum on Women, Peace, and President Osmani committed to leverage the WPS agenda. During RD Belen Sanz Luque mission to Kosovo, a meeting was organized with H.E. Vjosa Osmani, President of Kosovo and UN Women Europe and Central Asia Regional Director, Belén Sanz Luque, as well as UN Women Kosovo Head of Office, Vlora Nushi. The discussion underscored the strong partnership and shared commitment to advancing gender equality, promoting women’s leadership and economic empowerment, and ensuring that the rights of all women and girls in Kosovo are upheld and protected. Strengthening its partnership with academia, UN Women implemented a mentorship programme in collaboration with University of Prishtina where 27 young women students (including from non-majority communities) increased their skills in leadership, communication, technical knowledge, from mentoring sessions with 25 women leaders. Furthermore, a woman, longstanding partner of the Office, was appointed as the Head of the Academy of Science and Arts of Kosovo, a historic milestone as the first woman to ever hold this position and strengthening collaboration with UN Women Kosovo. Working with the private sector, in 2025, UN Women Kosovo facilitated the engagement of eight (8) new private sector companies as signatories to the WEPs, bringing the total number of WEPs signatories in Kosovo to thirty-three (33). Furthermore, workplace equality in Kosovo’s private sector was advanced through the development and initial implementation of Gender Equality Action Plans in three companies (KEDS/KESCO, Meridian Express, and Cacttus Education) implemented in partnership with the Kosovo CSR Network. The Office also established a partnership with the Business Consultants Council (BCC) which is led by women, with a woman at the head of its Board, BCC stands as the only management consulting institution in Kosovo. Organizing the Women’s Entrepreneurship #EXPO2025 – the first Satellite Event in Kosovo, a partnership was established with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). In the face of growing global pushback against gender equality, UN Women collaborated with Meridian Express, a private sector partner, to support the Blind Women’s Association, reinforcing inclusive empowerment through cross-sector partnership.