UN Women Transparency Portal

Region:Asia Pacific Current UN Women Plan Period Afghanisthan:2018-2022

World Bank Income Classification:Low Income

Least Developed Country:Yes

Gender Inequality Index:0.575

Gender Development Index:0.723

Population:209,497,025 Male:19,976,265 (9.5%) Female:189,520,760 (90.5%)

Disclaimer

outcome XM-DAC-41146-KOS_D_1.1

Outcome 1.1 All women and men in Kosovo enjoy more accountable, effective, transparent, and gender-responsive institutions at all levels ensuring access to justice, equality and participation for all (KOS UNSDCF Outcome I)

This outcome has not been acheived however the progress has been made towards advancment of gender responsive legislation and increased capacities of key institutions therefore women and girls have benefited from the progress that was made during 2022. Yet, women remain under-represented in decision-making positions in private and public institutions. The participation of women in politics is evident but remains low. Civil society continued to play a critical role in advancing gender equality with key highlights on the need for the institutions to address gender discrimination in the labour market and adopt more advanced and gender sensitive policies related to child and elderly care, family-friendly workplaces and work life balance provisions. The long-awaited process of adoption of the Labour Law, amendment of OSH Law and Labour Inspectorate Law, as per Government legislative plan for 2022, did not take place. Kosovo Institute for Public Administration (KIPA), Labour Inspectorate, Vocational Education and Training (VET) competency centers , selected women entrepreneurs and universities are more responsive to gender issues and preventive and protection policies. Their active engagement in capacity development and advocacy initiatives, related to gender component in Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and more specifically to the topic on prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace, contributed to following results: Eighty-two (82) representatives from different sectors and professions, such as human resources officials, vocational education teachers, women entrepreneurs and university professors increased their knowledge specifically on the topic of prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace. The central reference document was the policy against sexual harassment (Nr.260/2020) in public institutions adopted by the Office of the Prime Minister in 2020. UN Women needs to further address this intervention institutionally with the aim of embedding and adapting the policy into the sector specific capacity building training programs, strategies, and laws that regulate labour relations, in public and private sectors. Thirty-eight (38) local stakeholders raised challenges and concerns faced within their workplaces through direct interaction with the Ombudsperson, as the chair of the Informal Advocacy Task Force for gender sensitive occupational health and safety (OSH) and decent work. Moreover, the office of Ombudsperson initiated a research report on the topic of sexual harassment in public and private workplaces. University of Business and Technology (UBT) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) joined the community of +7000 businesses around the globe as two (2) new signatories of Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs). These concluded as part of partnerships established through joint MOUs with entities representing private sector such as, Kosovo CSR Network and Kosovar-German Chamber of Commerce. The Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers (MFLT), raised the awareness on labour rights through the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) campaign "Decent Work for a Dignified Life" launched in December 14, 2022 as a joint initiative with International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Women and Civil Society project partners CDF , IKS , QPA and LENS through support from the Swedish Embassy in Pristina . At the central level: The Government approved the Gender Responsive Budgeting Concept Document for the first time in Kosovo to kick off the drafting process of the regulatory framework for the GRB implementation. 122 local and central officials are better equipped to mainstream gender at the central level as a result of UN Women technical expertize. 33 budget officials from 11 of 15 line-ministries in total were assessed on the implementation of Gender Responsive requirements from the Budget Circular of the Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfer. The Ministry of Finance, Labor, and Transfers, line Ministries and State Audit Institutions were introduced to the Budget Statement and are aware and capable of implementing gender responsive auditing for the first time in Kosovo. A feasibility study on PFM lays the ground for the development of the normative legal act on GRB for the first time in Kosovo, supported by UN Women. At the local level perspective: The administration strengthened its capacity to fulfill the requirements arising from the Law on Gender Equality and the advancement of the gender responsive budgeting (GRB) processes. 16 Kosovo Municipalities signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with UN Women for the advancement of gender responsive budgeting and gender equality to ensure the integration of a gender perspective in all programs. 64 local-level representatives - Deputy Mayors, Budget Directors, and Financial and Gender Equality Officials - from 16 municipalities are able to identify gender gaps through conducting gender analysis on their program and budget documents. The government endorsed four engendered Municipal Midterm Budget frameworks in 2022. These important achievements towards GRB implementation in Kosovo come as a result of UN Women support to the central and local level through the regional programme on transformative financing, funded by SIDA. Moreover these results were achieved thanks to UN Women’s support and capacity building efforts at the local level and central level including expert mentoring and technical support to municipalities' staff, which aimed to better equip local government institutions with knowledge to apply gender responsive budgeting principles and gender-responsive indicators.The original strategy and ToC for this outcome is largely still applicable.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-KOS_D_1.2

Outcome 1.2 All women and men in Kosovo, particularly young people, vulnerable groups, and displaced persons, increasingly achieve gender equality and claim their rights and fulfil civic responsibilities (UNSDCF Outcome 5)

Outcome was not fully achieved. Progress against the Outcome is observed through UN Women partnerships with the Kosovo Ministry of Justice and five civil society organizations to implement projects in support of the implementation of the CEDAW Concluding Observations, the Istanbul Convention, and other human rights instruments. Results include: The Kosovo Government adopted the Protocol for Treatment of Sexual Violence Cases on 5 December 2022, achieving legislative progress in the area of protection from VAW. The Ministry of Justice drafted the Protocol with UN Women technical assistance to Partner CSO, Kosova Women Network. This important document serves as a practical tool that contains instructions on how services should be provided to victims/survivors of sexual violence, enabling the creation of institutional responsibility through a coordinated multi-sectoral approach. In addition, the Working Group chaired by the Kosovo Parliament Committee on Human Rights, Gender Equality, Missing Persons, Victims of Sexual Violence of War, and Petitions continued to draft the Law on Protection from Domestic Violence 2022, which was finalized and officially submitted to the Presidency of Kosovo Parliament on 14 October 2022. Finally, on 14 October the Ministry of Justice submitted the draft Law on Amending and Supplementing the Criminal Code of Kosovo , to harshen sentences for individuals found guilty of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence, making the judgments against these convicts public, and adding two new articles: 1) penalize virginity testing and 2) protect women and girls from violence in public life. UN Women contributed to these legislative processes through the provision of both, technical and advocacy support. Service delivery for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence also observed significant progress. The Centers for Social Work delivered services to 44% more survivors of GBV and DV and the Kosovo Police provided services to 20% more survivors in 2022 compared to 2021. In addition, 851 survivors and their children accessed shelter services at Kosovo shelters for the protection of GBV/DV survivors, while this number was 583 in 2021, marking an increase of 46%. This data was generated through the comprehensive National Database for collection of GBV/DV cases during 2022. UN Women contributed to these achievements through technical assistance to Kosovo shelters and continuous expert support for maintenance of the database since its creation in 2019. Women survivors of DV and GBV are now more equipped for socio-economic integration. Sixty-four (64) survivors are certified for basic tailoring skills and 50 completed training on entrepreneurship and social skills. This is a result of the survivors completing an intensive vocational training course held by the CSO partner Kosova Women for Women, ( KW4W) with the aim of preparing them for the labor market and increasing their chances of becoming economically independent. All 114 of the trained women are registered in the Job Placement Office , ready to enter the labour market, 50 of which are equipped with individual business plans. Moreover 30 women have initial assistance for business start-ups, and seven are employed, with UN Women support. DV/GBV survivors, including women from marginalized communities, have increased access to justice. This is a result of the online interactive platform , developed within the Programme in partnership with CSO Kosovo Law Institute (KLI) to facilitate access to free legal aid for the survivors. Fifty (50) women accessed the direct legal aid and 11 court proceedings were initiated through representation free of charge legal, since the platform’s launching on November 2021 . Capacities of 50 service providers, consisting mainly of judges, lawyers and prosecutors to adjudicate cases of DV/GBV in accordance with requirements of the Istanbul Convention are built thanks to training sessions delivered by the by CSO partner Kosovo Gender Studies Centre (KGSC) in close coordination with the Kosovo Academy of Justice. Over 15,800 people were reached to raise awareness on VAW, through " Koha për Gratë " (Time for Women) published by KGSC to mark the International Women’s Day, on the 8th of March: In Prishtina, Kosovo, public awareness negative impact of DV/GBV and its relation to femicide increased due to the mural "Broken Dreams" created in one of the main squares. The piece is aimed to serve as memorial for all women who succumb to domestic and gender-based violence. It was implemented by KGSC in close partnership with Municipality of Prishtina. An art installation “Survival” was implemented in partnership with the international short movie/documentary Festival “Doku-Fest”, held annually in Prizren, Kosovo. The aim of this activity was to portray stories of DV survivors on their journey to survival. The collection of stories was done in collaboration with shelter homes, andinstallation was placed in the most frequented cinema, reaching about 500 visitors. 223 women and girls from Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities increased their knowledge of their property and inheritance rights through a "door-to door” campaign implemented by young law students/graduates and coordinated by Shelter Home ‘Safe House’ Gjakova Two public reactions on mishandling of justice in DV cases were issued by KLI. 12,686 women and girls, including 2,728 from non-Albanian ethnic groups and 4,261 from rural areas, increased their knowledge on the availability of services on addressing VAW through KWN. All awareness raising activities listed above were implemented thanks to UN Women technical support to CSOs under the Regional Project, “Ending Violence against Women and Girls in Western Balkans and Turkyie: Implementing Norms Changing Minds” Phase 2. Vulnerable groups and survivors of GBV increased their knowledge through capacity building trainings, 51 of which accessed equipment to increase their economic empowerment. Beneficiaries belonged to different target groups from West Dukagjini Region, Kosovo. Community actions focused on women’s empowerment and challenging gender-discriminatory social norms and stereotypes were encouraged and promoted through UN Women activities: 30 women in Mamusha, aged 18-50, built their capacities on business digital marketing, and financial management of small businesses through vocational trainings. Women have advanced and accelerated their economic and social empowerment as a resut of the Association of Women from Mamusha, the first in this municipality established with the support of UN Women. 378 women and girls from vulnerable groups from four Municipalities in Kosovo addressed their immediate needs through a mobile clinic offering health services in Gjakova (Ponoshec, Skivjan, Cermjan, Rogove), Dragash (Brodosane, Krushevea), Malishevo (Kijeve, Bellanice, Panorc, Pagarushe) and Mamusha. This is a result of UN Women support in enhancing the provision and social and health services for vulnerable groups. Project "Response to Covid-19 Emergency and early recovery support” through its activity to Promote community actions to change gender discriminatory social norms and gender stereotypes, during the reporting period, achieved to develop and cover through media its results through 5 video, 38 posts, 8 campaigns and 5 articles.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-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 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.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-KOS_O_2

Nurturing an empowered workforce and advancing an inclusive UN-Women culture

UN Women staff are equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to effectively promote gender equality and women's empowerment. During the reporting period, the staff also increased their capacities on delivering life-changing results for women and girls in Kosovo through programmatic interventions in line with UN Women’s mandate. UN Women Kosovo PP staff have completed all UN Women mandatory courses. UN Women Kosovo Head of Office, in close cooperation with office staff ensures to have an enabling workspace environment in pursuit of results. All office staff are equally encouraged to engage in learning activities which would strengthen their skills. The Kosovo Office has clear frameworks, policies and practices in place to ensure that staff are held accountable for their work and that real progress is tracked and reported in due time. This strong sense of accountability and capacity for results-driven work enables UN Women to be an effective advocate and leader in Kosovo towards efforts to achieve gender equality and empower women.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-KOS_O_3

Effective normative, programmatic and coordination products, services and processes

UN Women ensured effective multisectoral coordination through its coordination groups including the Security and Gender Group (SGG), the Results Group 5 (previously Gender Theme Group), UN Kosovo Team Communications Group, as well as ensuring that gender is mainstreamed in all other Results Groups, Rule of Law Group, Human Rights Group, Immigration Group, PSEA Group, ensuring gender-mainstreaming. The multi-stakeholder Security and Gender Group (SGG) chaired by UN Women and composed by the donor community, women’s organizations, civil-society organizations, international organizations, UN Agencies, and Kosovo Institutions, advocated for a number of policy changes in Kosovo mostly related to gender-based violence, and women’s participation in peace processes (Brussels Dialogue). The SGG meets on a monthly or bi-monthly basis to discuss prevention of violence against women, and other gender-related issues. The SGG allows for a multisectoral approach towards preventing violence against women and involves health and social services actors, legal, human rights, and security sectors, and the community. The SGG issues joint statements with clear recommendations to Kosovo Institutions. These statements are sent to the media and publishes those on social media. During the reporting period there were three joint statements published, two on cases of femicide and one on a sexual violence case. The UN Women chaired UNKT CF Thematic Group Results Group V (previously Gender Theme Group) allowed for joint and impactful UNCT advocacy that helped advance Cooperation Framework priorities and effective coordination on gender-related issues. Further, joint UNKT advocacy efforts towards eliminating violence against women were strengthened through the UN Women chaired UNKT Communications Group. This group served as a venue for coordinating joint efforts during UN International Advocacy Days, 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence,Girl Child Day, Women's Empowerment in the Media, as well as raising awareness on all forms of violence against women through a coordinated approach. Through leveraging its coordination mandate, UN Women ensured that gender-sensitive inputs are provided to different Kosovo strategic documents which were being drafted during the reporting period. UN Kosovo Team jointly provided inputs to the national strategic framework on Ending Violence against Women including the National Strategy against Domestic Violence, the National Protocol for treatment of Sexual Violence cases, and the Law against Domestic Violence. The UNSDCF2021–2025 for Kosovo has five strategic priorities (1) accountable governance; (2) inclusive and non-discriminatory social policies and services; (3) resilient, sustainable and inclusive economic development; and (4) social cohesion and relevant to each of these priority areas there is a cross-cutting theme as the fifth priority, (5) increased gender equality and rights-holders’ participation, empowerment, and civic engagement) and five accompanying outcomes. In the past 14 out of 15 SWAP indicators were achieved by UNKT with the support of UN Women, making UNKT one of the leading Country Teams in the region in terms of UNCT-SWAP GE performance. In 2022 UN Women in close cooperation with UNDCO submitted the Kosovo UNCT-SWAP Annual Kosovo progress report for review covering 2021-2022. Quality assurance and finalization has been achieved through consultations with HQ and bi-lateral meetings. The UN Women Kosovo office continues its resource mobilization efforts including through strategic dialogue with donors. The office delivery rate is 96.66%.

Showing 1 - 5 of 6

Disclaimer and notes

The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).

Download Data

CSV PDF