Press release
Active Citizenship, Challenge for Government and Municipalities
Pristina, December 23, 2014
The non-governmental organization “Eye of Vision” from Peja on Tuesday in Pristina held a conference on the topic “Active Citizenship” where representatives from the municipalities of the Dukagjini plain, Assemblywomen, the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, civil society and representatives of villages and neighborhoods of the municipalities of the region of Peja and Prizren.
The activation of citizens, the participation of women in decision-making processes and the addressing of problems in institutions at the local and central level, remains a challenge for the institutions at the local and central level, it was said by the participants in this conference.
Shqipe Arifaj, from the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, said that “There are laws, various administrative instructions and municipal regulations that strengthen the role of citizens and make them powerful against institutions, but it is the responsibility of the municipalities to implement these legal acts . This is especially concerning the municipal regulations for the cooperation of municipalities with villages, settlements and urban neighborhoods”.
Meanwhile, the municipal officials present at this meeting have expressed their concern that they will not be able to implement the regulations for cooperation of the municipality with villages, settlements and urban neighborhoods, since these people should be given some kind of payment or incentive for the commitment theirs to be active, while the municipal budget does not allow them to do this.
they have suggested that the Ministry of Finance together with the Ministry of MLGA should or should have before issuing such an instruction and before obliging the municipalities to draw up regulations, think about the payment method, because without paying or without stimulated, they will not be functional”.
The heads of some villages of the municipalities of the Dukagjin plain have said that they demand compensation for the work they do. “We are tired of how many years we do voluntary work and spend from our own pockets just to improve life in the settlements where we live, but from now on without any payment we will not be able to contribute. Although we have the desire and will, the difficult economic situation does not allow us to do this”, said Jahë Mulliqi, chairman of the local council in the village of Raushiq, municipality of Peja.
On the other hand, the women assembly members of the municipalities of the region of Peja and Prizren expressed their dissatisfaction with their representation at the local and central level in terms of key positions, even according to them, women are not offered the opportunity and space to prove themselves in positions and departments of particular importance in their Municipalities, but also at the central level. They have often taken examples from their municipalities where the number of women as directors of various departments is very small, and even at the state level, the situation is almost the same.
In this conference, the year-long work of the “Syri i Vizioni” organization, which is doing in the empowerment of active citizenship, was published, this project is supported by the Olof Palme International Center and SIDA.
With respect,
NGO “Eye of Vision”
Tel. +377(0)44 695 650
Email: naser.lajqi@syriivizionit.org
www.syriiivizioint.org
