The 14th meeting of the Standing Technical Working Group (STWG) organized by the
European Centre for Minority Issues, Kosovo, on 17 July 2003 brought together
approximately 25 local and international experts on issues of health and social
welfare in an open Civic Forum. The aim of the forum was to generate critical
dialogue between party representatives and Assembly members, members of civil
society, and a team of experts on key issues of health policy development,
debating needs for reform and highlighting areas of particular attention.
ECMI Kosovo succeeded in bringing together a diverse panel of Kosovo experts and
stakeholders. The transition from an UNMIK administered Department of Health to
a Kosovar-run Ministry of Health has been turbulent and largely ineffective.
Party politics have obstructed ministry officials, health care administrators
and practitioners from carrying out their jobs. Of course, the ones to suffer
the most have been the patients. The Civic Forum brought together participants
from all points along the political spectrum and the discussion was concrete and
productive, thanks in large part to adept moderating by members of ECMI's Expert
Group for Health and Social Welfare.
The meeting dealt with the following aspects of Kosovo's health system:
1. The University of Pristina Health Centre
2. Public Health in Kosovo
3. Kosovo's Health Law
The outcome of the meeting was a comprehensive list of policy recommendations
and benchmarks for reform, together with a timeline for implementation. A more
comprehensive Report of the meeting along with the policy recommendations can be
downloaded from:
http://www.ecmi.de/doc/projects_action_9.html
The ECMI Citizens' Support Initiative, Kosovo
ECMI's Citizens' Support Initiative is a unique institution in Kosovo. It is the
only permanent interethnic forum where public policy is evaluated and debated
and where recommendations for alternative policies are devised. Through regular
Civic Fora prepared by expert working groups, the project has established
channels for effective civil society impact on the evolving policy-making bodies
in Kosovo, and the training of a new elite of decision-makers. It achieves this
through three aims:
* Enhancing the capacity of civil society organizations and political
representatives to address issues of public policy at an advanced level and in
line with common European standards;
* Fostering policy dialogue among civil society practitioners and government
representatives, and diversifying the sources of information available to the
wider society, and
* Supporting the establishment of routine interethnic dialogue on issues of
common interest and assuring a culture of inclusive participation in
decision-making.
The project therefore supports the consolidation of practices of good
governance, accountability and transparency in the evolving structures of
governance in Kosovo, and supports Kosovo on the path towards European
integration.
Two to Tango: An
Agenda for the New Kosovo SRSG While the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is in its fourth year,
the current period is one of the most sensitive since the war. Recent fatal
attacks on Kosovo Serbs and a UN policeman show that stability is not yet
deep-rooted. There is growing frustration with the poor state of the economy and
with delays in addressing final status issues. The new Special Representative of
the UN Secretary General (SRSG), former Finnish Prime Minister Harri Holkeri,
inherits a legacy of confrontation and tension between UNMIK and Kosovos elected
Provisional Institutions of Self Government (PISG). This crucial relationship
has become dangerously strained just as final status discussions approach and
PISG is assuming more responsibility. He will need to instil a new attitude of
respect for local elected officials and a reflex for consultation rather than
unilateral action.
ICG reports and briefing papers are available on our website:
www.crisisweb.org
