On 7 and 8 June 2018, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers welcomed 15 NGOs from Kosovo and Serbia in its premises, as participants of the KSC Outreach Workshop in The Hague. The event primarily aimed at receiving feedback from NGOs from the region on ongoing outreach activities as well as suggestions for future outreach actions.
“The Kosovo Specialist Chambers have from their start devoted particular attention to outreach activities in order to explain to the people in the region the nature, mandate, structure and principles pivotal in the functioning of our institution. As one of our priorities, it is vital to receive regular feedback from the communities in the region, in particular from interested NGOs. For me, it was essential to again meet members of civil society in Kosovo and Serbia and to take heed of their numerous views and perspectives on the Specialist Chambers. We will thoroughly consider their specific and valuable suggestions for future outreach activities.”, said President Ekaterina Trendafilova, appreciating the outcome of the workshop.
The workshop brought potential partners and concentrated knowledge of the region together to strategically shape KSC outreach.
The NGOs that participated in the workshop were the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) Kosovo; HLC Serbia; European Center for Minority Issues (ECMI) Kosovo; Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) Kosovo; YIHR Serbia, Kosovo Women’s’ Network (KWN); YUCOM; AKTIV; Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture (ACDC); Center for Research; Documentation and Publication (CDRP); Integra; Center for Peace and Tolerance (CPT); ForumZFD Serbia; ForumZFD Kosovo and Roma in Action.
Establishing a two-way communication between the KSC and the population affected most by its work has been an essential part of the KSC Communication Strategy. KSC management and outreach team have been regularly consulting civil society in Kosovo and the region during the last few years. Since January 2018, through implementation of the Swiss donation, the KSC has carried out various outreach events in partnership with NGOs throughout Kosovo. The design of each event allowed KSC to provide the respective audience with essential information on mandate and jurisdiction of the court and at the same time listen to the concerns of the audience and answer their questions. Consultations with potential partners have also recently started in Serbia.
