Open call for external expert KCR_pages-to-jpg-0001

OPEN CALL FOR EXTERNAL EXPERT

04.02.2022

Midterm evaluation of an ongoing project

Project:
Transforming conflict perceptions through increased civic and community engagement in Kosovo

Period: 
January 2019 – December 2021

Date:
As soon as possible or latest 1st of March 2022

Background:


Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation (KCR) was established in January 2019, by HLCK, Artpolis, NGO Aktiv and Documenta, through the support of the European Union Office in Kosovo with the project “Transforming conflicting perceptions through increased civic and community engagement in Kosovo”.

KCR seeks to contribute to overall improvement of ethnic relations in Kosovo and increase understanding and participation of grass-root community actors in initiatives fostering the reconciliation process in Kosovo. Through vigorous efforts in facilitation of respectful ethnic dialogue, promotion of cultural diversity values, increased opportunities for inter-ethnic cooperation in promotion of peace and tolerance and amplified inclusion women and youth groups in reconciliation process in Kosovo, KCR aspires to introduce genuine and sustainable changes in reconciliation dynamics in Kosovo. 

The selected expert/consultant will have to conduct a programmatic evaluation, which will autonomously measure overall progress of the project, assess the indicator fulfillment, collect and review quantitative and qualitative data to determine evidence of the project impact and suggest the changes/amendments that lead to better result delivery in the continuation of efforts. This will have to be done in close cooperation with the programme manager and the KCR members. 

After more than 3 years of work, the Coalition seeks to engage an external expert who will work closely with us to:

  • Carefully review the work of the KCR for the period of 1st of January 2019 – 31st of December 2022.
  • Prepare and conduct a midterm evaluation of the partnered organizations, based on meetings with HLCK, Artpolis, NGO Aktiv, the expert’s own research and feedback collected from stakeholders and discuss the findings with the organizations.
  • Explore and recommend which interventions are most appropriate at which level(s) to achieve the desired change.
  • Analyze which organizational capacities should be strengthened in order to improve the implementation and the results of the project.
  • Define all necessary adaptations for the future project design.
  • Deliver a final report on findings and recommendations for internal use for the KCR.

Qualifications:

  • No less than five (5) years of professional experience working in the civil-society sector in Kosovo and region.
  • Demonstrated familiarity with Transitional Justice and Dealing with the Past concepts and demonstrated experience in these field.
  • Past experience in evaluating projects.
  • Fluency in English and local languages.

Interested parties should submit the following documentation to office@hlc-kosovo.org no later than the 18th of February 2022:

  • A detailed curriculum vitae;
  • A letter of interest outlining the applicant’s interest in and qualifications for the position and examples of past similar work;
  • A proposed methodology and timeline for the completion of work;
  • A financial offer;

Deadline for questions and further clarifications for the open call is 9th of February 2022 via email. All questions and answers will be available for all applicants no later than 14th of February 2022 on the webpage of KCR.

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Call for Application – Theatre Based Education Training with peers

02.02.2022

Art and Community Center – Artpolis within the Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation is organizing a Theatre Based Education Training with young peers from Albanian, Serbian, Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities.

This training will be organized between the 11th to 14th of February in Prizren/Kosovo. All expenses are covered by Artpolis including transportation, accommodation, food, and training.

As a continuation interested persons/groups from this training will develop a theatre performance, which will be presented in front of audience members.

Link for more information and application 👉 https://bit.ly/3oglivs

Only selected candidates will be notified through phone or e-mail. For more information contact: venera.it@gmail.com or in 044 169 080.

#artpolis #aktiv #kcr #art #community #THBE #ForumTheater

Open call for TJ expert 26.02.2022_pages-to-jpg-0001

Call for a Transitional Justice expert with focus on Kosovo and the Balkan region

01.02.2022

Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation (KCR) is seeking an expert with extensive knowledge on the transitional justice process in Kosovo and in the Balkan region to draft a National Strategy on Transitional Justice in Kosovo.

Background:

KCR with the financial support of the European Union seeks to contribute to overall improvement of ethnic relations in Kosovo and increase understanding and participation of grass-root community actors in initiatives fostering the reconciliation process in Kosovo. Through vigorous efforts in facilitation of respectful ethnic dialogue, promotion of cultural diversity values, increased opportunities for inter-ethnic cooperation in promotion of peace and tolerance and amplified inclusion of women and youth groups in the reconciliation process in Kosovo, KCR aspires to introduce genuine and sustainable changes in reconciliation dynamics in Kosovo. 

Purpose and objectives:

The KCR seeks to engage a high-level expert on Transitional Justice to draft a model for National Strategy on Transitional Justice. The expert shall coordinate the research done by the Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo and the KCR partners and use the research (qualitative and quantitative) in order to draft an accurate strategy on Transitional Justice.

The expert will have the full responsibility, in close cooperation with the programme coordinator of the KCR to:

–          Gather necessary and relevant data about the transitional justice process in Kosovo (and the region if necessary);

–          Conduct desk and field research, including conducting interview with relevant stakeholders;

–          Draft a short report concerning the transitional justice process in Kosovo from the end of the conflict in 1999 until today;

–          Study and compare strategies of different countries and assess the impact of these strategies in the process of TJ in those countries;

–          Analyze and extract experience of these countries by identifying relevant successes and shortcomings;

–          Draft proposal/model for a National Strategy of Transitional Justice for Kosovo

Qualifications and required profile:

The applicant will have a proven track record of:

–          Significant expert knowledge demonstrated through academic qualifications or the equivalent and substantial professional experience of Transitional Justice, Dealing with the past, International law, post conflict societies or/and peacebuilding; 

–          Excellent research, analytical and writing skills;

–          Strong analytical skills and demonstrated experience of conducting and managing research, including field research;

–          Proven experience of drafting research papers targeted at different audiences;

–          An extensive knowledge of Kosovo recent history and that of the ex-Yugoslavia countries;

–          Have a strong knowledge of strategies drafted by authorities of other post-conflict countries (e.g. South Africa, Bosnia and Herzegovina etc.) who have already drafted their national strategies on TJ and Dealing with the Past. 

How to apply:

Interested candidate should send the following documents to Office@HLC-Kosovo.org

–          Short description about the applicant and how you plan to approach the task (max 2 pages);

–          Example of previous work done in the field;

–          CV and cover letter.

Please find more on the Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation on the website www.kcr-ks.org  and on www.hlc-kosovo.org about Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo. If you have any questions you are welcome to address them to the Project Manager Kaltrina Shala on Kaltrina@hlc-kosovo.org.

Deadline for application is 9th of February 2022

ENG

Kosovo Youth Through Art… of Reconciliation

Between early February and the end of March 2021, twenty young individuals aged from 13 to 22 years old and belonging to the Kosovo Albanian, Kosovo Roma and Kosovo Serb took part in the project activity Youth Check In, within the framework of the project Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation which is financed by the EU Office in Kosovo.

Many participants, across different communities of belonging, portrayed in their own creative way numerous issues – poverty and the environment above all – that still plague Kosovo society as a whole. This gives a hint about the sense of commonality and civic engagement that brings them together despite their community affiliation.

WEB-reconciliation-engDownload
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Feminist Spring School 2021 – Second part

4-7 November, 2021.

“Young women building peace” is the motto under which took place the second part of the Feminist Spring School 2021, gathering 18 girls from Kosovo and Serbia from 4-7 November, 2021.

Given the stagnant situation of the dialogue process between Kosovo and Serbia, the recently created tensions between the two countries and the great impact that the situation plays on the daily life of the population of both countries, as well as the effect it all has in their interethnic relations, initiatives like Feminist Spring School undoubtedly play a key role in constructing a narrative without political distortions within the bigger picture of peace building among the citizens of Kosovo and Serbia.

The program of Feminist Spring School is created in such a way that it includes activist and feminist trainers and guests, from Kosovo and Serbia, who present their work to the participating girls. And this year’s program was no exception.

During the four days of our (informal) school / seminar that brought together young women from Kosovo and Serbia we tackled different topics, engaging participants in practical learning processes and exploring more about themselves, their feminist future and the peace building process.

From ‘law and feminism’ to ‘peace and activisms’ to ‘transitional justice and reconciliation’ to ‘women’s contribution in peace and security’ to ‘women’s movement since the 1990s’ to ‘women climbers breaking taboos’ to ‘women at the negotiating table in Kosovo’ were the topics that enriched the program of the second part of the Feminist Spring School 2021.

Well-known names of activists and institutions’ representatives including Nasrin Pourghazian, Ariana Qosaj Mustafa, Valdete Idrizi, Kaltrina Shala, Donika Emini, Igballe Rogova, Mrika Nikçi and Jovana Radosavljevic lectured on the aforementioned topics.

Creating a safe environment for participants to express themselves and enabling them to do it in their own respective language are among the core principles of the Feminist Spring School that of course came to the fore this year as well.

Below we will enumerate some short sentences of evaluation answers to the question “What’s the feeling you are concluding the Feminist Spring School with?”

“Inspired, empowered and loved.” – Valëza

“I am leaving this training highly motivated to work even harder for women and girls.” – Drenueta

“I am leaving with more knowledge about the importance of women’s history and I cannot wait to share this knowledge I have.”- Jelena C.

“If we ever forget how strong and knowledgeable, we are, or because of the circumstances in which we live we are sometimes discouraged, I think that trainings like these remind us of many things and give us courage to continue.”- Saranda


The project “Young Women Build Peace in Kosovo and Serbia” is implemented in cooperation with Artpolis – Art and Community Center and the “Alternativni centar za devojke” while supported by the European Union in Kosovo and Kvinna till Kvinna foundation.

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Workshop and Forum Theater Performance “Rokada”

05.11.2021

“On 29-31 October in Prizren the Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation organized a Forum Theatre Training workshop with young people from different communities in Kosovo. This workshop is one of the activities under the project 2018/404-549 “Transforming conflicting perceptions through increased civic and community engagement in Kosovo”.

The workshop was held under the mentoring of Filip Pajic, a psychologist and amateur theatre director. 15 young people (9 women and 6 men) from the Albanian and Serbian communities participated. The training was developed with a focus on theatre knowledge, theatrical techniques and improvisation. The main topic covered was the cooperation of young people. How young people should cooperate with each other in order to achieve a common goal, understanding each other, breaking stereotypes and getting to know the differences as a process of reconciliation. The participants responded very well to the training and the commitment was at a high level.

As a result of the training, participants organized Forum Theater performance held on November 5 at the CEC Center in North Mitrovica.

The play focuses on the stereotypes that prevail in Kosovo society and how these stereotypes affect young people.

The story of four young people who were previously in mixed relationships but broke up due to differences in origin and religion, was the topic of the play and the discussion that followed.

#aktiv #kcr #artpolis #hlck

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Maximum sentence for Goran Stanisic accused for war crimes in the villages of Sllovi/Slovinje and Tërbovc/Trbovce

5.10.2021

The Trial Panel of the Special Department of the Basic Court of Prishtinë/Priština (presided by Judge Valon Kurtaj1), on October 5, 2021, found the accused Goran Stanišić guilty of war crimes against the civilian population and sentenced him to imprisonment of twenty (20) years, which is the maximum sentence for this criminal offense, according to the SFRY Criminal Law, which is more favorable in this case.


The Humanitarian Law Center in Kosovo (HLCK) has systematically monitored the trial against the accused Stanišić. Based on the monitoring of the trial, the HLCK finds that the trial was fair and the rights of the parties during the proceedings were respected, despite the difficulties in organizing the trial due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The verdict was announced after 15 court hearings, where 22 witnesses were heard, among them the injured party A1.2
Upon the process of evidence presentation during the main trial some prosecution witnesses have identified the presence of the defendant at the place and time of the deportation and killing of Albanian civilians. However, the statements of some eyewitnesses given to the UNMIK Mission, and later to the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo (SPRK), were inconsistent regarding the participation of defendant Stanišić in the killing of civilians.


HLCK is reluctant to comment on the verdict and the extent of the sentence at this point until receiving the verdict in writing along with the reasoning for this verdict. Upon the announcement of the verdict, the trial panel did not provide any reasoning regarding the announced verdict. It is therefore unknown what evidence the trial panel relied on when making its decision on the defendant’s conviction. The lack of a reasoning for the decision on

convicting the defendant is contrary to Article 366, paragraph 2 of the CPCRK. This article stipulates that after the public reading of the enacting clause of the verdict, the reasoning of the verdict must be briefly announced, respectively the evidence on which the Trial Panel was based. It is also necessary that in this case, the Trial Panel gives a reasoning regarding the aggravating or mitigating circumstances, which have influenced the defendant to be found guilty and sentenced to maximum imprisonment.
On February 6, 2020, the SPRK3 has filed an indictment against Goran Stanišić, accused of having been a member of the reserve police force of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, who during the period of 15 and 16 April 1999, as part of a broad and systematic attack by Serbian military, paramilitary and police forces against the Albanian civilian population in the villages of Sllovi/Slovinje and Tërbovc/Trbovce in the Municipality of Lipjan/Lipljane, and in cooperation with other members of this unit, participated in the deportation of the Albanian civilian population, committing the murders of 13 Albanian civilians and wounding A1. The first instance court found him guilty on all counts of the indictment.
The parties have the right to appeal against this verdict in the Court of Appeals.

Maximum-sentence-for-Goran-Stanisic-accused-for-war-crimes-in-the-villages-of-SlloviSlovinje-and-TerbovcTrbovce.docxDownload

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‘War crime cases before the Kosovo courts’

22.09.2021

HLCK publishes the newsletter on ‘War crime cases before the Kosovo courts’ for the period January – June 2021.

In this newsletter, you can find information related to the war crime cases before the Kosovo courts together with the HLCK observations.

Open-call-for-external-expert-KCR

OPEN CALL FOR EXTERNAL EXPERT

Midterm evaluation of an ongoing project
Project:
Transforming conflict perceptions through increased civic and community engagement in Kosovo

Period: 
January 2019 – June 2021

Date:
As soon as possible or latest 1st of October 2021

Background:


Kosovo Coalition for Reconciliation (KCR) was established in January 2019, by HLCK, Artpolis, NGO Aktiv and Documenta, through the support of the European Union Office in Kosovo with the project “Transforming conflicting perceptions through increased civic and community engagement in Kosovo”.

KCR seeks to contribute to overall improvement of ethnic relations in Kosovo and increase understanding and participation of grass-root community actors in initiatives fostering the reconciliation process in Kosovo. Through vigorous efforts in facilitation of respectful ethnic dialogue, promotion of cultural diversity values, increased opportunities for inter-ethnic cooperation in promotion of peace and tolerance and amplified inclusion women and youth groups in reconciliation process in Kosovo, KCR aspires to introduce genuine and sustainable changes in reconciliation dynamics in Kosovo. 

The selected expert/consultant will have to conduct a programmatic evaluation, which will autonomously measure overall progress of the project, assess the indicator fulfillment, collect and review quantitative and qualitative data to determine evidence of the project impact and suggest the changes/amendments that lead to better result delivery in the continuation of efforts. This will have to be done in close cooperation with the programme manager and the KCR members. 

After more than 2 years of work, the Coalition seeks to engage an external expert who will work closely with us to:

  • Carefully review the work of the KCR for the period of 1st of January 2019 – 30th of June 2021.
  • Prepare and conduct a midterm evaluation of the partnered organizations, based on meetings with HLCK, Artpolis, NGO Aktiv, the expert’s own research and feedback collected from stakeholders and discuss the findings with the organizations.
  • Explore and recommend which interventions are most appropriate at which level(s) to achieve the desired change.
  • Analyze which organizational capacities should be strengthened in order to improve the implementation and the results of the project.
  • Define all necessary adaptations for the future project design.
  • Deliver a final report on findings and recommendations for internal use for the KCR.

Qualifications:

  • No less than five (5) years of professional experience working in the civil-society sector in Kosovo and region.
  • Demonstrated familiarity with Transitional Justice and Dealing with the Past concepts and demonstrated experience in these field.
  • Past experience in evaluating projects.
  • Fluency in English and local languages.

Interested parties should submit the following documentation to office@hlc-kosovo.org no later than the 20th of September 2021:

  • A detailed curriculum vitae;
  • A letter of interest outlining the applicant’s interest in and qualifications for the position and examples of past similar work;
  • A proposed methodology and timeline for the completion of work;
  • A financial offer;

Deadline for questions and further clarifications for the open call is 13th of September 2021 via email. All questions and answers will be available for all applicants no later than 15th of September 20201 on the webpage of KCR.

Open-call-for-external-expert-KCR-pdfDownload