Anti-corruption

Combating corruption is a political priority in Kosovo and there is a significant demand from the public and civil society organisations for suppressing corruption. Kosovo’s latest ranking in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index reveals significant improvements in perceptions towards corruption in the public sector (SDG 16.5.1).

UNDP’s support to capacity development and legislative drafting contributed to progress in countering corruption and illicit financial flows, and in implementing anti-corruption preventive and asset recovery measures (SDG 16.4). Significant advances were made with the adoption of the Law on Corruption Prevention and Law on Public Officials’ Assets and Income Declarations, and the Law on Financing of Political Entities with legal drafting support provided by UNDP, while the Asset Recovery Roadmap was developed in line with the UN Convention Against Corruption. The Supreme Court adopted Sentencing Guidelines for corruption offences, harmonising sentencing policies and ensuring no one is above the law. The Special Prosecution Office enhanced its capacity to tackle corruption cases and over 4,000 public officials used a UNDP-supported online platform to declare their assets for the first time. The track record of Kosovo prosecutors in confiscation cases, including through international cooperation, earned them recognition at international training events on asset management.

Public perception analysis and data-informed policy making 

Since 2002 UNDP, in partnership with USAID, provides Kosovo stakeholders with timely data on political and social indicators, indicating current situation and providing insights for future actions. By measuring the respondents’ perception on institutional stability, democratization, economic stability, security, social cohesion, environment, and other issues, biannually, Public Pulse data serve as a tool to initiate dialogue between Kosovo institutions and people, as well as civil society, and will further contribute to institutional responsiveness and accountability. Public Pulse Briefs provide analysis on key indicators, disaggregated by gender, ethnicity, age and other important dimensions, serving as a snapshot of Kosovo’s state of democracy and overall satisfaction with and performance of key institutional branches showcasing the voice and opinions of women and men. The historical data and trends can now be accessed through the data visualization platform presenting the findings in an interactive manner. 

Rule of law and access to justice

UNDP responds to institutional needs for capacity development, policy framework advancement, humanitarian support and access to justice. Human Rights Based Approach and Leave No One Behind principles are strongly integrated, while gender equality considerations are mainstreaming in activities. UNDP supports legal practitioners to improve their capacity in a range of legal issues including gender justice and environmental justice, while fostering the generation of human rights defenders by engaging with young women and men in human rights advocacy. UNDP also worked on the unification of judicial jurisprudence on domestic violence Modernising the archiving system in courts UNDP cooperated with the Kosovo Judicial Council on the digitization of nearly 300,000 case files in all seven first instance courts. In support of access to justice and implementation of the Law on Languages, UNDP established the translation office at the Basic Court of Prishtina/Pristina with also contributed to the reduction of the backlog of cases accumulated due to the lack of professional translation services. Tailored trainings and South-South cooperation are the two approach which UNDP uses to strengthen individual and institutional capacities. 

Safety and security

Addressing small arms and light weapons (SALW) control, combating illicit arms trafficking (IAT) as well as combating cybercrime, in a gender-responsive manner, are part of UNDP’s goal and commitment to promoting human security and sustainable development in Kosovo (SDG 16.4). UNDP supports improved public safety and security for all inhabitants by finding local solutions for local problems while also supporting central and local level institutions. This support contributes to the implementation of the Western Balkans Roadmap for a Sustainable Solution to the Illegal Possession, Misuse and Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons using the people-processes-technology approach and other Kosovo safety and security strategies. UNDP supported the establishment and operationalization of a fully automated Firearms Focal Point (FFP) which is considered a model of a well-functioning system in the region, also, with the support of UNDP, Kosovo now has the most advanced and digitalized system for Electronic Weapons Registration, community policing and intelligence-led policing further contributes to communities’ safety as does the awareness campaign on the consequences of unauthorized use of small arms and light weapons (SALW) and to decrease the number of firearms incidents, especially during celebrations.