Dear Partners and Colleagues, 

Although I feel a bit sad to see such an impactful endeavour come to an end, I am also pleased to celebrate with you all today the great results of the HAP project through our joint efforts.

We started this journey as a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic. What began as a health emergency, quickly turned into a socio-economic crisis. The spill-over effects of the pandemic means that, worldwide, an estimated 100 million people fell into poverty. 

For a second year in a row, we have seen human development slide back – as measured by UNDP’s Human Development Index - setting us back to levels recorded in 2016, at the start of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

Likewise, in Kosovo, the COVID crisis affected the resilience and coping abilities of the people. Women, young people, elderly, people with disabilities - regardless of their ethnicity – were hit the hardest. The situation has been especially difficult for those living in remote areas, those with limited access to health and social services. 

The pandemic also exposed weaknesses in the social protection system - affecting the work of Kosovo’s institutions. Despite the challenges, the Centers for Social Work remained fully committed to helping people and implementing emergency measures. They continued to be at the forefront of service provision, and for that, they should be commended.

With the financial support of the European Union, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfers, in partnership with UN Women, and the central and local institutions, I am proud to say that we were able to address some of the most pressing needs in provision of social services. 

Together, we successfully provided targeted support to almost 10,000 families around Kosovo, boosted the capacities of the Centers for Social Work, engaged rural women in the labour market, and improved the conditions in shelters for survivors of domestic violence. We improved access to equitable social protection for the most vulnerable and supported a new generation of 40 social workers. 

I would like to thank Johannes – and the entire EU Team - for the wonderful partnership, allowing us to rapidly respond to the challenges caused by the pandemic.

I would like to thank the Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers and team at the Department for Family and Social Policies – for their dedication and commitment – which was critical for the success of the project. 

Similarly, we are grateful to UN Women and the Ministry of Health for the invaluable collaboration. Great thanks are due to the teams operating the mobile clinics which we saw while entering this hall.

As UNDP, we encourage similar interventions across Kosovo – interventions that help people in need, build resilience, and ensure that no one is left behind.

While celebrating today what we achieved together, let us also acknowledge and reflect on the challenges that remain:

The pandemic’s financial cost means that governments around the world are starting to introduce austerity measures, this means that a vast majority of the world’s population will be affected by reduced investments in public services and public-sector capacity. 

The pandemic, rising debt burden, climate change, inflation, food insecurity, energy crisis, and other global challenges are constraining the fiscal space in middle income societies, including Kosovo.

The pandemic and its far-reaching effects have put us in front of difficult choices. Global problems have a real impact at all levels of society. It affects communities, health and education systems, as well as families and businesses.

The questions for us all are: How do we safeguard people’s lives and protect their livelihoods? Where to allocate scarce resources? How to protect those in most vulnerable situations?

Collective actions are required to address these systemic issues - and practical solutions must be found which simultaneously address institutional and individual needs.

Through the HAP project, we have shown that such initiatives and community actions do work, that they are vital for recovery, sustainability of economic development, and contribute to the overall wellbeing of people in Kosovo.

And while I thank once again all our partners, I would like to acknowledge the wonderful HAP team. Without their dedication and perseverance, this project would not have been the success story we see today. 

Thank you for joining us today to celebrate the results of our joint efforts!