Dear,
Mr. David Oberhuber GIZ Kosovo Director,
Mr. Lulzon Jagxhiu, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Information Technology/CTO,
Partners from GIZ Kosovo, Kosovo institutions, American University of Kosovo, Cactuss Education and private sector representatives  

Dear guests and colleagues,

It is my pleasure to welcome you today to the successful completion of ICT bootcamps training as part of the Digital Skills Programme where UNDP joined forces with GIZ to empower youth as drivers of the digital transformation and agents of change.

UNDP aims to support digital transformation – towards societies where digital ecosystems are an empowering force for people and planet.  For Kosovo, digital transformation carries enormous potential to leapfrog on its sustainable development journey. But, if not effectively guided, it can be disruptive and bring risks such as increasing inequality.

UNDP supports to not only harness the clear opportunities that digital technologies bring, but also ensure that those risks are taken into consideration and effectively mitigated along the way. There is a need to advocate for an inclusive, gender-responsive, whole-of-society digital transformation.

Collaboration between institutions, private sector, and civil society is key for developing local digital ecosystems that prioritize inclusiveness, sustainability, accountability, and human rights. We need a human-centred and inclusive approach for planning digital public policy. At the same time, we need to address risks - such as cybersecurity and privacy - while including vulnerable groups.

Two years ago, UNDP Kosovo embarked on journey to support digital transformation in Kosovo. We started with the Digital Readiness Assessment by mapping out the shape, pace and types of digital transition happening in Kosovo - with the aim to better understand and identify opportunities to accelerate the transition, and at the same time also ensure that we address responsively the digital divide.

One of the focus areas was exploring the labour market demand for skills for women and men in all their diversity. And this is where UNDP and GIZ have been working together to enhance digital skills for Kosovo's young women and men and prepare them for the future of work. The rapidly changing world, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence and automation, will bring significant changes to the job market, resulting in job loss and creation of new jobs. Digital skills will be essential in this new landscape and new opportunities must be created globally to address these changes.

Through partnering with local training providers such as our hosts today, the A.U.K Training and Development Institute, the initiative strengthened the digital skills of the young at the labour market, and today there is a number of certified ICT professionals. As we know, the current pool of digital professionals is insufficient for the fast-growing digital industry. The Digital Skills Program will continue to offer training with current partners and new partnerships are continuously evolving.

The certification of young ICT professionals goes in hand with the promise of the youth guarantee that is being introduced to the Western Balkans and is a continuation of the long-standing efforts UNDP Kosovo has made to develop skills and create employment.

Today, young and men will be certified for their skills received on training bootcamps, receiving a mix of technical and practical skills directly connected to industry demand. The project, through the bootcamps, has addressed gaps in existing education system by providing an accelerated path for motivated youth to develop skills that secure sustainable careers within the ICT ecosystem.

To conclude, digitalisation can bring great benefits to the society, but the benefits of the progress tend to be distributed unevenly. While technology can create new opportunities, it can also be disruptive, displacing workers, widening gender and age digital divides, and worsening inequality. Active efforts are needed to prevent from this happening – and to ensure that digitalization is inclusive and beneficial for all and contributing to gender equality. I hope we will have a productive discussion on bridging the gaps between digital demands of young people in Kosovo.

I would like to express our appreciation to our partner and donor GIZ for your generous support and trust in piloting this approach. I would also like to thank our implementing partners for their efforts, and to congratulate each of you young professionals to the fruits of your hard work in this training program.