UNMIK/PR/374
Pristina--Bernardo Cocco and Driton Lajçi, Co-Heads of the Department of Youth, announced in a press conference today the celebration of the First Youth Week in Kosovo with the theme this year focused on “Tolerance, No violence”. Activities will take place in different regions and cities of Kosovo, in Pristina, Kosovo Polje,Gnjilane,Gjakova, Kacanik, Kamenica, Klina, Lipljan, Malishevo, Mitrovica,Obilic, Orahovac, Pec, Pudojevo, Prizren and in Skenderaj. A “Youth Manifesto” elaborated by young girls and young boys will be presented to the Special Representative of the Secretary General and the Interim Administrative Council. It is meant to be a vision statement by and for youth, based on tolerance and non-violent principles.
The youth week will provide an opportunity for young people of Kosovo to initiate and create ideas for shaping their future. It is intended to inspire the proactive involvement of youth in their communities, to promote non-violent approaches towards the solution of the intricate conflict in Kosovo. The youth week will put youth, who are more than 50% of the population in Kosovo, in the limelight with a positive message directed to national and international public opinion.
Youth week events will range from arts exhibitions (music, theater and photo) and sports events to environmental activities and press conferences on youth related topics. Activities are planned and implemented by youth themselves. The Department of Youth had involved youth organizations in promoting non-violence and messages of coexistence. One of the objectives of the week is to defuse tension in the run up to the elections.
The post-war situation in Kosovo has left youth with both a legacy stemming from a history of intolerance and conflict as well as the challenge to engage actively in building civic society, according to the Department of Youth. Since the end of the war, hundreds of new youth organizations and associations have been established with the aim of creating better conditions for youth themselves and for their society as a whole.
The mandate of the Department of Youth includes encouraging democratic decision-making and broad based participation and consultation at all levels within youth clubs, groups and associations, and promoting youth human rights.