UNMIK/PR/1301
PRISTINA – UNMIK and the PISG began the drafting of a report under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. This follows from the Technical Agreement signed last summer between the SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen and the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe.
"Protecting the rights of minorities is a key priority for the PISG as part of Standards implementation and of great importance to the development of Kosovo as a society", said the SRSG, adding that "Kosovo must become a stable, democratic and multi-ethnic society before it can join European integration processes. It must meet the standards contained in the Convention".
The Framework Convention is one of the major human rights treaties within Europe and establishes standards for the treatment of minorities. Under Kosovo’s Constitutional Framework, the Convention for the Protection of National Minorities is directly applicable in Kosovo.
The Council of Europe monitors the way the authorities implement these standards and fulfil their obligations to protect the rights of the less privileged groups. The monitoring is conducted through the submission to the Council of Europe of compliance reports that describe the legislation, policies and practical actions that the institutions undertake in order to implement the Convention.
The preparation of a report under the Framework Convention is not only the first report prepared under an international human rights instrument, but also a prime example of UNMIK and the PISG working jointly on collecting information and assessing the minority rights situation and the legislative and policy measures undertaken since 1999 in order to meet international standards.
The report will be very important in setting a high standard and an example for all future reporting and in building the capacity of the PISG to conduct such reporting independently in the future.
The preparation of the report will be co-ordinated by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, from UNMIK’s side, and by the Advisory Office on Communities within the Office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo.