16 June 2020
By Jasmijn Doorgeest
It is a typical, atypical day for the students of Peace Lab 2020. As we all take a
seat behind our laptops—some at desks, others on couches or grass patches
outside—Anne wishes us a good morning and introduces us to today’s schedule.
While some of us are still sipping their first (or second?) coffee of the day,
Clémentine kicks off with a briefing about the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) whom we will be meeting later. The OSCE is an
intergovernmental body concerned with conflict prevention, crisis management
and post-conflict rehabilitation through the participation of its 57 member
states. Since its foundation in 1975 it has grown to become the world’s largest
security-oriented organisation of its kind, with members spread out mostly
across the Northern Hemisphere. Today, we are lucky enough to be joined by
Ilija, Maja, Adlen and Sandra, who are willing to talk to us about their own
experiences within the organisation.
The Mission in Kosovo is one of the
OSCE’s largest field operations, and has been monitoring the work of Kosovar
institutions since its establishment in 1999. It aims to promote and protect
the right of Kosovo’s inhabitants, as well as provide systemic remedies where
needed. All with an eye on the Mission’s four guiding principles: mainstreaming
multi-ethnicity, tolerance, dialogue and reconciliation; promoting transparency
and accountability to counter discrimination; sustainability; and advancing
gender equality. Especially the latter is interesting to me, as I am doing a
project on women’s rights together with three other Peace Lab students.
Throughout these past few weeks we have become much more aware of the
disadvantaged position of women in Kosovo, perpetuated by the the slow move
away from a mostly patriarchal society. We have also seen it is important to
place women in positions where they can participate in decision-making, to
facilitate the shift to equal treatment for all genders. The Mission attempts
to empower women through various projects, such as training Kosovo police on
the identification of domestic violence; and having conversations with men
about gender equality.
The need to have conversations is a
common thread across all meetings we’ve had, with many organisations
acknowledging the importance of fostering mutual recognition and understanding
between opposing groups. Still, there is a long way to go—especially when it
comes to the relationship between ethnic Serbs and ethnic Albanians within
Kosovo. Today we were confronted again with the many obstacles in the way of
changing this relationship for the better, beginning with the lack of mutual
contact. We were told by Vesa, who joined us for a presentation on her master’s
thesis, that a large number of Kosovar Serbs never even meet a Kosovar
Albanian, and the other way around, too. And while the meetings that do happen
can sometimes bring about feelings of positive surprise on both sides, many
others are heavily influenced by negative stereotypes and internalized pain
passed on from generation to generation.
As the troubled relationship between Kosovar
Serbs and Kosovar Albanians continues to be a barrier between the current state of
affairs and a potential future in which peace is the norm, today we also had a
meeting with the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
(UNMIK) to talk about their role in the conflict and its resolution. Since its establishment in
1999 UNMIK has remained in Kosovo with the objective of rebuilding the country
after the war, and to create the conditions necessary for a peaceful life for
its inhabitants. Many minority groups, including the Roma community, remain
marginalised even more than twenty years after the end of the war. When asked
about UNMIK’s actions to help these groups rebuild their lives, Mr. Pentony
(Deputy Head of Mitrovica Regional Office) answered, it is vital to include them
in the conversation and “keep reaching out more”—the importance of which might
be applied to many aspects of the conflict.
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