June 19th

By Leonor Koppitz

 

Today marked our second day in the North of Kosovo, near the Serbian border. We started on a good note with a shared breakfast at the Serbian-run hotel where we spent the night. After breakfast, we headed to the UNMIK Mitrovica headquarters. There, we met with several representatives of the organization and briefly interacted with KFOR soldiers.

We had also planned to meet with other organizations, including UNDP, UNICEF, and OHCHR. However, these meetings were cancelled. We learned that UNDP has ceased its activities in Northern Kosovo, and the operations of the other organizations have been scaled down. The cancellation of these meetings made me wonder whether this withdrawal indicated that their work had been achieved, or whether the downscale of activities was more related to a lack of resources. UNMIK representatives suggested that the withdrawals were purely for logistical reasons. Our day continued with delicious local food from a mall right outside of Mitrovica, and later in the afternoon with a visit of the Field of Blackbirds in scorching heat. 

 

Visiting Mitrovica was a particularly special experience. Last year, the group was unable to visit the North due to episodes of violence. For one of the first times on this trip, the tensions we've been learning about became increasingly explicit during our meetings. The North and South of Mitrovica are completely divided, and we met with organisations that attempted to promote dialogue between the two sides. We had the opportunity to meet with a group of youth peacebuilders from an association called the New Social Initiative (NSI). Their dedication and resilience were truly inspiring. The challenges faced by the people in Northern Kosovo present a contrast to life in Pristina. This visit exposed us to differences in daily realities between these regions, even though Kosovo remains quite small in size. 

 

Meeting with this NGO, along with Community Building Mitrovica, really anchored a perspective  that I had been thinking about since the beginning of the trip. Initially, upon discovering the program, I was looking forward to engaging with the international organizations such as the EU and the UN, entities that we, as international relations students, are often taught to consider as central actors. While these meetings were interesting, they tended to be quite vague and diplomatic. In contrast, our interactions with local NGOs were very impactful. These organizations, like Roma Versitas Kosovo, the Kosovo Women’s Network and NSI, provided tangible examples of their work and inspired me far more than any other meetings we had. It became clear that while major institutions are recognized internationally as key players in post-conflict societies, real change happens at the level of civil society.

 

These local NGOs are staffed by individuals deeply committed to improving the lives of people in Kosovo, often putting themselves in dangerous situations by doing so. As Anne often explained to us, and as echoed by NSI, peacebuilders who collaborate with the "opposite side" are frequently viewed not only as the "enemy" by other communities but also as "traitors" by their own. Advocating for social issues such as feminism or LGBTQI+ rights also exposes these individuals to a lot of hate.

 

These realizations were followed by the unfortunate reality that local NGOs struggle to maintain their activities, due to multiple challenges, funding being a significant one. Many of them explained that they receive limited support from both the government and international programs, which seems contradictory given the impact of their activities. Many of the organisations work very closely with the government and legislative processes, and lead to considerable change, yet their contributions don’t seem to be rewarded (at least through funding) by the government. That seemed confusing to me, especially in a system where both local authorities and international organisations aim to achieve social stability, which so far has only been effective through these civil society initiatives.

 

We ended our visit of Northern Kosovo by gathering for dinner at a beautiful restaurant back in the center of Pristina, where we got to listen to folk music. Although every activity here in Kosovo is filled with excitement, I can confidently say that having dinner together each night has been one of the highlights of the trip.