Tag: Kosovo

Both fact-checking and the framing of information in the correct social context are rarely applied in Kosovo, while journalism and social science degrees do not offer courses in this field. As a result, local journalists are not aware of the latest standards of fact-checking or new methods that platforms such as Facebook use in the fight against fake news.

To address these concerns, BIRN Kosovo, as a leading media outlet in investigative journalism in the country, has teamed up with IPI, an EU-based global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists that has been advocating for professional standards in journalism since 1950. The EU-based IPI will bring experienced media professionals to Kosovo, who will build journalists’ fact-checking and reporting skills, particularly with ethnically diverse investigative teams.

The training course devised and administered by the two organisations will help tackle fake news and unverified reporting, by helping journalists learn how to spot fake news and provide verified information that adheres to journalistic standards. The knowledge delivered will be of a very practical nature and will draw on the unique experiences of journalists who have successfully developed such skills in similar environments.

Over the two days, experienced international journalists will discuss relevant topics with the participants, including the Editors in Chief of Maldita – the leading Spanish organization in tackling disinformation through fact-checking and data journalism – and Teyit, the equivalent organization in Turkey. More information regarding the trainers can be found in their bios available to download below.

The presence of experienced local journalists will ensure that the exchange of skills and knowledge is not in the form of a training-centered teaching, but rather shaped as a conversation between experts, in which the specific challenges of journalists operating in a certain environment are addressed and solutions are discussed.

Who can apply?

Senior year journalism and social sciences students, recent graduates, young and professional journalists from Kosovo may apply.

Candidates from all parts of the country are encouraged to apply. However, the number of participants is limited and we will give priority to younger journalists with less experience in the described field.

Minimum 30 and maximum 40 participants will be selected.

How to apply?

All applications should be submitted in Albanian, Serbian, or English before December 4 at midnight Central European Time to [email protected] along with the following documents:

• Applicant’s CV
• Work Sample
• Motivation Letter

Applicants who do not have any published work can submit their student assignments from practical courses in journalism.

The motivation letter should provide information regarding the applicants’ opinion and knowledge on the topic of fake news and should not exceed 400 words.

Language:

The training will be held in English, however translation in Albanian, Serbian, and English will be provided.

COVID-19 restrictions:

Due to COVID-19 restrictions in the country, as well as relevant health recommendations, the training will be delivered online through Zoom.

Deadline for applications: December 4, 2020 at Midnight Central European Time

Date of the training course: December 9-10, 2020

Call for applications: Download here

BIOs of trainers: Download here

Remarks:

Participants will be provided with certificates at the end of the training.

The project seeks to organise two additional two-day trainings regarding the topic of false information with different international experts. In this regard, the applicants who are not selected will have an opportunity to participate in similar trainings through the same program during 2021.

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Thirrje për Aplikim për trajnim dyditor për kontrollimin e fakteve dhe trajtimin e dezinformimit

BIRN Kosova, në bashkëpunim me Institutin Ndërkombëtar të Medias (IPI), si pjesë e projektit “Solidifikimi i Qëndrueshmërisë së Gazetarëve të Tanishëm dhe të Ardhshëm të Kosovës“, i cili mbështetet nga BE, po kërkon studentë dhe gazetarë të diplomuar së fundmi për një trajnim dyditor i drejtuar nga profesionistë ndërkombëtarë të mediave që do të ofrojnë njohuri praktike në trajtimin e dezinformimit dhe metodat për kontrollimit të fakteve.

Të dyja, verifikimi i fakteve dhe kornizimi i informacionit në kontekstin e duhur shoqëror, zbatohen rrallë në Kosovë, ndërsa diplomat e gazetarisë dhe shkencave shoqërore nuk ofrojnë kurse në këtë fushë. Si rezultat, gazetarët lokalë nuk janë në dijeni të standardeve më të fundit të verifikimit të fakteve ose metodave të reja që përdorin platforma të tilla si Facebook në luftën kundër lajmeve të rreme.

Për t’i adresuar këto shqetësime, BIRN Kosova, si një prej mediave kryesore në gazetarinë hulumtuese, është bashkuar me IPI-në, një rrjet global i redaktorëve, drejtuesve të mediave dhe redaktorëve me bazë në BE që avokon për standardet profesionale në gazetari që nga viti 1950. IPI do të sjellë profesionistë me përvojë të mediave në Kosovë të cilët do të ndërtojnë aftësi për kontrollimin dhe raportimin e fakteve nga gazetarët, veçanërisht me ekipe hulumtuese etnikisht të ndryshme.

Trajnimi i hartuar dhe administruar nga këto dy organizata do të ndihmojë në trajtimin e lajmeve të rreme dhe raportimeve të paverifikuara, duke i ndihmuar gazetarët të mësojnë se si të zbulojnë lajme të rreme dhe të sigurojnë informacione të verifikuara që i përmbahen standardeve gazetareske. Njohuritë e dhëna do të jenë të një natyre shumë praktike dhe do të mbështeten në përvojat unike të gazetarëve që kanë zhvilluar me sukses aftësi të tilla në mjedise të ngjashme.

Gjatë dy ditëve, gazetarët ndërkombëtarë me përvojë do të diskutojnë tema të rëndësishme me pjesëmarrësit, duke përfshirë redaktorët kryesorë të Maldita – organizata kryesore spanjolle në trajtimin e dezinformimit përmes kontrollimit të fakteve dhe gazetarisë së të dhënave – dhe Teyit, organizata ekuivalente në Turqi. Më shumë informacion në lidhje me trajnerët mund të gjenden në biografitë e tyre në dispozicion për t’u shkarkuar më poshtë.

Prania e gazetarëve lokalë me përvojë do të sigurojë që shkëmbimi i aftësive dhe njohurive nuk është në formën e një qendre trajnuese ligjërimi, por më tepër formësohet si një interaksion midis ekspertëve, në të cilën adresohen sfidat specifike të gazetarëve që veprojnë në një mjedis të caktuar dhe diskutohen zgjidhjet.

Kush e ka të drejtën e aplikimit?

Të drejtën e aplikimit e kanë studentët të vitit të fundit të studimeve të gazetarisë dhe shkencave shoqërore, të sapodiplomuarit, gazetarë të rinj dhe profesionistë nga Kosova.

Kandidatët nga të gjitha pjesët e Kosovës inkurajohen të aplikojnë. Sidoqoftë, numri i pjesëmarrësve është i kufizuar dhe ne do t’u japim prioritet gazetarëve të rinj me më pak përvojë në fushën e përshkruar.

Do të zgjidhen minimum 30 dhe maksimalisht 40 pjesëmarrës.

Si duhet aplikuar?

Të gjitha aplikacionet duhet të paraqiten në shqip, serbisht ose anglisht para 4 dhjetorit sipas kohës lokale (mesnatë) së Evropës Qendrore tek [email protected] së bashku me dokumentet e mëposhtme:

• CV e Aplikuesit
• Artikull i botuar
• Letër Motivimi

Aplikantët që nuk kanë ndonjë shkrim të botuar mund të paraqesin punimet e tyre studentore nga kurset praktike në gazetari.

Letra e motivimit duhet të sigurojë informacion në lidhje me mendimin dhe njohuritë e aplikantëve mbi temën e lajmeve të rreme dhe nuk duhet të tejkalojë 400 fjalë.

Gjuha

Trajnimi do të mbahet në gjuhën angleze, megjithatë, do të sigurohet përkthimi në shqip, serbisht dhe anglisht.

Kufizimet COVID-19:

Për shkak të kufizimeve të COVID-19 në Kosovë, si dhe rekomandimeve përkatëse shëndetësore, trajnimi do të jepet në internet përmes platformës Zoom.

Afati i fundit për aplikim: 4 Dhjetor 2020 sipas kohës lokale (mesnatë) të Evropës Qendrore

Data e kursit të trajnimit: 9-10 Dhjetor, 2020

Thirrje për aplikim: Shkarkoni këtu

BIO-të e trajnerëve: Shkarkoni këtu

Shënim:

Pjesëmarrësit do të pajisen me certifikata në fund të trajnimit.

Projekti synon të organizojë dy trajnime shtesë dyditore në lidhje me temën e informacioneve të rremë me ekspertë të ndryshëm ndërkombëtarë. Në këtë drejtim, aplikantët që nuk janë zgjedhur do të kenë mundësinë të marrin pjesë në trajnime të ngjashme përmes të njëjtit program gjatë vitit 2021.

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Poziv za prijave za dvodnevni kurs obuke o proveri činjenica i borbi protiv dezinformacija

BIRN Kosovo, u saradnji sa Međunarodnim institutom za štampu (IPI) kao deo projekta za „Učvršćivanje otpornosti sadašnjih i budućih kosovskih novinara“, koji podržava EU, poziva studente i nedavno kvalifikovane novinare na dvodnevni kurs koji će voditi međunarodni medijski stručnjaci, a koji će pružiti praktično znanje o borbi protiv dezinformacija i uspostavljanju metoda za proveru činjenica.

Kako verifikacija činjenica, tako i postavljanje informacija u ispravan društveni kontekst se retko primenjuju na Kosovu, dok na studijama novinarstva i društvenih nauka nisu ponuđeni predmeti iz ove oblasti. Kao rezultat toga, lokalni novinari nisu upoznati sa najnovijim standardima u verifikaciji činjenica ili novim metodama koje platforme poput Facebook-a koriste u borbi protiv lažnih vesti.

Da bi se pozabavio ovom problematikom, BIRN Kosovo, kao vodeća medijska kuća u istraživačkom novinarstvu, se je udružio IPI-jem, globalnom mrežom urednika, rukovodilaca medija i vodećih novinara sa sedištem u EU, koja se od 1950. zalaže za profesionalne standarde u novinarstvu. IPI, sa sedištem u EU, će na Kosovo dovesti iskusne medijske stručnjake koji će izgraditi veštine provere činjenica i izveštavanja kod novinara, a posebno sa etnički različitim istraživačkim ekipama.

Kurs koji su osmislile i kojim upravljaju dve organizacije će pomoći u suočavanju sa lažnim vestima i neproverenim izveštavanjem, pomažući novinarima da nauče kako da uoče lažne vesti i pruže verifikovane informacije koje se pridržavaju novinarskih standarda. Ponuđeno znanje će biti veoma praktične prirode i oslanjaće se na jedinstvena iskustva novinara koji su uspešno razvili takve veštine u sličnim sredinama.

Tokom dva dana, iskusni međunarodni novinari će razgovarati sa učesnicima o relevantnim temama, uključujući glavne i odgovorne urednike časopisa Maldita – vodeće španske organizacija u borbi protiv dezinformacija putem provere činjenica i novinarstva podataka – i Teyita, ekvivalentne organizacije u Turskoj. Više informacija o trenerima možete naći u njihovoj biografiji, koja je dostupna za preuzimanje ispod.

Prisustvo iskusnih lokalnih novinara će osigurati da razmena veština i znanja ne bude u obliku predavanja usredsređenog na obuku, već će biti oblikovana kao razgovor između stručnjaka, tokom kojeg će se adresirati i diskutovati o rešenjima za specifične izazove sa kojima se suočavaju novinari koji deluju u određenom okruženju.

Ko se može prijaviti?

Mogu se prijaviti studenti na poslednjoj godini studija novinarstva i društvenih nauka, nedavno diplomirani studenti, mladi i profesionalni novinari sa Kosova.

Podstiču se kandidati iz svih delova zemlje da se prijave. Međutim, broj učesnika je ograničen i prednost će biti data mlađim novinarima sa manje iskustva u opisanoj oblasti.

Biće izabrano najmanje 30, a najviše 40 učesnika.

Kako se prijaviti?

Sve prijave treba podneti na albanskom, srpskom ili engleskom jeziku pre 4. decembra u ponoć po srednjoevropskom vremenu na [email protected] zajedno sa sledećim dokumentima:

• CV podnosioca prijave
• Primer njihovog rada
• Motivaciono pismo

Kandidati koji nemaju objavljen rad mogu da predaju svoje studentske zadatke sa praktičnih predmeta iz novinarstva.

Motivaciono pismo treba da sadrži informacije u vezi sa mišljenjem i znanjem podnosioca prijave na temu lažnih vesti i ne treba da bude duže od 400 reči.

Jezik:

Obuka će biti održana na engleskom jeziku, dok će biti obezbeđen prevod na albanski, srpski i engleski jezik.

Ograničenja zbog COVID-19:

Zbog ograničenja COVID-19 u zemlji, kao i relevantnih zdravstvenih preporuka, obuka će biti održana onlajn, na Zoom-u.

Rok za prijavljivanje: 4. decembar 2020. u ponoć po srednjoevropskom vremenu

Datum održavanja obuke: 9 – 10 decembar 2020.

Poziv za prijavu: Preuzmite ovde

BIO trenera: Preuzmite ovde

Napomene:

Na kraju obuke polaznicima će biti uručeni sertifikati.

Namera je da se u projektu organizuju dva dodatna dvodnevna treninga na temu lažnih informacija sa različitim međunarodnim stručnjacima. Vezano sa tim, kandidati koji ne budu izabrani će biti u prilici da učestvuju na sličnim obukama u istom programu tokom 2021. godine.

The focus of the training was on strengthening critical thinking, protective mechanisms against defamation and slander, combating fake news, and ethical reporting.

The session was led by Kreshnik Gashi, anchor of the Justice in Kosovo television program, and Labinot Leposhtica, the legal office coordinator at BIRN Kosovo.

Gashi discussed the evolution of the media, provided participants with techniques to help stay safe on social media, and described the role of algorithms on social media.

He also outlined the impact that reporting by the Kosovo media had on the reintegration process of those affected by violent extremism, specifically those returned from fighting in Syria and Iraq, and the families that have been affected.

Gashi emphasised the importance of fact-checking, as, when done correctly, it fulfills the media’s role of serving the public interest.

Leposhtica explained Kosovo’s media code of ethics, the legislation governing the media, and the meaning of freedom of speech on social media. He added that the role of the media is to inform readers and viewers correctly, promptly and in accordance with international media standards, as well as to prevent the incitement of discrimination and intolerance on social media.

This training was organised within the “Consortium: For a sustainable community” project, which is funded by the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, GCERF.

The sessions took place within the framework of the ‘Promoting the Auditor General/NAO’s Role in Kosovo’ project.

Supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Pristina, the training is intended to improve the skills of journalists and monitors to better identify violations in the allocation of public finances and encourage new journalists to become involved in investigative journalism.

The fourth training session was attended by eight junior journalists, while 15 attended the fifth session. Kreshnik Gashi, managing editor at KALLXO.com and Labinot Leposhtica, the legal office coordinator at BIRN, ran the first part of the session, while the second half was led by Visar Prebreza, editor at KALLXO.com.

Gashi stressed the importance of monitoring audit reports and the necessity to be diligent in analysis, while Leposhtica outlined the process of sending legal letters and monitoring legal documents.

Prebreza meanwhile detailed how to read the Auditor’s reports and conduct further research, while highlighting the importance of illustrations and infographics within an investigation.

Stories written by individual journalists and those written as part of a group are eligible, as long as they meet the following criteria:

• The stories must have been published between October 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020
• The stories must have been published by a media outlet that is a member of the Press Council of Kosovo (PCK)

The applications will be reviewed by a professional jury consisting of five members including editors, media workers and representatives from the National Audit Office.

The jury will select the stories by evaluating them on:

• The impact of the findings on the general public
• The quality of research and comprehensiveness of information sources
• Creativity in using public data extracted from audit reports

Applications must be submitted by 23:59 on November 15, 2020 to this email address: [email protected]

Applicants must submit a brief description of the story and its impact on the public as well as a link or scanned copy of the published version. Incomplete applications, or applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Any questions can be addressed to the same email address.

The winning stories will be awarded the following prizes:

• 800 euros for first place
• 600 euros for second place
• 400 euros for third place

The award winners will be announced in the first week of December.

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Thirrje: Çmimet për storiet më të mira gazetareske në fushën e shpenzimeve publike

Rrjeti Ballkanik i Gazetarisë Hulumtuese, BIRN Kosova, në kuadër të projektit të promovimit të rolit të ZKA-së në kuadër të projektit të mbështetur nga Ambasada Holandeze në Prishtinë, shpall Thirrje për:

Tri storiet më të mira në temën e shpenzimit të parasë publike

Kriteret e konkursit

• Storiet duhet të jenë të publikuara nga data 1 tetor 2019 deri 30 shtator 2020
• Storiet duhet të jenë të publikuara në televizione, radio si dhe në media online e gazeta që janë anëtare të KMShK-së
• Gazetarët dhe grupe gazetarësh lejohet të aplikojnë me storiet e tyre Juria do t’i përzgjedhë storiet duke i vlerësuar ato në:
• Ndikimin i gjetjeve në audiencën e përgjithshme
• Cilësia e hulumtimit dhe gjithëpërfshirja e burimeve të informacionit
• Kreativiteti në përdorimin e të dhënave publike të nxjerra nga raportet e auditimit

Aplikantët duhet të dorëzojnë një përshkrim të shkurtër të stories dhe impaktit të saj në publik dhe gjithashtu linkun ose kopjen e skenuar të publikimit.

Të gjitha aplikacionet për Çmimin për storjen më të mirë, do të pranohen deri më 15 nëntor 2020, në ora 23:59, në e-mail adresën: [email protected]

* Aplikimet e jo të plota ose aplikimet e pranuara pas afatit kohor nuk do të merren në konsideratë.

Çdo pyetje që ka të bëjë me Çmimin për të shkeljet në shpenzime publike mund të drejtohet në e-mail adresën e përmendur më lart.

Çmimi gazetaresk do të shoqërohet me stimulim monetar

• Çmimi i parë 800 euro
• Çmimi i dytë 600 euro
• Çmimi i tretë 400 euro

Aplikacionet e pranuara do të vlerësohen nga një juri profesionale e përbërë nga 5 anëtarë përfshirë redaktorë, punonjës të mediave dhe përfaqësues të Zyrës Kombëtare të Auditimit.

Shpallja e çmimeve do bëhet në javën e parë të dhjetorit.

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Poziv: Nagrada za najbolju novinarsku priču iz oblasti javnih rashoda

Balkanska istraživačka mreža, BIRN Kosovo, u okviru projekta koji promoviše ulogu Nacionalne kancelarije revizije (NKR), čiju realizaciju podržava Ambasada Holandije u Prištini, objavljuje Poziv za:

Tri najbolje novinarske priče na temu potrošnje javnog novca

Konkursni kriterijumi

• Novinarske priče moraju da su objavljene od 1. oktobra 2019. do 30. septembra 2020.
• Novinarske priče moraju da su objavljene na televiziji, radiju i onlajn medijima i novinskim listovima u članstvu Saveza za štampu Kosova
• Dozvoljeno je prijavljivanje kako individualnih novinara/novinarki, tako i grupa novinara sa svojim medijskim pričama

Žiri će odabrati priče na osnovu sledećih kriterijuma:

• uticaja njihovih istraživanja na opštu javnost
• kvaliteta istraživanja i sveobuhvatnosti izvora informacija
• kreativnosti u korišćenju javnih podataka izvučenih iz revizorskih izveštaja

Kandidati moraju dostaviti kratak opis medijskog tekst  i uticaja koji je ostvario u javnosti, kao i link ili skeniranu kopiju publikacije.

Sve prijave za Nagradu za najbolju novinarsku priču primaju se do 15. novembra 2020. godine do 23:59 časova na e-mejl adresu: [email protected]

* Nepotpune prijave ili prijave pristigle nakon roka neće biti uzete u razmatranje.

Sva pitanja u vezi sa Nagradom o prekršajima iz oblasti javnih rashoda mogu se dostaviti na gore pomenutu e-mejl adresu.

Nagrada za najbolju novinarsku priču biće propraćena novčanim podsticajem

• Prva nagrada 800 evra
• Druga nagrada 600 evra
• Treća nagrada 400 evra

Primljene prijave oceniće profesionalni žiri sastavljen od 5 članova, koji će uključivati urednike, medijske radnike i predstavnike Nacionalne kancelarije za reviziju.

Dobitnici nagrada biće proglašeni prve nedelje decembra.

The results of BIRN’s monitoring and analysis were published and discussed in an open debate. Due to the circumstances caused by COVID-19, the debate was followed by a limited number of participants from the municipality, the National Audit Office and civil society organisations. The debate was also streamed live on BIRN’s anti-corruption platform KALLXO.com.

KALLXO.com’s Managing Editor Visar Prebreza gave a brief presentation on the project and its findings, stating that there has been progress in the municipality of Shtime/Stimlje in the sense that financial statements are true and present the factual situation.

“As for the number of recommendations that the municipality of Shtime has received from the auditor, we have a worsening of the situation,” Prebreza noted.

According to Naim Ismajli, the mayor of Shtime/Stimlje, the audit report for 2019 is one of the best reports received by the municipality, and shows that the financial statements accurately reflect what is planned and spent.

“The municipality of Shtime has received the best possible opinion on the financial statements and this shows that the financial statements accurately reflect all that is planned and spent,” Ismajli said.

However, Bujar Bajraktari, the head of the audit department, stated when presenting the report that “some shortcomings have been identified”.

In terms of the implementation of recommendations, Bajraktari said that out of 17 recommendations given last year, only seven have been fully implemented, while one has been partially implemented, four have not been implemented and five are considered closed.

Alongside providing an avenue to discuss the implementation of recommendations by the NAO, these debates also give BIRN the opportunity to record promises made both by National Audit Office officials and the Municipality of Shtime/Stimlje, to be followed up through KALLXO.com’s fact-checking platform, Krypometer.

The debate was organised within the framework of the project, ‘Support Civil Society to Increase Public Oversight and Accountability of Kosovo Public Institutions’, funded by the British embassy in Pristina. This specific activity is organised as part of the component looking into the compliance of targeted institutions with recommendations from the Auditor General’s reports.

Similar debates will be held across other municipalities in Kosovo, with the aim of presenting BIRN Kosovo’s analysis of the progress made in implementing recommendations made by the Auditor. Every debate will be livestreamed by BIRN Kosovo.

The results of BIRN’s monitoring and analysis were published and discussed at the debate in the town’s municipality.

Due to the pandemic, the debate was attended by a limited number of participants from the municipality, the National Audit Office and civil society organisations. The debate was also streamed live on BIRN’s anti-corruption platform KALLXO.com.

Visar Prebreza, BIRN Kosovo’s managing editor, gave a brief presentation on the project and its findings, stating that the implementation of the NAO’s recommendations increases public well-being, improves governance and above all conserves the municipality’s budget.

Prebreza said that the audit for the municipality of Ferizaj/Urosevac had improved, but added there was still a lot of work to be done.

“The eunicipality of Ferizaj has a very large number of recommendations that it has received from the Auditor General,” he said. “Last year it received 25 recommendations, and this year it received 20 recommendations.”

The deputy mayor of Ferizaj/Urosevac, Arton Gavazi, said that the audit report for 2019 for the municipality shows a better situation than the report for the previous year, and contains fewer recommendations. He pledged that all recommendations given by the Auditor General will be addressed and implemented.

Bujar Bajraktari, the head of the Audit Department for Municipalities at the NAO presented the report, and outlined:

“In addition to the opinion stated in the report we have raised several issues covering various areas of financial management, including revenues, expenditures, asset management, and liabilities, and 20 recommendations were given,” Bajraktari said.

As well as providing an opportunity to discuss the implementation of recommendations by the NAO, the debates also give BIRN the opportunity to record promises made by both the National Audit Office officials and the municipality of Ferizaj/Urosevac. These can then later be followed-up through KALLXO.com’s fact-checking platform, Krypometer.

This debate was organised within the framework of the project ‘Support Civil Society to Increase Public Oversight and Accountability of Kosovo Public Institutions’, which is funded by the British embassy in Pristina. This specific activity is organised as part of the component looking into targeted institutions’ compliance with recommendations from the Auditor General’s reports.

Similar debates will be held across other municipalities in Kosovo, with the aim of presenting BIRN Kosovo’s analysis of the progress made in implementing recommendations made by the auditor. Every debate will be live streamed by BIRN Kosovo.

The debate, entitled ‘The Role of the Auditor and Citizens in Overseeing Municipal Revenues and Expenditures’, was the third to be organised within the framework of a project called ‘Promoting the Auditor General/NAO’s role in Kosovo’.

Supported by the embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Pristina, these town hall conferences are intended to examine the difficulties that municipalities face in collecting revenues and executing their budget. They also present the findings of the Auditor General, with a particular emphasis on those relating to public finances.

At the conference on Tuesday were the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Carin Lobbezoo, the mayor of the municipality of Vushtrri/Vucitrn, Xhafer Tahiri, general auditor Besnik Osmani and the managing editor at KALLXO.com, Visar Prebreza, as well as a number of representatives from civil society and assembly members from the municipality. The conference was streamed live on BIRN’s anti-corruption platform KALLXO.com.

Ambassador Lobbezoo opened the session by stating that the embassy has supported this project because citizens should know how money is being spent by their elected representatives.

“Citizens need to know if their elected representatives are doing a good job for them and spending money properly,” Lobbezoo stated.

“That is why, through our project, we have supported BIRN and the role of the Auditor General in Kosovo.”

Issues surrounding procurement turned out to be the most problematic area in the municipality of Vushtrri/Vucitrn. In the last four years, this municipality has received 19 recommendations from the NAO to address violations and irregularities in procurement, including seven recommendations in 2019 alone.

Prebreza presented the auditor’s findings in its 2019 report on the municipality of Vushtrri/Vucitrn, explaining the areas in which the municipality has both succeeded and faltered.

He said that the municipality of Vushtrri/Vucitrn is extremely good in terms of budget execution compared to other municipalities in the first six months of 2019.
General Auditor Besnik Osmani discussed NAO recommendations implemented by the municipality of Vushtrri/Vucitrn.

“Before coming here, I read an action plan made by the municipality of Vushtrri/Vucitrn to address these recommendations and it is very detailed, and contains both the responsibilities and the time periods for the implementation of the recommendations,” Osmani said.

However, the general auditor stressed that there is still a lot of work to be done.

Mayor Tahiri stated he would personally ensure that more recommendations are implemented.

“I promise that my team and I will send cases to the prosecutor’s office wherever we encounter a criminal offense,” Tahiri added.

Similar town hall conferences will be held in other municipalities in Kosovo with the aim of presenting BIRN’s analysis of the implementation of the auditor’s recommendations and public finances.

All of them will be held in municipal assembly halls, and will be livestreamed by BIRN Kosovo.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, around 70 teachers were trained to use virtual classroom platforms, including Zoom, Google Meets and Google Classroom, and PowerPoint.

In the first session, teachers acquired skills in public speaking, preparing presentation material, and learned how to position themselves in front of the camera.

The second session consisted of practicing video production, ranging from filming and editing to finalising videos that are used for teaching remotely.

In total, BIRN Kosovo organised eight two-day training workshops with four different groups in each workshop.

The KALLXO.com training coaches included managing editor Kreshnik Gashi and IT manager Arian Hyseni, as well as Internews Kosova’s executive director, Faik Ispahiu, and IT officer Korab Gërdovci.

Meanwhile, on September 21, as part of the same project, BIRN Kosovo launched a technical support line to provide further support to teachers between 9am to 7pm by telephone, Viber or WhatsApp. The technical support team will also assist parents and students in using other online platforms if needed.

The results of BIRN’s monitoring and analysis were published and discussed in an open debate with more than 30 participants from the municipality, the National Audit Office and civil society organisations. The debate was also streamed live on BIRN’s anti-corruption platform KALLXO.com.

Visar Prebreza, BIRN Kosovo’s managing editor, gave a brief presentation about the project and its findings, stating that the municipality of Kamenica has performed well in increasing its capital investments. Prebreza also praised the municipality for its positive assessment from the NAO.

Qendron Kastrati, the mayor of the municipality of Kamenica, said that “for the best functioning of an institution, the most important aspect is the audit, whether it is an external or internal audit”.

Kastrati said that the NAO’s opinion is motivating the municipal administration to advance further.

During the debate, Astrit Bllaca, the Head of the Audit Department of Municipalities from the National Audit Office, stated that the municipality of Kamenica had spent 92 per cent of its final budget for 2019, 2 per cent more than in 2018.

Bllaca added that controls over revenues and expenditures are generally appropriate, but that further improvements are needed in subsidies, capital investments, the management of assets, liabilities, and the classification of expenditures in the appropriate economic category.

As well as providing a forum to discuss the implementation of recommendations given by the NAO, the debates also give BIRN the opportunity to record promises made both by the General Auditor and the municipality of Kamenica, to be followed up through KALLXO.com’s fact-checking platform, Krypometer.

The debate in Kamenica was organised within the framework of a project called ‘Support civil society to increase public oversight and accountability of Kosovo public institutions’, funded by the British embassy in Pristina. This specific activity is organised as part of a component looking into the compliance of targeted institutions with recommendations from the Auditor General’s reports.

Similar debates will be held in other municipalities in Kosovo, with the aim of presenting BIRN Kosovo’s analysis of the progress made in implementing recommendations made by the Auditor General. Every debate will be held during municipal assemblies of the municipalities in question, and will be livestreamed by BIRN Kosovo.