Balkan Investigative Reporting Network
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The mandate of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) was established by the Security Council in its resolution 1244 (1999). The Mission is mandated to help ensure conditions for a peaceful and normal life for all inhabitants of Kosovo and advance regional stability in the Western Balkans. The priorities of the Mission remain to promote security, stability and respect for human rights in Kosovo and in the region.
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The Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo (HLC Kosovo) operates as an independent organization in Kosovo and constantly contributes to Kosovo’s ability to establish and maintain the rule of law to develop a just society. The HLC Kosovo works to document facts that will countinously assist Kosovo society to deal with its violent past. In 2017, HLC Kosovo established the Documentation centre – Kosovo (DCK), a unique transitional justice space where everyone and in particular the youth can seek information about transitional justice and dealing with the past.
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Since 1999, USAID has invested more than $1 billion dollars in Kosovo’s development. Our goal is to help Kosovo realize its democratic and demographic dividend through Kosovo-led solutions. We aim for citizens to be better served by accountable and effective governance institutions and to increase opportunities for inclusive democratic and economic participation.
USAID partners with Kosovans to advance Kosovo-led reforms that will further the country’s progress towards full European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Through our successful partnership with Kosovo, USAID implements numerous, wide-reaching programs to:
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Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KCSF) is an independent, non-profit organization that supports the development of civil society and initiatives that promote a democratic culture and respond to the socio-economic needs of Kosovo, with a particular focus on contributing to the integration process in the European Union.
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The British Embassy in Kosovo maintains and develops relations between the UK and Kosovo as well as they work in close relations with the government of Kosovo on a wide range of issues like rule of law, good governance, human rights and security.
Following a success during the first phase of the program, BIRN Kosovo in cooperation with AJK, as part of the project funded by the EU, has opened the call for applications for the second phase of the “Kosovo Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence” program for the year 2019.
The programme will begin in June and is based on the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence, which has been running since 2007.
Balkan Investigative Reporting Network – BIRN Kosovo and Association of Journalists of Kosovo – AJK invite all interested journalists to apply to the 6 months fellowship, provided by the European Union in Kosovo.
10 ambitious and daring journalists will be selected by a team of local and regional professionals to become part of this dynamic and enriching experience. Each fellow will be granted a 2,000 euro fellowship bursary for an in-depth research story covering issues such as public spending, local governance, public procurement, environment, energy, healthcare, culture, education, media financing, human rights, inter-ethnic cooperation, etc.
In addition, the selected journalists will receive mentorship by a team of highly-skilled BIRN Kosovo editors, who have extensive experience in producing and editing high quality reporting in Kosovo and the region.
At the end of the programme, fellows are expected to have produced an original research/investigative story with a limit of 1,500 – 3,000 words. The format may vary from written articles, to TV reportages or content presented in a multimedia format. Stories of the selected fellows will be published in Albanian, Serbian and English. BIRN will ensure republication of fellowship articles in other local media in order to increase the outreach of the stories produced.
Are you interested in becoming part of this prestigious program?
Fill in the Application Form and submit your application by midnight on May 31, to [email protected], with the subject “Kosovo Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence” – Phase II”
Any questions regarding this programme or the application can be addressed to [email protected], by May 25that the latest.
The proposals can be submitted in either Albanian, Serbian or English, the three working languages to be used during the fellowship.
Women and members of non-majority communities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Lansohet faza e dytë e programit të Bursës së Kosovës për Ekselencë në Gazetari
Pas një suksesi gjatë pjesës së parë të programit, BIRN Kosovo në bashkëpunim me AGK, në bazë të projektit të finanucar nga BE, ka hapur procesin e thirrjes për aplikim për fazën e dytë të Programit “Bursa e Kosovës për Ekselencë në Gazetari” për vitin 2019.
Programi do të fillojë në qershor 2019 dhe është i bazuar sipas Bursës Ballkanike për Ekselencë në Gazetari, që ka filluar qysh në vitin 2007.
Rrjeti Ballkanik i Gazetarisë Hulumtuese – BIRN Kosovo dhe Asociacioni i Gazetarëve të Kosovës – AGK ftojnë të gjithë gazetarët e interesuar që të aplikojnë për këtë bursë 6-mujore, të ofruar nga Bashkimi Europian në Kosovë.
10 gazetarë ambiciozë dhe të guximshëm do të zgjidhen nga një ekip profesionistësh lokalë dhe rajonalë për t’u bërë pjesë e kësaj përvoje dinamike dhe të pasur. Secili anëtar do të përfitojë bursë prej 2,000 Euro për një storie të thellë hulumtuese që mbulon çështjet si shpenzimet publike, qeverisja lokale, prokurimi publik, mjedisi, energjia, shëndetësia, kultura, arsimi, financimi i mediave, të drejtat e njeriut, bashkëpunimi ndëretnik etj.
Përveç kësaj, gazetarët e përzgjedhur do të përfitojnë mentorim nga një ekip redaktorësh të kualifikuar të BIRN Kosova, të cilët kanë përvojë të gjerë në prodhimin dhe redaktimin e raportimit të cilësisë së lartë në Kosovë dhe në rajon.
Në fund të programit, bursistët pritet të kenë prodhuar një storie origjinale hulumtuese/kërkimore me një limit prej 1,500 – 3,000 fjalësh. Formati mund të ndryshojë, nga storie të shkruara, në reportazhe televizive ose përmbajtje të paraqitura në format multimedial. Storiet e bursistëve të përzgjedhur do të publikohen në shqip, anglisht dhe serbisht. BIRN do të sigurojë ripublikimin e storieve të bursistëve në mediat e tjera lokale në mënyrë që të rrisë shtrirjen e storieve të prodhuara.
A jeni të interesuar të jeni pjesë e këtij programi prestigjioz?
Plotësoni formularin e aplikimit dhe dorëzoni aplikacionin tuaj deri në mesnatë më 31 maj 2019, tek [email protected] me temën: “Bursa e Kosovës për Ekselencë në Gazetari – Faza II”.
Çdo pyetje në lidhje me këtë program ose aplikacion mund të drejtohet tek [email protected], jo më vonë se deri më 25 maj 2019.
Propozimet mund të dorëzohen në shqip, anglisht ose serbisht, që janë tri gjuhët e punës të cilat do të përdoren gjatë kohëzgjatjes së programit.
Gratë dhe pjesëtarët e komuniteteve pakicë inkurajohen fuqishëm që të aplikojnë.
Danas je lansirana druga faza programa Stipendija za novinarsku izuzetnost Na Kosovu
Nakon uspeha u prvoj fazi programa, BIRN Kosovo je u saradnji sa AGK, u okviru projekta koji finansira EU, otvorio poziv za podnošenje prijava za drugu fazu programa „Stipendija za novinarsku izuzetnost na Kosovu“ za 2019.
Program počinje u junu 2019. i zasnovan je na modelu Stipendije za novinarsku izuzetnost na Balkanu.
Balkanska Istraživačka Regionalna Mreža – BIRN Kosovo i Udruženje Novinara Kosova (AGK), pozivaju sve zainteresovane novinare da se prijave za šestomesečnu stipendiju, koju obezbeđuje Evropska unija na Kosovu.
10 ambicioznih i smelih novinara će izabrati tim lokalnih i regionalnih profesionalaca kako bi postali deo ovog dinamičnog i obogaćujućeg iskustva. Svaki stipendista će dobiti stipendiju od 2.000 evra za detaljnu istraživačku priču koja pokriva pitanja kao što su javna potrošnja, lokalna uprava, javne nabavke, životna sredina, energetika, zdravstvena zaštita, kultura, obrazovanje, finansiranje medija, ljudska prava, međuetnička saradnja, itd.
Osim toga, odabrani novinari će dobiti mentorstvo tima visokokvalifikovanih urednika BIRN Kosovo, koji imaju veliko iskustvo u produkciji i uređivanju visokokvalitetnog izveštavanja na Kosovu i u regionu.
Na kraju programa, očekuje se da stipendisti izrade originalnu ispitivačku/istraživačku priču, limitiranu na 1,500 do 3,000 reči. Format se može razlikovati: od pisanih članaka do TV reportaža ili sadržaja u multimedijalnom formatu. Priče izabranih stipendista biće objavljene na albanskom, engleskom i srpskom jeziku. BIRN će obezbediti ponovno objavljivanje članaka stipendista u drugim lokalnim medijima kako bi se povećalo pokriće izrađenih priča.
Da li ste zainteresovani da postanete deo ovog prestižnog programa?
Popunite obrazac prijave i pošaljite vašu prijavu do ponoći 31. maja 2019. na [email protected], pod naslovom “Stipendija za novinarsku izuzetnost na Kosovu – Faza II”
Sva pitanja u vezi ovog programa ili prijave mogu se poslati na [email protected], najkasnije do 25. maja 2019.
Predlozi mogu biti podneti na albanskom, srpskom ili engleskom jeziku – jezicima koji će biti korišćeni tokom stipendije.
BIRN Kosovo has published findings from its municipal expenses monitoring project entitled ‘How Much Does the Boss Eat?’
The project, supported by Kosovo Foundation for Open Society, KFOS, was presented at a roundtable discussion on April 26, where the expenses incurred by municipal employees for official meetings, lunches, and dinners were reviewed on a national level.
In 2012, BIRN Kosovo filed legal proceedings against the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo because it failed to disclose the receipts of expenses of the prime minister and his officials. After a lengthy judicial process, Pristina Basic Court ruled that every expense paid out of public funds must be transparent and open to the public.
As a result, BIRN decided to extend the monitoring of the expenses of governmental officials to the local level, based on the ruling laid down in the Pristina Basic Court case. Since December 2018, BIRN has sent legal requests to all 38 municipalities in Kosovo, requesting the disclosure of their expenses for lunches, dinners, and events for the period of December 2017 to August 2018.
As of January 2019, BIRN Kosovo has published 78 reports at BIRN’s KALLXO.com site. Kreshnik Gashi, the managing editor of the site, presented the findings.
“Besides testing transparency, the project aimed to analyse the true nature of publicly-funded expenses,” said Gashi.
Out of 38 municipalities, 24 provided receipts for the requested period, which resulted in the processing and analysis of over 1,200 receipts.
The findings presented at the roundtable discussion, which was attended by financial officers from many municipalities in Kosovo, as well as civil society representatives, showed that municipalities have accepted expenses claims for which the receipts gave no information on the nature of the expenses being claimed.
Furthermore, the findings show that a considerable amount of expenses were made for alcohol, as well as other items like cigarettes and chewing gum.
Rozafa Ukimeraj, the General Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government Administration (MLGA), presented the outcomes and challenges regarding municipal budget processes, as well as the financial sustainability aspects of municipalities and the steps taken by the MLGA to improve the policy and legislation framework in order to increase transparency and accountability in the management of public funds.
The General Auditor, Besnik Osmani, presented findings about financial checks on municipalities and about the management of and accountability in the process of the spending of public money.
Among a number of recommendations, BIRN suggested to MLGA that within the performance evaluation of municipalities in Kosovo, a transparency mechanism should be included regarding the expenses of municipal officials for lunches, dinners and other general expenses.
Monitoring report entitled ‘Carving up the Pie’ has been produced as a part of the Monitoring of Recruitment Processes of Senior Managing Positions project that BIRN is implementing in cooperation with the British Embassy in Kosovo.
The report finds that Kosovo institutions have failed in implementing an agreement signed with the British Embassy by appointing people to senior positions who did not meet criteria set by an assessment by British experts.
The purpose was to support joint efforts to ensure independence, meritocracy and professionalism in the process of recruitment for senior management positions in the civil service and on the boards of public enterprises.
The publication analyses procurement procedures involving key actors from Kosovo institutions including government officials, Kosovo Assembly members and non-governmental organisations.
BIRN discovered that only a limited number of complaints about procurements were resolved in favour of businesses that appealed, with most decisions going in favour of the municipalities. Municipalities did not change their decisions despite demands from businesses to review their decisions, the report found.
Monitoring Report on the Integrity of Kosovo’s Tax Administration (TAK) covers the period September 2018-February 2019. The monitoring was launched as a result of the reported low level of confidence that citizens have in TAK, and their perceptions about the level of corruption in the institution.
The aim of the report was to identify the ‘black holes’ in the process and raise red flags about the need for improvements in the standards, procedures and legal bases which enable and improve integrity within TAK.
The report concluded that TAK must seriously engage in improving the overall situation at the institution. Among the 15 recommendations made, BIRN and D+, partner on the project, suggested improvements to the Disciplinary Commission of TAK, the efficiency of its staff and resources, and for tax inspectors to be included among the public officials required to declare their assets.
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