Distinguished guests, welcome to the inaugural meeting of the Council for Democracy and Human Rights;
Honourable Speaker of the Assembly, Mr. Konjufca,
Honourable Prime Minister, Mr. Kurti,
Honourable Head of the USAID in Kosovo, Zeinah Salahi,
Honourable Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers, Representatives of Justice Institutions,
Independent institutions of the country,
Distinguished representatives of the civil society,
Dear media and all of you who are present here with us today,
Welcome once again to the inaugural meeting of the Council on Democracy and Human Rights.
On December 9th last year, Kosovo lined up next to the countries invited by President Biden to be part of the first edition of the summit for Democracy.
The Summit for Democracy, an extremely apt initiative at a time when democracies around the world have become a direct target of increasingly authoritarian tendencies, is the platform that has united countries from all over the globe in their efforts to consolidate democratic values and to further promote and empower them.
To work towards the strengthening of democracy and the spread of democratic values ​​means to work for the preservation of the pillars on which modern, prosperous societies are built and whose philosophy is focused on the preservation and promotion of human rights.
Kosovo today is an example of a genuine democracy, but also an example of a country that constantly works to improve the level of democracy by focusing on protecting the interests of its citizens, but also becoming more and more empowered as a credible partner regionally and internationally.
As I said in my speech on behalf of the Republic of Kosovo at the Summit for Democracy – Democracy is at the foundation of our society, it is deeply rooted in our historic struggle for freedom and human rights.
But as important as our journey so far, our remaining path is just as important and strategic. Events in Europe today, but also in different parts of the world, prove to us that democracy is never a finished project. Rather, democracy requires constant maintenance in order to be sophisticated, advanced, and protected.
In this spirit, and in accordance with the commitments of the Republic of Kosovo that we have presented during the Summit for Democracy, we are committed to establishing a coordinating council through which we will not only be committed to fulfilling the commitments as presented at the Summit for Democracy, but we will also work together to ensure full respect of democratic standards in any other strategic process for the country and for our citizens.
Respectively, this Council that I have established will serve as a high-level coordination forum, whose primary purpose is to coordinate and manage the work towards the fulfilment of the commitments of the Republic of Kosovo within the Summit for Democracy, as well as the fulfilment of other commitments of institutions related to strengthening the rule of law, strengthening democracy, strengthening the role of women in Kosovo society, advancing human rights and freedoms, and cooperating with civil society and the media.
Therefore, at the end of last month, by decree, I established the Council on Democracy and Human Rights, which is one of our commitments in order to support the work of all institutions in fulfilling their duties. But, at the same time, this Council is also our guarantee for the commitment and systematic and institutional coordination in terms of fulfilling the commitments also in cooperation with our international partners, and in particular with the United States of America.
I am extremely pleased that this Council reflects in its structure the 3 main pillars of the commitments we made on December 9th, as following:
The first pillar: the rule of law and the fight against corruption,
The second pillar: the fight against authoritarianism,
The third pillar: advancing human rights, diversity and inclusion with a focus on advancing women's rights and gender equality.
As a result, we have sitting around this table with us today the:
1.1. The Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, as a Member of the Council;
1.2. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, as a Member of the Council;
1.3. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, as a Member of the Council;
1.4. Minister of Internal Affairs, as a Member of the Council;
1.5. Minister of Justice, as a Member of the Council;
1.6. People's Advocate, as a Member of the Council;
1.7. Chairman of the Central Election Commission, as a Member of the Council;
1.8. Chairman of the Kosovo Judicial Council, as a Member of the Council;
1.9. Chairman of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, as a Member of the Council;
1.10.Chairman of the Community Advisory Council, as a Member of the Council;
1.11.Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency, as a Member of the Council;
1.12.Chief of the Agency for Gender Equality, as a Member of the Council;
Also, 3 representatives from civil society, who are also members of the Council, represent the field of rule of law, democratization and gender equality. Two representatives have already been selected in an open process, and through a competition, and for the third voting is underway within the Civikos civil society platform, and from the next meeting we will be joined by the third member selected by civil society itself.
The composition of the Council can be expanded to include other members in order to ensure the comprehensiveness and rigorous implementation of the commitments made during the Summit for Democracy. All of us who are present are in the service of democracy every day, and each of us has the opportunity, mandate, and platforms available to contribute directly to the fulfilment of these commitments.
I must say that I am extremely happy for the fact that from the first meeting of this Council we have the opportunity to report on very positive results and substantive achievements since at the very first 3 months of this year, for which I want to thank the relevant institutions. As the Council commences its work today, the work of Kosovo institutions in terms of implementation and fulfilment of commitments has started from the first day, i.e. from December 9th onwards, after the conclusion of the first edition of the Summit for Democracy. So, today we will discuss more in this regard in the second part of the meeting, after the introductory speeches. The establishment of the Council today is done precisely with the idea of ​​having a platform where our institutions will be able to discuss, reflect and tell about their initiatives towards the advancement of democracy, rule of law and human rights.
We intend for this Council to serve as such a platform, which can perform this function in coordination with institutions, and at the same time become our common platform for promoting the work of the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo, and here I do not speak only for the political institutions, but all that are present at this table and during my term as President we will turn this council into a lasting legacy of our commitment to strengthen democracy every day.
It is our voice, our work and our common commitment that enables us to meet any challenge. It is our voice, it is our work and our common commitment that will enable the Republic of Kosovo to line up with countries that show maturity, readiness and seriousness in fulfilling the commitments within the Summit for Democracy.
Dear participants,
Fulfilling these commitments is not just fulfilling what we can conditionally consider an obligation before a Global Summit. Realistically, the fulfilment of these commitments is the fulfilment of our obligations as leaders of the most important institutions in the country in relation to our citizens. In particular, it is fulfilling the will of our citizens, who inspire and act for democracy, as well as believe in guaranteeing and respecting human rights without distinction.
The road ahead will undoubtedly be challenging, but we remain steadfast in our commitment to live up to our commitments and improve the well-being of our citizens.
Thank you to everyone who is here today. I believe in our common commitment and I am confident that our journey forward will be the journey to success.
Thank you very much!