Announcement (25 September 2019)

Today, at the press conference, the Vice-Executive Director of RIDEA Institute Dr. (cand.) Shpend Voca, together with RIDEA Institute expert, Dr. Albulena Jahja, presented the first two studies on 'Missing Persons' and 'Displaced Persons' in the context of the eventual final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.

Some of the main recommendations of the study on 'Missing Persons' are as follows:

Kosovo should insist that Serbia must address the issue of missing persons in full accordance with international standards;
Kosovo has to condition Serbia to open all the files information relating to missing persons pasting;
Serbia must prepare the reports regarding the whereabouts of all persons who went missing during the war;
Serbia has to refrain from politicizing the issue of missing persons;
Truth and Reconciliation Commission should serve as a mechanism of sharing information and coordinating the activities in accounting for missing persons;
The European Union (EU) should appoint a special envoy within 12 months to address the issue of missing persons between Kosovo and Serbia and this should be part of a comprehensive and legally binding agreement between Kosovo and Serbia;
As an alternative, if the EU hesitates to deal with this issue, then the International Red Cross or the UN should appoint a special envoy to deal with the issue of missing persons.

The following are some of the key recommendations of the study on 'Displaced Persons':

The issue of displaced persons should be included in the Kosovo-Serbian dialogue, considering that many displaced are not unwilling to return. It should be made clear during the dialogue that the Serbian government should support this issue, and the displaced persons should not be manipulated for political reasons;
An imporant issue to discuss in the dialogue is to provide solutions for displaced persons in the municipality of Mitrovica, given a large number of displaced persons from this municipality. There is a need to develop specific programs for this municipality to strengthen inter-ethnic relations and also to create better living opportunities;
The Kosovo-Serbia dialogue should also, include a discussion of the return of displaced persons from the Presevo Valley to Kosovo or elsewhere. Similarly, the returnees to the Presevo Valley should be provided with safety and security, better living conditions, and earning opportunities. The return of displaced persons in the municipality of Mitrovica and the Presevo Valley is part of a comprehensive legal agreement between Kosovo and Serbia;
Housing project should focus mainly on the North of Mitrovica, where a significant number of houses are usurped, in other locations, there should be more projects to improve their employability skills through classroom and on-the-job training, increase the number of self-employment grants and also the inclusion of communities in initiatives for start-up firms;
Given the slack economic growth in Kosovo, these projects will increase the probability of durable return; namely, this will ensure economic integration of the communities and will increase their probability for continues generation of income, thus not to become a burden to the welfare benefits system.