Kosovo speaks up against gun violence “Safety Matters”
12 June 2008
Pristina, 02 – 09 June 2008
On Monday, 02 June at 10.00 o’clock in the Conference room, Government Building, Office of the Prime Minister, the Week of Action: ”Kosovo speaks up against Gun Violence – Safety Matters!” was launched by Mr Lulzim Mjeku, Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Maurice Dewulf, Director of UNDP Kosovo and General Reshat Maliqi, Deputy Commissioner of the Kosovo Police Service. The campaign is introduced with the aim that everybody and in particularly the institutions speak up at their own level and within their responsibility against gun violence. The Government launched at the same event the approved Kosovo SALW strategy which includes 11 functional areas: 1) Cross border control 2) Legislative framework and regulatory issues 3) Management Information 4) SALW Awareness 5) SALW, ammunition and explosives collection 6) SALW, ammunition and explosives destruction 7) Stockpile management 8) Capacity development 9) Safer community Development 10) Linkage to SSR and 11) Monitoring and evaluation.
The launch was covered by Radio Television Kosovo, Koha Television, Radio Television 21, and further supported by the newspapers Infopress, Express, Koha Ditore, and the new agency Kosovo press.
The structure of the campaign was the following:
At the same time the NGO network of 10 NGO’s headed by Kosovo center for International Cooperation (KCIC), started their advocacy work in 9 municipalities at the same time promoting that weapons do not belong in public places by disseminating flyers on public transport and public places. The municipalities addressed were the following: Peje/Pec, Mitrovice /Mitrovica, Ferizaj/ Urosevac, Gjilani/ Gnjilane, Decan/ Decani; Skenderaj/ Srbica, Kamenice/ Kamenica, Gjakove/ Djakovica, and Prizren.
A bus with the campaign message and slogan was driving all week through Pristina free of charge. Activists were disseminating flyers to speak up against gun violence to everybody who used the transport.
Banners were displayed at the main streets in Pristina to call upon the population to speak up against gun violence.
The same day the project was further promoted at the news show on RTV 21, and in Tuesday morning program of Radio Television Kosovo and Radio Blue Sky.
On Tuesday 03 June 2008, a round table was organized called : “Youth and Small Arms” with the representatives of the Ministry of Culture – Youth Department, the Ministry of Education, Kosovo Police Service – Community Policing Unit, the Ministry of Justice and the Civil society. At the event the recent memorandum of understanding signed between the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Education was promoted aimed at Safer schools. The Ministry of Education stated that this institution will further coordinate the activities for the Safer school project including peer education, training education and youth education.
On Wednesday, 05 June 2008, a round table took place in Grand Hotel with the theme; the role of the media in SALW projects. At the same meeting a media price for investigative journalism on SALW and its impact on the society was promoted. The event was covered in Koha TV, RTV 21, Radio Television Kosovo, Voice of America and Radio Free Europe and the issue became the main story of the day. KTV launched an open question where the population could reply on the question: “What can we do to reduce weapons in Kosovo?’ At the same day the telecommunications company PTK – Vala to about 500.000 subscribers with the campaign slogan – Safety Matters! Kosovo Police Service launched a new appeal to address celebratory fire during the months July and August 2008, which will be supported by the UNDP KOSSAC project.
On Thursday, another roundtable was organized in Pristina to promote the work of the Kosovo police service in its fight against illegal weapons possession. The meeting was opened by the Ministry of Internal Affairs coordinator for the Kosovo, Mr Enver Oruqaj and General Major Reshat Maliqi, Assistant Commissioner for Operations in the Kosovo Police Service. Several presentations demonstrated exact statistics on the effective work of the KPS and the work of the new established Unit for Community Affairs was promoted. At the same time the urgent need of a Community Safety Strategy was addressed.
Kosovo Police Service launched a new appeal to address celebratory fire during the months July and August 2008, which will be supported by the UNDP KOSSAC project.
On Friday, 06 June, the partnership “Safety Matters!” addressed the issue of the impact of SALW on gender and development. The round table was opened by Mr. Maurice Dewulf, the UNDP Kosovo Director and Ms. Shqipe Krasniqi of the Agency for gender of the Office of the Prime Minister,, Guest speakers were Ms. Shukrije Gashi – Partners, Kosovo who provided more details on the issue of mediation between families involved in blood feud and Mr Muhamet Gjocaj of the Ministry for Social Works. An agreement was made to include SALW as a priority in the new to be developed domestic violence strategy.
The entire campaign was furthet published on the Iansa website www.iansa.org
The initiators of the “Safety Matters!” campaign would like sincerely to thank the media (Broadcasts and written) for their generous active contribution, the NGO network under the lead of Kosovo Center for International Cooperation (KCIC), and all participants which actively took part in this campaign. Special thanks also goes to PTK for supporting the campaign with a SMS message which reached over 563.000 people. The campaign part of the Kosovo Small Arms Project was supported by the Governments of Sweden, Denmark and UNDP BCPR.
As this campaign was only the beginning of a series of events to come , for those who did not get involved yet, it is not too late.
Join up because… Safety Matters!
For more information about this initiative please contact KOSSAC Proje