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Eguzki Haizea Página 1 Número 6 febrero de 2004

Eguzki haizeaBoletín mensual de BSF Euskadi

Editor: Michel Fernández Sáenz de Ormijana. [email protected] Año I Número 6 febrero de 2004

Del editorEstimados amigos y amigas,Nuevamente quiero aprovechar estas líneasmensuales para agradeceros a todos la atenciónque prestáis a nuestro boletín.Poco a poco, despacio pero sin pausa, seguimosaumentando la cantidad de socios y simpatizantes,y queremos seguir así. Por eso queremos utilizarnuevamente a Eguzki Haizea para agradecervuestros esfuerzos en la difusión de los idealesde Balkan Sunflowers.Os recordamos que seguimos realizando laspresentaciones de BSF Euskadi en diversoslugares de Euskal Herria. La próxima tendrá lugaren Elgoibar el 3 de marzo. El lugar será la KulturEtxea, situado en la plaza Nafarroa, número 3, deElgoibar, Gipuzkoa. Si veis la posibilidad deasistir, poneros en contacto con nosotros para queos esperemos y podamos saludarnos.Esperamos que el año que empieza sea paravosotros un buen año solidario y de éxito envuestros planes y proyectos personales.Como es habitual, os hacemos llegar nuestros másafectuosos y solidarios saludos.Michel Fernández Sáenz de [email protected]

Este boletín se publica con la colaboración de:

PROYECTO DEL MESEn febrero os presentamos el Macedonia communitybuilding and integration support project, es decir,un proyecto de desarrollo comunitario y apoyo a laintegración. Se realizó en Shutka (Macedonia) y suprincipal objetivo fue su dividida y pobre comunidadroma (gitana). Martin Poletylo dirigió el proyecto.Martin es un voluntario curtido en mil batallas enproyectos en Croacia, Kosovo y Macedonia.

El proyecto fue realizado por Balkan Sunflowers encooperación con American Refugee Committee(ARC), UNICEF, Servicio Civil Internacional (SCI),Italian Consortium of Solidarity (ICS), y la galeríaStepen Gallery de Skopje. Los financiadores fueronUNICEF, European Cultural Foundation y lafundación Hivos Donner.Macedonia Community Building and IntegrationSupport ProjectBy Martin Poletylo

Description of Suto Orizari community (Sutka)Suto Orizari Municipality is one of the biggest Romacommunity in the world. Containing two main groups:the local Macedonian Roma population and the mixedAlbanian and Serbian speaking Roma refugee thatfled from Kosovo after the withdrawal of theYugoslavian administration from the province andthe return of its Albanian majority. Some 1500refugee are placed in the collective center and some4000 living in the local community.

Shutka, a combination of huts and low quality housing with nosewage or services to the population.

With an uncertain future, the refugee community inSuto Orizari faces the challenge of a more thanprobable long stay in Macedonia, or even its finalassimilation within the Macedonian society.Language and, especially, social problems makedifficult the integration of both communities, andsome episodes of tense coexistence have beenknown.


Refugees in front of their temprary (?) housing in Shutka.

The local Macedonian Roma community itselfbelongs to one of the lowest classes in the country,and their traditionally accepted low social status,together with a sustained absence from public lifeand a generally uninformed existence, handicapsquality of life and exercise of human rights in thecommunity. In this way, the local populationalthough sometimes available – does not perceiveextremely simple things, such as birth registration,basic health services, and social aid – as a right.Universal education, the meaning of democracy in acountry that not so many years ago was subjectedto communist rule, and even self respect and theinherent value of all persons have not yet reachedthis community.

An overview of the refugee camp in Shutka.

The development of the community and the creationof new structures and resources, as well as itsphysical integration into Skopje’s municipality haveto go along with serious and continuous efforts toeducate the community regarding their rights,possibilities and positive role as part of Macedoniadiverse society. The younger generation of thepopulation needs to be targeted with a view toincreasing awareness of their rights and future andto give them the opportunity to break with the easychoice of conforming to the status quo of theircommunity. Our programs in Suto Orizari, and theCommunity building and integration support project

in particular, are aimed specifically at this segmentof the population.Objectives1. To integrate refugees and young people from

the more isolated slums into the Romacommunity of Suto Orizari and into the larger,multi-ethnic society of Skopje. To encouragetheir active involvement in the socialreconstruction of their community and thebuilding of civil society.

2. To provide young people with creative andstimulating activities as a means to build skills,confidence, social responsibility and a greaterawareness of opportunities available, as analternative to anti-social and destructiveactivities.

3. To encourage, through group games andactivities with younger children, cooperation, asopposed to competitiveness, and tolerance ofchildren/youth different from themselves,whether it be in age, ability, appearance, healthor social/ethnic background. To encouragethem to work together with others to achievegoals.

Project initiativesThe project itself was made up of severalinitiatives. These initiatives were mainly based inthe ROS Center, and were opened to any interestedparticipants.Afternoon ClubThis activity was based in the ROS Center, and wasopened for any interested participants.Previously, BSF had ran the afternoon activities inthe ROS center – gaming and video club. Bothprograms were popular with local youth who don’thave appropriate places to spend free time. Thus,the Afternoon Club created a friendly space formeeting children and youth: from Sutka and theSuto Orizari collective center, internationalvolunteers and students, an Soncogledi volunteersfrom Skopje. Five days per week, they could spendthe afternoon (4 – 7 o’clock) participating in thefollowing activities:1. Playing games2. Drawing and painting3. Reading children’s, youth, specialized magazines4. Once a week watching video cartoons and movies.The Club was a sort of reading hall, the only suchplace in Sutka. The literacy level in thismunicipality is very low, especially among youth, who


basically do not read any books or magazines. Witha very low level of education, this leads toregressive illiteracy. For some of them it was also achance to improve their skills, reading i.e. Englishlanguage computer or sport magazines.

Doing the clothes Shutka style. Power supply is inefficient, andhome appliances, other than TVs, scarce.

For the video projections, as it was in BSF previousproject, bringing children from Momin Potok andKlanica slums area was organized, giving them theopportunity to meet their friends from Sutka.Projecting cartoons and movies adopted to thechildren’s age and interests were also a chance topractice Macedonian language, which is an importantissue especially for slums children. Presence ofinternational volunteers gave the youngsters anopportunity to practice English in a relaxing,informal atmosphere.During the duration of the project the Children’sVideo Library was completed and it is still used forfurther activities in the ROS Center.Afternoon Club was also a space to arrangeactivities along the interests of participants.Creative art workshopThis part of the program was also based in the ROSCenter. Led by Mladen Tunic 3rd year student ofArt Academy in Skopje, together with oneinternational volunteer. The program containedlearning and practicing the basic art techniques aswell as some history of art lectures, includingexcursions to the art galleries, museums andexhibitions. The workshop was an introduction tothe universal values of the world art and culture.During the project, there were two three-monthcourses. During each course there were two groupsof 10 youngsters, half refugee, half local Sutkaones. Each group met three times a week for 1,5

hours. The pupils were 14-18 years old. Twice amonth there was an excursion to Skopje, visiting artgalleries, museums, ruins and exhibitions.The first month, the activity was focused mostly ondifferent techniques of drawing, using pencils andcharcoal. Pupils practiced drawing models, bodyparts, portraits, architecture, still lives, landscape.The second month working with clay and plaster wasstarted - in the beginning practicing, exercisingeasy forms (i.e. parts of the face), then makingsimple form casting and sculptures. At the end, thekids would make their own forms and go through thewhole process. During the third month, work wasmainly concentrated on doing sculptures (and stilldrawing exercises). Pupils were free to expresstheir own ideas, create own sculptures. The coursewas finished with exhibition of works in SutoOrizari, and in “Stepen” Galery in Skopje.Monthly Youth NewsletterThis activity was located at the Babylon communitycenter in Suto Orizari.

A Roma child plays with some make up in the marketplace.

Previous to the project implementation, BalkanSunflowers international volunteers together withlocal volunteers hosted a meeting at the BabylonCenter that was attended by around 15 youngpeople, of which approximately half were refugees.At the meeting, the possibility of creating anewsletter produced by residents of Shutka andthe refugee camp was discussed enthusiastically.


Among issues discussed were article ideas includingwriting on Sutka ecology, education, drug problemsin Sutka, personal stories of Kosovar refugees,Roma theater, music, poetry, life and activities inthe refugee camp. The language issue wasdiscussed, and the consensus is that a multi-lingualproduction is necessary to meet the needs ofRomani and Albanian speaking people and that such amulti-lingual production could serve as a valuableeducational tool. There was also an interest inproducing an on-line version of the prospectivepublication. Several Soncogledi (BSF Macedonia)volunteers, students of journalism, expressed theirinterest in helping with graphic design, writing, andediting, and the Babylon Center offered the use ofits computers and space in exchange foradvertisement of its activities and events.The program included computer hardware andsoftware training, journalism techniques instruction(ethics: the necessity of honest reportage), andusage of the Internet. The pupils of the ongoingBSF Integration Photo Workshop at the time wereincluded in the program.

Computer classes at the ROS Centre.

The newsletter was printed in two bilingual versions:Albanian/Romani and Macedonian /English. It wasdelivered free in Suto Orizari municipality and inseveral places in Skopje. The publication itself wasa size A4, 16 page magazine in two colours. Everyissue had 1,000 copies, 500 in each bilingual version.Music classesAnother ROS Centre based initiative. Led byLjubomir Tasev, twice winner of first place inclassical guitar competitions in Macedonia, togetherwith one international volunteer. The activityconsisted of two parallel classes: (1) classical guitarand (2) singing/reading notes. Two courses, each of3 month duration was run consecutively.

Ashkelia (Roma) women from Shutka.

1. Classical guitarFive children, from 7-12 years of age attended thisclass two times a week (individual classes for 45minutes). They learned notation in classical,Spanish and folk compositions and practice playing.2. Singing, note-readingOnce weekly class-duration 3 hours. The childrenlearned singing, note-reading, and orchestracomposition. We offered individuals who wereinterested, the chance to have additional practiceoutside class times, under supervision of aninternational volunteer. At the end of the coursethere was a performance in Sutka and in “Stepen”Galery in Skopje, in combination with exhibition ofworks from other Soncogledi programs (photo andart workshop). Soncogledi facilitated further studyfor talented pupils after completion of the course.The main target group of the project was the Romayouth and children of Suto Orizari municipality:local and refugees, living in the refugee camp and inthe local community. The volunteers were recruitedfrom Roma and the wider Macedonian community.All Soncogledi volunteers had weekly meetingsreporting on and evaluating ongoing programs inaddition to planning and discussing future activities.We enjoy close cooperation and communication withthe communities in which we work; feedback fromour beneficiaries is an important part of ourevaluations, helping us to modify our projects tobetter suit their needs. During and after eachprogram or activity we consulted with theparticipants, and where appropriate, their parentsand the wider community to obtain their views.This project was one example of the ongoingactivities BSF Macedonia runs. We haveconcentrated on the Shutka community and therefugee population of the Skopje area, whereprogrammes of a similar nature continue.


¿Cómo puedo colaborar con Balkan Sunflowers?

Trabajando como voluntario en nuestros proyectosen Kosovo, Albania y Macedonia. Si dispones deltiempo y las circunstancias, pídenos una solicitud.

Apoyando nuestros proyectos económicamente.Puedes enviarnos un cheque o transferir cualquiercantidad o ingresarla directamente en la cuenta deBSF Euskadi de Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa:

2095 0114 60 9105130418Código Swift (para transferencias internacionales):

BASKE S2BXXX IBAN ES71 Colaborando con nuestras iniciativas, charlas,

eventos, etc. Te mantendremos informado. Y sideseas poner en marcha alguna iniciativa derecaudación de fondos, información, etc., ponte encontacto con nosotros y te ayudaremos.

HISTORIA DE UN VOLUNTARIOComo hicimos en el anterior número de EguzkiHaizea, os ofrecemos un nuevo testimonio de unvoluntario internacional que ilustra la labor de estosvoluntarios de Balkan Sunflowers. En este caso elvoluntario y conocido juglar británico “Devil Stick”Peat nos cuenta sus vivencias en Bathore, Albania.

BathoreBy “Devil Stick” PeatEver wondered were entertainers go in the winter?Here is what I have been up to, as told in my ownunique style...I was laying on the ground, curled up like a ball,trying to protect my manhood. Around me, childrenwere hitting, kicking and fighting each other, alltrying to get to me. And the ones who got to mewhere really going mad, scratching, biting, punching,gouging, anything to get at my balloons.Luckily for me, our two translators had both servedin the army during the civil unrest. So they knewhow to handle the situation, they just waded in andthrew the kids off of me. John helped me up to myfeet and dusted me off. "Are you ok?" he asked. Iwas brused and shaken, my head hung to one sideand hurt. "I can't move my head" I said.John saw the cause of the problem and removed the5 year old who was hanging from my hair with onehand, the other was busy trying to get into mypocket.I had come to the Balkans with Childrens WorldInternational, an NGO formed by Lady AllabellaChurchill. We were going to spend one week inAlbania, followed by 3 weeks in Kosovo. We lived

with an NGO called Balkan Sunflowers. And this wasone of their other projects.It was my first time ever in sector 6, Bathore,Albania. And that night, as I sat on the balcony ofthe house, smoking a cigarette, I thought about thehistory of the place and the people.With the fall of communism, all land returned to itsoriginal owners. This and the state owned farmsgoing bankrupt caused a major influx of internalmigrants. Most of them headed for the capital,Tirana, and ended up living in an old state farmcalled Bathore. Bathore has somewere between 30and 40 thousand inhabitants living in 9 sectors. Thepoorest sector is sector 6. Here around 2,000people (over half of them, under 19) live in theremains of cattle sheds built to house 800 cows.There are no toilets, no sewer, no clean water andvery little hope. The hospital for these people is an8 foot by 20 foot metal box. The type thatworkmen in England use to keep tools in.

The “Hospital”, we set up in Bathore, the only medical facility forsome 40,000 people.

Madeleine (a young American girl) came out to speakto me. "Well, what did you think of Bathore?" sheasked. "They scared me" I replyed. She noddedsagely as I continued to talk. "I’ve never beenscared by kids before! Over 13 years I've workedwith problem kids, and these are the first ones toever actully scare me. It was brilliant! I've neverfelt anything like it". "You ENJOYED it?" she askedin surprise. "You don't understand. In all that timeI've never felt real fear. These are the only kidswho'd ever done that. And that makes them sospecial, it really does. Tell me more, I want to knowwhy they're like that." Madeleine’s face took on adifferent look as she realised she had found afellow ally in her fight for these kids. Her eyes


shone and a big grin appeared on her lips. "Look" shesaid "It isn't their thought. Poverty isn't just lackof money. It’s lack of hope, lack of self respect. It’sdrug and alcohol abuse. It’s violence, both social anddomestic, and it's the kids who suffer. If they'dbeen born in England, they'd be doctors andlawyers, but they weren't. They were born here.”“We handed out blankets in Bathore the otherweek.” She continued “It was all arranged with thevillage elder, Fatmir. We turned up, entered thewarehouse, and tried to get the people to line up.NO CHANCE. They were fighting each other to getas many blankets as posible. We ended up lockedinside the warehouse as guns were fired outside!These are the parents, the people those kids lookup to. The ones who teach them the social rules oflife. Is it any wonder that they would kill you for aballoon?” "So what do we do about it? How do weteach them another way?" I asked. "We lead byexample, and that example is love."

Distribution in Bathore by name. It is difficult to do distributionwith some order in an environment of extreme poverty.

Three hours later, we were still sitting on thebalcony talking, when Jamie McGoblin (an amazingclown) came out."Peat" he said "you’re grining like a idiot and youreyes have the look of a religious fanatic. Don't getinvoled, we're only here for a few days."It was true. Childrens World Internatinal were onlyin Tirana for a week. Then we were off to Kosovo towork with the kids there, but these kids, thesesweet violent kids... it was too late, I was hooked.I went there maybe 5 times and got punched in the"you know whats", robbed and threatened with aknife. I loved it.Three months later I was back in Albania. This timeas a Balkan Sunflower volunteer. It had taken 3

days to get there, and I was so tired I could hardlykeep my eyes open. I was showed to a dorm andlayed down to sleep. Someone entered the room."Hey, Sari" they said to a friend "come on, Its timeto go to Bathore." I was wide awake again. "Can Icome too?" I asked.

The minibus arrives to Bathore for another day of activities withthe BSF volunteers.

As the minibus took us there all the old memoriesreturned to me and I wondered if the kids wouldremember me. Probably not I thought, and if theydo, they might resent me for abandoning them. Theminibus pulled up and we got out. I had taken 3steps and then heard my name being called. A kidcame running up to hug me, another was makingjuggling motions to a friend. The little... darlingsremembered me. I think that is when I fell in lovewith them.Officialy I had come back to work on a Mine AndWeapon Awareness Campain called MAWAT butBathore had become my love. Every spare moment Ihad was spent there. I couldn't believe thedifference in these kids. They had stopped hittingus (althougth there was a incident with a handgrenade, but he was just showing off). They didn'trob us so often, They were interacting with eachother WITHOUT violence. We were winning. Byleading by example we were making a difference.Then Sari (the Australian project coordinator) saidthat she was leaving to travel elsewhere in theBalkans. This left us with a problem. Who was goingto take it over. I spoke with Leentja, our boss here."I've thought and thought about it" I said "and Ican't think of anyone here who can take it over.""Well let's take a look at it" she said, and we satdown at the computer. She typed everyone's nameinto the computer and one by one we went through


them, deleting the names as we found a reason whythey couldn't do it."You see" I said, looking at a now blank screen"There's no-one left to do it.""There is one name I forgot to write on the screen"she said. I looked at her and realised that she had astrange smile on her face. I had got to know herwell enough by now to hate and fear that smile. Itment "you ain't going to like this, but I will".Still I couldn't think of who she meant, then thecoin dropped. "Oh no!" I said "no way, not me, I'm tobusy with MAWAT; I haven't the time, I've neverdone any thing like it before, NO WAY".The next week I took over the project. Organizingthe team. Who works where, are they safe etc. Oneof my first jobs was to get the tent back up andrunning. One of the kids had cut the ropes overchristmas, and the whole thing had collapsed. Thetent was given to us by UNICEF and was importantas it was the only place to play when the weatherwas bad. Fatmir (the village elder) sent 4 older boysto help me, but they didnt, they just stood andwhatched. Then Elson, fatmirs youngest son cameand helped. He is only 4 or 5 years old and more of anuisance than anything, but he tryed. We spent 4hours putting up that tent and by the end of it wewere good friends. You should not have favorites inthis trade, but we all do, and mine was Elson. Hewould approach every problem with the mentality ofthe incredible Hulk, i.e. use enough strength and itwill move, if it does not, use more strength.

Peat in action surrounded by some of his Bathore kids.

I spent a total of two and a half months workingwith those kids. Each day my love and respect forthem just grew and grew. I got to know names andcharacters. To win their respect as a person.

Then the brown stuff hit the fan. I had known sinceI first got there that we had money troubles. Nowwe had no more money. The projects had to close.On our last day in Bathore I had a talk with myteam. "We don't know what the mood will be today.It might be that they will act normal, it might bethat they will try to rob everything before we leave.Whatever the mood, we have to smile, NO TEARS.We leave in a happy, positive mood. We have to fortheir sake."

The parachute games was a favourite for the kids, especially forthe younger ones.

Like I said earlier, they had improved so much sinceI first met them, but even so, this day they were sowell behaved. There were only 2 fights, and theywere only little ones. It just made saying goodbyeeven harder.As we walked out of Bathore for the last time, alittle girl came up to my interpreter and said thatshe would like to say something to me. This girl(aged around 13) hates men, especially men inauthority. I stood there expecting her to say F**kyou or something, instead she sang a song for me.Till the day I die I will never know how I managedto walk out of there with dry eyes, but I did.Four days after the project closed I was on my wayhome for a month leave. As soon as I got there Istarted to raise funds for Bathore. One monthlater, I was back in Albania. This time I was to helpto run a big show for MAWAT, where the kidswould have a chance to tell the world what theywant for the future, then I was to go to Macedoniato work with the gipsy kids there.I helped with the show (which went well) but in myspare time I was in Bathore, talking with Fatmir,telling him what I was doing to get us back there.At the same time that the MAWAT show finished


the international meeting of BSF was due to start inKosovo. This was a big meeting of all the big namesin BSF. I was offered the chance to go and jumpedat the offer, it was the chance I needed to fightfor Bathore.

Some of the BSF’ers that attended the international meeting inSeptember 2000 in Kosovo, where Peat proposed the upkeepingof operations in Bathore.

It took over 10 hours in a minibus to get over themountains, a lovely trip that offers great views ofall the minibuses that had slipped off the road anddown, down, down, down into the valleys below. Nota trip for the faint hearted.At the meeting I tryed to state my case forBathore, and why we needed to be there. I wastired from the jouney the day before and could notthink straight. I remenber thinking that I hadmessed up the only chance those kids had. Then,during a tea break a woman came up to me withtears in her eyes."I have never been to Bathore" she said "but theway you spoke about it was beautifull, we'll go backthere, we will." She was our internationalcoordinator at the time, the one who decides whoworks where. Several other people came up to meover the next week and pledged their support forBathore, and I felt a bit more confident. It wasagreed that there should be a change of plan.Instead of going to Macedonia, I was to go back toTirana for a week, to tie up some loose strings anddo some work on Bathore. After this I was to touraround all our projects in all the countries, teachinggames, etc.I took the bus back over the mountains (again) andspent a week in Tirana. My time was dividedbetween sitting in front of the computer, updatingreports on Bathore and trying to write a projectproposal to get us funding. (I had never tryed towrite one before, this and the fact that I amdislex... deslax... deslix... I cannot spell, made it a

dounting task) and trying to find other NGOs towork there.One NGO called "Enfants du Monde" arranged for achildren’s doctor to go there. He arranged to spend2 hours there, but he stayed at least 6, at the endof which he had seen over 150 children and stillcould not find one that was not sick. The main causeof the illnesses there is the water, it is poisonedand polluted and horrid. He now goes there everyweek and Franko (the director of Enfants duMonde) sorted out a limited fresh water supply forBathore. Then, my time was up, I went over themountains, back to Kosovo, and to my next job. For amonth I worked on project shake up, teaching myway of playing and why it works. Then, it was time totake one last trip over the mountains to Tirana,where I would take a plane home, to England.Again I traveled over the mountains, but this time Itook a different route. At one point we came to aferry that sailed the length of a dam. I had neverbeen this way before, never seen this dam before,but all the same, the moment I saw it, I knew it. AsI will say further ahead, the dam was very familiarto me.It took 3 hours to cruise the length of the dam, soI just sat on the top deck and watched the views.For 8 years I had no home. I just traveled aroundEurope, my pack on my back. In the daytime I wouldbusk on the streets, making money as a clown andjuggler. At night I would party on Mediterranianbeaches under warm, moonlight skies. I have wokenup to see the sunrise over the Alps. Slept in lovelygreen woods. Seen the sunset into the sea so often,it seemed like nothing special. But this place. It wastruly a sight worth seeing. If we could see ratherthan hear love songs, this place, with its greenslopes and stark, grey cliffs, would be the greatestlove song ever, it really would.

Some of the kids in the Bathore settlement, how could we forgettheir smiling faces?


Years ago, Fatmir lived on a farm in the north ofAlbania. He said it was a beautiful farm set in someof the most beautiful mountains in Albania. Then,one day a man from the government came along andtold all the farmers that they had to build a dam atthe end of the valley. When the dam was built thefarmers were told to pack up and leave. Fatmir andhis people had no choice, they left their wondrousand clean valleys and ended up in Bathore, and shit.We sailed where eagles once flew, but all the time Icould not get rid of the sadness that filled myheart. To think that this Eden, this paradise wasnot only lost to fatmir and his people, but replacedby Bathore. It just does not seem fair.I arrived in Tirana for the last time. One more weekhere and then I was off home. I met with the newcountry coordinators and answered their questionson Bathore. They told me that they wanted to startup work there again. They wanted to run circusschools and art classes etc. I agreed with them buttold them that these things should come second.You cannot build the first floor untill you have builtthe foundations. In this case the play group. Theywere not happy with this, so I arranged to takethem up there, to see Bathore for themselves.It had been arranged with another NGO that oninternatinal children’s day, I would perform at aschool in another part of Bathore. I took our newcountry coordinators with me. After the show wewent to sector 6, where I most often worked.By the end of the day, they aggreed with me, youcannot have the specialist classes withoutsomething that every kid can join in with, otherwisethey would be jealous and wreck it.People from the international meeting kept theirword and found us 4 months funding, to pay rent,food, etc. At last the day came for me to fly backto England. I did not cry, I did not have to. I haddone what I set out to do. I got the projectrestarted.

Nor dira BSF Euskadi?BSF Euskadi elkartea 2002 urtetik inskribatua daEusko Jaurlaritzaren Elkarteen Erroldan,AS/B/09572/2002 zenbakiaz.

BSF Euskadiren Zuzendaritza-BatzordeaFran J. Valle, Lehendakari

Rand Z. Engel, LehendakariordeMichel Fernández Sáenz de Ormijana, Idazkari

Montserrat Sáez Montero, AltxorzainIñigo Gutiérrez Garramiola, Bozeramale

Colabora con Eguzki Haizea...

... enviándonos tus comentarios, preguntas, etc.

... compartiendo sus contenidos con otras personas.

... animando a otros a asociarse a BSF Euskadi.Puedes contactar con nosotros por correo:

BSF EuskadiRioja, 4, 5 dcha.48015 BilbaoBizkaia

O por correo electrónico a la dirección:[email protected]

O bien por teléfono a los números:(+34) 943 206907(+34) 607 69 1711

O por fax al número:(+34) 943 206907

INFORME SOBRE LA SITUACIÓN DE LASMINORÍAS EN KOSOVO (PARTE I)Comenzamos en nuestro boletín de febrero deEguzki Haizea la primera parte de una serie deartículos en la que ofrecemos el informe de la OSCEsobre la situación de las minorías en Kosovo. BSFtrabaja mucho en el terreno de las minorías, ycreemos que este informe servirá para que nuestroslectores, socios y simpatizantes puedan hacerse unaidea sobre las condiciones en que estas personasviven. No dudéis en poneros en contacto connosotros si deseáis más información al respecto.

Tenth Assessment of the Situation of EthnicMinorities in KosovoThis report is the tenth in a series of Assessmentsof the situation of ethnic minorities in Kosovo,conducted jointly by the OSCE and the UNHCR.This tenth Assessment provides an update on theconclusions and recommendations put forward bythe last Assessment. It covers the period of timefrom May to December 2002. Acknowledging thesignificant developments in the legal framework anddecision-making processes in Kosovo during thereporting period, the report also includesdiscussions on developments which have affectedthe situation of minority communities in Kosovo.


The ninth Assessment published in April 2002identified and scrutinised key areas of concern forthe situation of ethnic minorities in Kosovo:security and freedom of movement, access toessential services, participation in political and civilstructures, incentives to inter-ethnic dialogue, andpatterns of the return process. At the time, theAssessment noted the positive trends of increasedsecurity and mobility of minorities in Kosovo, butremained critical of the slow and inconsistentprogress in guaranteeing minorities stable access tothe judicial system and other services and aprotective framework for their property rights.The Assessment also included an insight into theparallel structures existing in the northern KosovoSerb-dominated municipalities. These were seen asa detrimental factor for the integration and inter-action of minorities with the majority population,and also as a significant deterrent to the efforts ofthe United Nations Interim Administration Missionin Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Provisional Institutionsof Self-Government (PISG) towards ensuringsustainable institutions and structures for allcommunities throughout Kosovo.The present report describes the movements inthese areas over the reporting period and assessesto what extent the recommendations put forward inthe ninth Assessment have been implemented andwhat effect such actions have had on the conditionsof minority communities within Kosovo and thereturns process. Recognising and promoting theright of every individual, regardless of ethnic orother status, to return to their homes, theAssessment aims to assist UNMIK and the PISGwith recommendations on how to further developconditions for sustainable return. To this aim, thereport creates a teleological link between thesituation of ethnic minorities in Kosovo and thereturns process. Accordingly, it analyses the effectthat each development or setback of the policiesand practices has on encouraging or discouragingreturnees to restart their lives in the communitiesthey were forced or induced to leave. As displacedpersons are given a free and informed choice toreturn, the factors influencing them concern theprogress achieved in the areas addressed by thisreport: security, freedom of movement, property,essential services, participation in civil and politicalstructures, and inter-ethnic dialogue.The report attempts to provide an objectiveoverview of the security situation and freedom ofmovement in every area of Kosovo where minority

communities are present. The Assessment notesthat during the reporting period a limited increasein the level of security in some areas for minoritycommunities was observed. The gradual decrease inethnically motivated crime, the removal of KFORcheckpoints and the adoption of more flexible andless intrusive security arrangements, the increasedparticipation of minority members in the KosovoPolice Service (KPS) and the judiciary representsignals that the situation of minority communitiesgives some grounds for encouragement. TheAssessment finds, however, that minoritycommunities continue to face varying degrees ofharassment, intimidation and provocation, as well aslimited freedom of movement.

GLOSSARY

ABC Advisory Board on CommunitiesAoK Assembly of KosovoCCK Coordination Center for Kosovo and MetohiaCEC Central Election CommissionCoE Council of EuropeCSW Centre for Social WorkDJA Department of Judicial AdministrationDOJ Department of JusticeECHR European Convention on Human RightsfYROM Former Yugoslav Republic of MacedoniaHPCC Housing and Property Claims CommissionHPD Housing and Property DirectorateICRC International Committee of the Red CrossIDP Internally Displaced PersonsIOM International Organisation for MigrationIPWGHR Inter-Pillar Working Group on Human RightsJIS Judicial Integration SectionKCA Kosovo Cadastral AgencyKCB Kosovo Consolidated BudgetKEK Kosovo Energy CorporationKFOR Kosovo ForceKFOR MNB KFOR Multi-National BrigadeKJPC Kosovo Judicial and Prosecutorial CouncilKPS Kosovo Police ServiceKPC Kosovo Protection CorpsLCO Local Community OfficerLWG Local Working GroupMCO Municipal Cadastre OfficeMESP Ministry of Environment and Spatial PlanningMEST Ministry of Education, Science and TechnologyMHC Municipal Housing CommitteeMLSW Ministry of Labour and Social WelfareMPS Ministry of Public ServicesMWG Municipal Working GroupOCA Office of Community AffairsOCHA UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian AffairsOHCHR UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human RightsOLA SRSG Office of the Legal AdvisorOPM Office of the Prime MinisterORC SRSG Office for Returns and CommunitiesOSCE Organization for Security and Co-operation in EuropePISG Provisional Institutions of Self-GovernmentPTK Post Telecom KosovoRAE Roma/Ashkaelia/EgyptianRIG Regional Implementation GroupRWG Regional Working GroupSGA Specific Geographical Areas (UNMIK Regulation 2001/17)SPU Special Police UnitSRSG Special Representative of the Secretary-GeneralUN SCR United Nations Security Council ResolutionUNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for RefugeesUNICEF United Nations Children’s FundUNMA UNMIK Municipal AdministratorUNMIK United Nations Interim Administration Mission in KosovoWHO World Health Organisation


With respect to access to justice, the Assessmentexamines the progress made in integrating thejudiciary, including minority employment in thecourts, as well as the level of physical access thatminorities have to courts and detention facilities. Italso discusses parallel structures. The report findspositive signs. Some progress has been made inintegrating minorities into the judiciary andweakening the parallel court system during thereporting period. Still, the Assessment found thatmany minorities lack confidence in the UNMIKjudicial system.

Children from Gracanica, the largest Serb enclave in Kosovo.

This Assessment examines issues of discriminationpertaining to minority communities in Kosovo, in theparticular areas of access to education,employment, social services and health care. Itfinds that, whether direct or indirect, intentionalor unintentional, discrimination continues torepresent a significant obstacle to the ability ofminorities to live reasonable lives in Kosovo. Whilethe Advisory Board on Communities (ABC), whichwas established prior to the release of the lastAssessment, has begun to examine issues ofdiscrimination at a high policy level, the reportfinds that discrimination has not been adequatelyaddressed at lower levels. Access to education,social services and health care has not consistentlyimproved for minorities throughout Kosovo. Accessto public sector employment has seen measuredimprovement during the reporting period, but anaffirmative action policy, approved in principle, hasyet to be implemented and overall levels of minorityemployment at central and municipal levels remainunsatisfactory. It is hoped that the promulgationand subsequent implementation of the newAdministrative Direction implementing UNMIKRegulation 2001/36 will improve this situation. Inhighlighting some of the results of efforts made to

recognise, eliminate and provide effective remediesagainst discrimination, the report identifies thedraft Omnibus Anti-discrimination Law as a keystep in combating discrimination as a generalphenomenon, relevant for both minoritycommunities and the majority population. Theexpediency of considering and adopting this Law bythe PISG and UNMIK is an essential element forthe promotion and enforcement of anti-discriminatory practices in Kosovo.From the perspective of access to property rights,this Assessment again analyses the level ofeffective realisation of property rights enjoyed byminority communities as well as the impact of thison the ability of minorities to return sustainably.Access to property and realisation of propertyrights are assessed through a threefold test:awareness of legal rights, physical access torelevant adjudicative and executive bodies, and,once access is gained, the ability of the relevantorgans to effectively guarantee the enjoyment ofsuch rights. To do so, the report assesses theeffectiveness of the Housing and PropertyDirectorate (HPD) and Housing and Property ClaimsCommission (HPCC) mechanisms, the access ofminority communities to cadastre services andreconstruction assistance, as well as theimplementation of UNMIK Regulation 2001/17. Thereport finds that the level of access to propertyrights in these areas remains inadequate, despitesome progress since the last Assessment. Inparticular, the report finds that despiteencouraging trends, the operation of the HPD andHPCC requires continued attention to ensureeffective protection of minority’s property rights.Problems for minority communities continue ingaining access to cadastre services in relation toboth the provision of and physical access tomunicipal services and the lack of a fully functioningand complete cadastre. The report also finds thatUNMIK Regulation 2001/17 does not appear to havehad a significant impact on sales of minorityproperty, and that the implementation of it hasproven problematic. Problems related to sales andaccess of agricultural land are also highlighted.With regards to reconstruction, the reportconcludes that minorities’ access to such assistanceappears to have improved, but that the protectionof minorities’ property rights depended upon theutilisation of the mechanisms in the UNMIK HousingReconstruction Guidelines 2002. When not utilised,either within the Municipal Housing Committee or


return process-related structures, property rightswere endangered. Within the chapter, the newreturn process structures also are examined.After the political deadlock that followed theNovember 2001 Kosovo wide Elections, thisreporting period witnessed the launch and themanifestation of Kosovo wide provisional institutionson the political arena. At this point, some positivesignals of engagement of the local politicalstructures have been noted in inter-ethnic dialogue,though the full engagement of all political entitiesand structures will require much effort and supportof the international community. In this vein, thereport also highlights that as confidence-buildingencompasses a fundamental qualitative change inthe political and social relations between ethnicgroups, it requires active involvement and supportfrom all possible actors, including all levels of thePISG, all local communities, the IDPs and potentialreturnees themselves, UNMIK, as well as involvedinternational and local NGOS and the donorcommunity. The report scrutinises the results ofthe October 2002 Municipal Elections and thepotential effects that the new proportions ofminorities in the municipal assemblies may have onthe situation of minority communities in Kosovo.Confidence and tolerance building exercises areaddressed in the context of efforts invested byboth the international community and local NGOstowards achieving a strong civil society in Kosovo,which is then expected to undertake a major role inensuring a system of checks and balances for thelocal political arena.Considering the overall situation described in thisreport, the changes noted during the reportingperiod are not yet fundamental enough to concludethat conditions would exist for large scale return ofethnic minorities in the near future, underscoringthe continuing need for international protection formembers of ethnic communities, in particularKosovo Serbs, Roma, Ashkaelia and Egyptians.

RECOMMENDATIONSSecurity and freedom of movementThe ninth Assessment put forward a set ofrecommendations regarding security and freedomof movement. Progress on implementing theserecommendations should continue.• As this Assessment documents that limitations onfreedom of movement for minority communities aremany times based on perceptions as well as on theactual security situation, the UNMIK Community

Police Unit should be further involved inconfidence-building initiatives in all minoritycommunities, in parallel with awareness raisingcampaigns with regard to their mandate, functionsand benefits for the community.Justice• The ongoing efforts by UNMIK to dismantle theparallel structures in the northern municipalities ofKosovo should be continued, in co-operation with therelevant Belgrade authorities. This relates to (1)parallel criminal proceedings as they create a riskof double jeopardy and can impact the fairness oftrials and (2) parallel civil proceedings as theycreate an environment of legal uncertainty andprevent the integration of minorities into thejudiciary.• A public information campaign informing themembers of minority communities about judicialintegration and the establishment of the new courtswould be welcome as a step toward encouragingthese citizens to use and rely on the new courts.Such campaign could be organised by Pillar I, PillarIII, and/or any non-governmental organisation.• The OSCE reiterates its recommendation that, inthe future, cases should not be allotted on groundsof ethnicity. All sensitive cases involving judges anddefendants of different ethnicities should beclosely monitored by the OSCE and any judgedisplaying bias or discrimination should bedisciplined through the Kosovo Judicial andProsecutorial Council.Education• The Ministry of Education, Science andTechnology (MEST) should, in co-operation withKFOR, UNMIK Police and KPS, develop acomprehensive plan to improve equal access toeducation to all community members in Kosovo. Thisplan should also provide security for minoritystudents, which should also include secure bustransportation.• UNMIK and MEST should organise and implementa plan to provide for minority language education inaccordance with international human rightsstandards.• International GOs and NGOs have had somesuccess in organising projects, which provideremedial education for members of the Kosovo RAEcommunities. UNMIK and MEST should study the“best practices” of these projects to duplicate andimplement them Kosovo wide, in cooperation withinternational experts and NGOs.


Employment• The Ministry of Public Services must ensure theimplementation of the Administrative Direction2003/2 on the implementation of UNMIKRegulation 2001/36 on Kosovo Civil Service, andplace a particular emphasis on the provisionsenabling Community Proportional Representation (anaffirmative action plan). Such a plan should includetraining for all civil servants on the scope of theA.D, in particular on the provisions relating toaffirmative action. Further, an efficient internalsystem to monitor implementation will be crucial.• In light of this new A.D, all hiring practices shouldbe internally re-evaluated once the policies andprocedures are established at all levels, as that willensure fair hiring practices throughout the KosovoCivil Service.• The Omnibus Anti-discrimination Law should beapproved by the Office of the Prime Minister(OPM), enacted by the Assembly and thenimplemented by the PISG. The implementation andenforcement mechanisms within the draft Lawwould provide effective remedies for members ofall communities, for all forms of discrimination, inparticular in cases of employment discrimination.• The OPM, in co-operation with the Ministry ofPublic Services, should implement a Kosovo wideminority employment outreach programme toattract qualified persons of minority communities.Social services• The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare shoulddevelop a comprehensive policy to furtherstrengthen measures providing co-operation andflow of information between Centres for SocialWork (CSWs) employees working in majority andminority areas. Initiatives such as regularinformation sharing meetings and common trainingsessions should be implemented by the CSWsDirectors and supported by the Ministry of Labourand Social Welfare.• Sustainable outreach strategies, entirely run bythe CSWs employees, should be developed withparticular attention to those homebound minoritiesliving either in urban or in remote rural areas.• The CSWs should provide proportional allocationof social protection officers to areas whereinhabited by minority communities.Healthcare• The Ministry of Health must take action towardsthe implementation of an integrated healthcare

system, able to serve majority and minoritycommunities alike, supporting those facilitiesalready serving mixed communities and duplicatingbest existing practices. Coordinated efforts andthe dialogue between the Ministry of Health,UNMIK and the Ministry of Health in Belgradeshould lead to a sustainable solution to the ongoingpresence of parallel healthcare systems in Kosovo.• The Ministry of Health should promptly issue the“Charter of Patients Rights”, currently under draftform, which includes a provision on access tohealthcare without discrimination.• The Ministry of Health must continue its effortsin raising awareness about available healthcareservices among minority communities, with a specialfocus on Kosovo RAE communities.Housing and property rightsThe ninth Assessment put forward a set ofrecommendations regarding housing and propertyrights as they relate to minority communities. Thefollow-up on those recommendations, conducted bythe OSCE, has shown that there has been nosignificant development on some of the areastouched upon by the last Assessment. Therefore,the OSCE would not restate thoserecommendations.• Previous recommendations regarding resource-allocation to HPD/HPCC, increased awarenessraising activities and enhanced case-managementremain valid and should be addressed with priority.• The HPD should re-establish its field office inPodgorica (Montenegro) and open an office inSkopje (fYROM) to facilitate access of minorityclaimants displaced outside of Kosovo.• Every municipality should have staff in appropriatepositions trained on the mechanisms andcompetencies of HPD mechanisms. This personshould act as a contact person for the HPD withinthe local self-government body.• The complementary legislation required toimplement UNMIK Regulation 2002/22, creatingthe immovable property rights register, should bepassed by the Assembly and approved by UNMIKpromptly. Work towards making the cadastre fullyfunctional should continue to be a priority ofUNMIK and the PISG.• Municipal officials and law enforcement officialsshould take appropriate action to remedy andprevent illegal construction and illegal use of


agricultural and residential land of minorityproperty right holders.Return-related Reconstruction• Future Housing Reconstruction Guidelines shouldbe enacted in the form of AdministrativeDirections. The Ministry of Environment and SpatialPlanning (MESP) should draft laws to present to theKosovo Assembly outlining non-discriminatoryallocation criteria, transparent selection processes,and mechanisms providing accountability and theright to appeal.• Future forms of the Guidelines should not onlyassess a community’s overall vulnerability as criteriafor reconstruction assistance, but also provide formechanisms addressing individual assessments ofvulnerability.• NGOs operating as Municipal Housing Committees’(MHC) implementing partners, should be heldaccountable by both the MHCs and MESP for theirconduct toward minorities. Future forms of theGuidelines should establish appropriate mechanismsaccordingly. Every municipality should appoint arepresentative to the evaluation/assessmentprocess of the NGO and to report any irregularitiesto the MHC respectively to the MESP.• The ongoing turn-over of responsibility tomunicipalities from UNMIK should be accompaniedby the establishment of an effective interimmonitoring mechanism, such as monthly reporting, tocreate an acceptable level of accountability of therelevant Directorates and the MHCs toward bothUNMIK and MESP.• Municipalities and the implementing partnersshould ensure that beneficiaries of reconstructionassistance vacate the properties which they illegallyoccupy thereby enabling others to return fromdisplacement. The HPD/HPCC and the courts shouldbe actively involved in remedying illegal occupation.• Municipalities and implementing partners have toensure that property rights are confirmed prior toreconstruction. The HPD should be actively involvedin this confirmation process.• UNMIK, specifically the Office for Return andCommunities, should continue its efforts to ensurecoherence, transparency, and consistency indecision- and policy-making structures pertaining toreturns at municipal and regional level.Return• The International Community and the PISG shouldcontinue to develop solutions for returnees of all

ethnicities. They also should continue to strengthenall structures which have been established torespond to returnee needs.• Activities related to inter-ethnic dialogue andtolerance-building are key to the creation ofconditions for return. Given the influence of thePISG on local attitudes, it is strongly recommendedthat they intensify their active involvement in suchactivities throughout Kosovo.• The PISG should increase their engagement in thereturn process. At the same time, UNMIK shouldlend strong support to all return-related activitiescarried out by the PISG, including those related topolitical dialogue and consensus building.• The central PISG and UNMIK should encouragemunicipalities to actively participate in the returnplanning process and in the implementation ofreturn projects.• The PISG, UNMIK, donors and other relevantactors should ensure the efficient functioning ofthe MWGs, as they are main co-ordinating bodiesand discussion forums for minority returns.• Coordinated efforts should be made todisseminate timely and accurate information toIDPs as developed through the UNMIK/UNHCRInformation framework for IDPs. The responsibilityof the Kosovo media in promoting inter-ethnicdialogue should be fully recognised.

Ideario de BSF

Balkan Sunflowers envía voluntarios procedentes detodo el mundo a trabajar como vecinos y amigos enla reconstrucción y recuperación sociales. Alorganizar actividades sociales y culturalesfomentamos el entendimiento, la transformación noviolenta de los conflictos y la riqueza vital y culturalde la región balcánica.Los voluntarios, mediante su trabajo por unas pocassemanas o muchos meses, contribuyen sushabilidades, experiencia y entusiasmo a sociedadesexhaustas por el conflicto, y los voluntarios mismosse enriquecen al implicarse en el desarrollocomunitario.Las actividades de Balkan Sunflowers se dirigen a laconsecución de resultados concretos y a animar ypreparar a los participantes y a sus comunidadespara la continuación de los programas. Mediante losjuegos, el arte, los deportes, el trabajo y lacelebración de eventos, en respuesta altruista aexperiencias traumáticas, servimos a lascomunidades en las que vivimos.

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