Pristina, 11 April 2024 – Organized by the Kosovo Law Institute (KLI), the Center for the Study of Democracy and Governance (CSDG), and the Southeast Europe Coalition for Whistleblower Protection, with support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and programmatic funds from the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, the “Regional Conference on Whistleblower Protection, Justice Reform as a Catalyst for Strengthening the Rule of Law” continued on its second day, alongside the Annual Meeting of the Southeast Europe Coalition for Whistleblower Protection.
On the second and final day of the conference, discussions focused on justice reform as a catalyst for strengthening the rule of law.
In his opening remarks, Ehat Miftaraj, Executive Director of KLI, stated that there is still much work to be done regarding the rule of law.
“The rule of law in our countries is at different stages of development. If we look at the Progress Reports for each country, there is still a lot to be done to ensure that our countries achieve a level of rule of law that can serve as a guarantee for foreign investment and fulfill obligations related to European integration,” Miftaraj said.
Milbert Dongjoon Shin, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, noted that KLI has contributed significantly to judicial reforms.
“An organization like KLI has shown us what reform truly means, as they have monitored efficiency and helped reform the judicial system, and the reform is measured by its impact on people’s lives,” Shin said, adding that Kosovo offers a unique perspective regarding judicial reform.
Arjeta Sadiku, Vice-Chair of the Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC), stated that the KJC has fulfilled all obligations arising from the Law on Whistleblower Protection and has taken additional steps to enhance citizens’ well-being.
“The Kosovo Judicial Council has taken major steps to increase transparency, starting with live-streaming Council meetings on electronic platforms, conducting recruitment processes with civil society involvement, publishing disciplinary decisions, and releasing general statistics,” Vice-Chair Sadiku said.
The conference continued with a panel discussion on Justice Reform and Its Impact – Strengthening Justice and Accountability in the Western Balkans, where civil society representatives from Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina presented the state of judicial reform in their respective countries.
This conference gathered participants from the region and beyond, including Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and other countries.
Following the conclusion of the conference, the Annual Meeting of the Southeast Europe Coalition for Whistleblower Protection was held.