On Friday, March 10, the non-governmental organization Aktiv held a working breakfast in Belgrade with representatives of the diplomatic community, Western embassies and international missions in Serbia.
The work of the NGO Aktiv and the analysis of the current situation on the ground in Kosovo, with a special focus on the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and the challenges faced by the Serbian community, were the main topics of discussion.
The Executive Director of NGO Aktiv Miodrag Milićević, presenting the organization’s work, said that the position and rights of the communities, primarily the Serbian community in Kosovo, are pointed out through research and advocacy activities. Precisely because of this, Milićević said, NGO Aktiv has been expanding its activities for some time, from North Mitrovica and Priština to Belgrade.
The head of policy office of NGO Aktiv, Caleb Waugh, explained that the focus of the organization’s work is research, process monitoring, and the development of practical policies related to the monitoring of community rights.
The goal is to identify the problems that the communities face, at the local and central level, but also to point out possible solutions in order to achieve positive changes in their relation with the Kosovo institutions, Vau pointed out.
“Part of our work is monitoring the dialogue process and the community’s reaction to that dialogue. The idea to open an office in Belgrade is the result of our research when we found out that Serbs do not feel a sufficient level of support from any side and that the level of involvement in the dialogue is low,” he said.
The representative of NGO Aktiv in Belgrade, Milica Orlović, explained that the goal of the office is to establish a chain of communication and to present the research in Belgrade, both to the media and to all other actors, civil society, domestic and international institutions.
“The aim of Aktiv’s Belgrade liaison office is to tackle this by being true advocates for minority rights while also emphasizing the importance of inter-ethnic and intercultural dialogue and promoting a more peaceful and tolerant narrative. Through this office, Aktiv seeks to build bridges and create opportunities for dialogue between different communities in Kosovo and Serbia, and to work towards a shared vision of a peaceful and prosperous future in the region”, said Orlović.
The representatives of the diplomatic missions discussed the current political situation in light of the Pristina/Belgrade dialogue continuation and steps towards the normalization of relations, as well as how the Serbian community views these processes, what it hopes for and how it is possible to work on solving their problems and reach their integration.
This activity was carried out with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and UKAID, to whom we would like to thank for their unreserved support.
