EWMI NEWS:
MARCH 2008
GRANT AWARDED TO ASSOCIATION OF KOSOVO MUNICIPALITIES

EWMI’s Task Force Program, funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, awarded a grant to the Association of Kosovo Municipalities in February to organize a series of meetings with members of Kosovo Municipal Assemblies to discuss the Draft Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo. Meetings were held throughout Kosovo, and focused on explaining the Draft Constitution for Republic of Kosovo— its content in general, chapters related to Self-Government, as well as other areas of particular interest. Thanks to this grant, all of the members of Municipal Assemblies had the opportunity to comment and provide suggestions to members of the Constitutional Commission tasked with drafting the constitution of Kosovo. Participants raised critical issues, particularly those involving the functioning of local government in Kosovo. According to Tina Grazhdani, Director of the EWMI-Kosovo Office, “the discussions were sometimes very lengthy, but the spirit of cooperation was very constructive.”

The grant is part of the Kosovo Task Force Program, which was initiated in early 2007. This Program established a Task Force comprised of leading civic leaders and policy analysts from Kosovo to assist the Kosovar administration and civil society prepare for challenges associated with the resolution of Kosovo’s status.