The role of transition assistance : the case of Kosovo

Government respond quickly and effectively to the hope engendered by Serbian withdrawal and UN administration. OTI's pre-air war efforts had been frustrated by Serbian oppression of Kosovo's Albanian majority. After Serbian forces withdrew in June 1999, OTI launched its programs rapidly, establishing a regional headquarters in the Kosovar capital of Pristina and six field offices throughout the province. A study by USAID's Center for Development Information and Evaluation (CDIE) found that OTI's rapid response initiatives played a valuable role in helping USAID and the U.S. Government get reconstruction and development activities underway in Kosovo. Factors considered during the planning process met OTI's guidelines for engagement. The program was integrated nearly seamlessly within USAID's strategic plan. Bringing the OTI country program under the authority of the USAID/Kosovo mission director ensured that implementation and support were effectively integrated at the field level. OTI's programming approach allowed for strategy changes as the transition evolved. OTI concentrated its efforts on the creation of grassroots organizations -- Community Improvement Councils (CICs) to impart basic democratic practices and initiate reconstruction efforts. Planning for handoff was timely and effective. The activities pursued reflect OTI's comparative advantage in introducing initiatives at the local level. The evaluation concluded that OTI's successful intervention in Kosovo and particularly its effective coordination with the sustainable development program -- could usefully serve as a model in other situations. This model could be further strengthened, the study recommended, by reporting results within the overall mission reporting framework rather than that of OTI. The study found that OTI's community-development approach effectively introduced grassroots decisionmaking practices -- previously outside of Kosovar or Serbian experience -- while meeting community reconstruction needs. OTI's self-help programs encouraged communities to seek multiple sources of funding, which resulted in $4 million in additional resources and discouraged single-donor dependency. (Author abstract)