USAID/Justice Activity in Kosovo Quarterly Performance and Financial Report (Year 1)

The goal is to generate greater public trust in the justice system and the rule of law. During the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2021, the Justice Activity maintained and continued building strong working relationships with key institutions, such as the Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC), Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Free Legal Aid Agency (FLAA), Kosovo Justice Academy (KJA), the University of Pristina, grassroots and national civil society organizations, and project partners such as the Advocacy Training and Resource Center (ATRC), Innovation Centre of Kosovo (ICK), and the Center for Court Innovation (CCI). Under Objective 1, the project completed the selection of pilot courts, paving the way for the establishment of court improvement teams to develop a procedural justice assessment tool. The selected basic courts of Mitrovica and Ferizaj/Uroševac have endorsed the initiative. The project also intends to work with the Pristina Basic Court on targeted activities. With the Justice Activity's mentorship on formulas and calculations, the KJC Statistics Unit updated the judicial performance dashboard with 2020 data. The Justice Activity coordinated with the KJC and MoJ and the European Union's Kosovo Justice Sector Programme (KOJUST) on the Functional Review of the Rule of Law (FRRoL) draft strategy and action plan. Under Objective 2, the project hosted five virtual community meetings in Graçanicë/Gračanica, Mitrovica, Pristina, Prizren, and Shtërpcë/Štrpce with justice seekers, representatives of civil society, and local community members to identify problems related to access to justice services and information. Interest was high with more than 100 participants present at the community meetings, including 29 women and 66 men, of whom 59 are members of the Albanian community, 32 of the Serbian community, and 16 members of the Roma, Ashall, Egyptian, and other non-majority communities in Kosovo. The USAID Commercial Justice Activity attended the meetings to promote mediation as an effective alternative to resolve legal disputes. Moreover, the Justice Activity facilitated two practitioners' forums with justice providers in Gjilan/Gnjilane and Ferizaj/Uroševac, including the President of the basic court of Gjilan/Gnjilane, prosecutors, lawyers, legal aid officers, mediators, and representatives from safe houses and civil society actors from both regions. Conclusions and recommendations from the practitioners' forums will guide the design of future activities with an emphasis on improving citizens' access to justice services. The Justice Activity published an Annual Program Statement (APS) to invite civil society organizations to generate innovative ideas, mechanisms, and solutions that will increase trust and confidence in the justice system. The solicitation of grant applications will remain open for twelve months. The Justice Activity supported a virtual Formal Forum of Practice for Court Public Information Officers (PIO) that was formally launched in December. The Chair rotates among the PIOs. This quarter the March forum was chaired by BC Prizren, April by BC Pristina, and the May forum by BC Gjilan. Topics of discussion included increasing transparency through social media visibility and the development of KJC's communication strategy. Under Objective 3, the project continued laying the groundwork for justice technology competitions to be held in Year 2, collecting relevant information from community meetings and practitioners' forums held across the country, and consultations with other institutions, including basic courts, the Ombudsperson, CSOs, and the business community (American Chamber of Commerce). The Activity met with CSOs, including organizations that provide informal justice services, such as Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR); organizations working on innovations such as the Kosovo Innovation Hub (KIH) and the Kosovo Innovation Fund (KIF).