News Type: Joint statement

Ukrainian civil society call for broader solidarity across international NGOs to work for a dignified and just peace in Ukraine

Posted on May 19, 2023 by -

Blue pixelated map of Ukraine

PCi supports the calls put forward in the recent joint statement by Ukrainian civil society, among the signatories of which are our partners whom we have seen work tirelessly to build understanding across divisions at least since 2014. We support the call for approaches to international peace work that, in the words of the statement, “bring a new imagination and new approach”.

Acknowledging the unprecedented nature of the conflict that was unleashed on 24th February 2022, we support the call to maintain solidarity across peace movements. As committed peacebuilders, we do not take this lightly. While looking to end war our community must not lose sight of the principles of dignity and justice that are the essential components of a sustainable peace.

The civic organisations in Ukraine, including a wide range of peacebuilders, mediators and dialogue facilitators, have formulated a set of positions they urge peace movements in countries supporting Ukraine to process and internalise when calling for their governments to end the war by ending the provision of military support. The statement emphasises that:

  • Ukrainian voices should play a central role in organised actions for peace in Ukraine, following the principle ‘nothing about me, without me’.
  • Calling for an end to armed resistance is a call to surrender, that it is not a path to peace by peaceful means, as demonstrated by the treatment of persons in occupied Ukrainian territories or of dissenting voices in Russia itself.
  • Ukrainian civic organisations are asking for adherence to the UN Charter and to human rights law, and that any compromise of these principles would set a dangerous precedent for other revisionist powers and therefore to global peace more broadly.
  • Framing the conflict as a proxy war is an offensive narrative that denies Ukrainians their own agency and choice to follow a democratic future.

The statement is important and acknowledges the cost being borne across many countries and appreciates the sacrifices being made to support Ukraine in its resistance to aggression and occupation.

Condemning attacks on academic freedom

Posted on March 23, 2023 by -

demonstration in support of Jelena Lončar, Stefan Surlić, and Marko Veković

Peaceful Change initiative strongly condemns the threats made against academics from the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Belgrade in Serbia.

A group of people demonstrating in front of the University of Belgrade.
Demonstration in support of Jelena Lončar, Stefan Surlić, and Marko Veković. Photo: Twitter/@parun_

We stand in solidarity with our colleagues Jelena Lončar, Stefan Surlić, and Marko Veković, who have demonstrated considerable courage and determination in the face of attempts to brand them as ‘traitors’.

Such intimidation constitutes a fundamental attack on academic freedom. It is imperative that scholars be free to pursue knowledge and explore ideas without fearing for their security or safety. We are encouraged by the outpourings of support and solidarity they have received.

The research each has undertaken has contributed to the body of understanding about relations within and between Kosovo and Serbia. They have fostered vital links that have deepened understanding about the perceptions of different communities, and explored themes that shine a light on some of the contemporary challenges facing Kosovo and Serbia.

It is for these reasons that PCi supported an academic exchange between the Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade, and the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Prishtina, as part of our UK-government funded project, ‘Amplifying Local Voices for Equitable Development’ (ALVED).

Their research is intended to guide and inspire other aspiring academics, who should be free to pursue their academic interests without fear of reprisal. The academic community should be about debate and disagreement, no matter how sensitive the topic, not self-censorship deriving from concerns about what their peers will think.

Where such incidents are not firmly condemned, they are tacitly supported. As such, it is incumbent on all authorities to voice their opposition to such acts and to ensure that they are thoroughly investigated. All perpetrators should be brought to justice.

We will continue to support all those who seek to improve understanding between those in Kosovo and Serbia, for the future of our communities depends upon deepening our knowledge about one another.

Moving from agreement(s) to peace

Posted on March 14, 2023 by -

Civil Society Organisations from Kosovo and Serbia speak out together

Civil society organisations from Kosovo and Serbia speak out together to emphasise the importance of building goodwill and trust in order to make it possible for political agreements to take hold, bring peace and benefit their societies.

The so-called status quo is taking communities on a collision course, deepening divides and entrenching misery.  People don’t know where they stand, nor what they can expect for their societies. The only predictability is frustration and disappointment.

The narrative of coercive diplomacy – that agreement is being forced upon us – only undermines the sense that implementation will happen in good faith. We need to be able to believe that the stakeholders are dedicated to their process for the right reasons. They must stand up for the commitments they enter into on our behalf.

Ambiguity can no longer be constructive. Uncertainty breeds uncertainty. People don’t know how moving to the next stage will affect their everyday tangible needs, including implications for their own jobs and access to services. This is not simply a question of transparency. Decision-makers must be proactive in addressing the legitimate concerns of citizens whilst emphasising the benefits that can and must be grasped.

Any agreement must also be underpinned by specific guarantees. To create certainty in and for the future, steps forward need to be irreversible. We must cease to live in a cycle of integration and disintegration. People must have the confidence to invest in themselves and their careers, and ultimately their communities.

Many people already feel that the system does not work for them. Reforms that address essential needs, including the fight against corruption and developing an effective judicial system, cannot be addressed effectively. Civic voices are not as strong as they should be in public policy, and the possibility to build civic alliances is compromised. Issues of concern to the public are politicised in a way that they cannot be brought up by civil society.

Narratives among politicians and in the media too often emphasise difference and separation. The tangible result is outward migration, further depleting our societies of the very human capital on which we depend. Instead, we want to live in societies that celebrate diversity and see it as a strength. Trust between people is a necessary condition to move beyond the obstacles that our communities have been experiencing for many years.

Whilst integration into the European space will dissolve some of the divisions that we see today, reform must be pursued as an end in itself, not simply as a means to enter the EU. The dialogue is an essential but insufficient part of this journey. It must be supplemented by complementary processes that transform relations within and between communities and lay the foundations for a peaceful and prosperous future. Without this, we risk repeating the mistakes and missed opportunities of the past decade and more.

Signatories

  1. Aktiv
  2. Centre for Peace and Tolerance (CPT)
  3. Community Building Mitrovica (CBM)
  4. Center for Democracy and Education – Lugina, Bujanovac
  5. Livrit Creative Center, Presevo
  6. Lugina Lajm Portal – Bujanovac
  7. Local Peace, Leposvic
  8. Media Centar, Caglavica
  9. New Social Initiative (NSI)
  10. Radio Peja
  11. Radio Gorazdevac
  12. Radio Astra, Prizren
  13. Professor Vjollca Krasniqi, University of Prishtina
  14. TV Prizreni
  15. Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians (VoRAE)
  16. Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) – Kosovo
  17. Youth Initative for Human Rights (YIHR) – Serbia

Women’s voices for peace in Serbia and Kosovo

Posted on March 8, 2023 by -

women's voices

On International Women’s Day, civil society from Kosovo and Serbia are united in their calls for more women’s voices to be heard in the normalisation process. The signatories also voiced their concerns about the failure to incorporate gender-specific considerations into the various dialogue agreements and, in particular, the Agreement on the path to normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia.

To mark International Women’s Day, this 8th March, we the undersigned call for more women’s voices to be involved in the process of normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

UN Security Council Resolution 1325 specifically acknowledges the vital role that women play in the promotion of peace. Furthermore, Resolution 1325 also calls for the equal participation of women in peacebuilding processes.

A global study on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 found that the participation of women led to a 20% increase in the possibility of a peace agreement lasting two years, and a 35% increase in the possibility of it lasting fifteen years.

As such, we call for more meaningful participation of women in negotiations pertaining to relations between Belgrade and Pristina. In over a decade of talks pertaining to the Dialogue, very few women have been given an opportunity to engage in the process.

We are also concerned by a failure to incorporate gender-specific considerations into the various dialogue agreements and, in particular, the Agreement on the path to normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia. There is a need to better mainstream gender perspectives to ensure that each and every decision within the dialogue process takes into account the specific needs and concerns of women.

Women and women’s groups – whether from civil society, business, politics, academia, or elsewhere – bring particular skills and insights that benefit the overall peacebuilding process. Such voices are also vital for the long-term sustainability of any agreement reached between Serbia and Kosovo.

If women continue to be excluded from the process of normalisation, then it will be to the detriment of both Serbia and Kosovo, and indeed the expressed aims of the European Union and its member states. 

Signatories

  1. AKTIV
  2. Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP)
  3. Center for Peace and Tolerance (CPT)
  4. Community Building Mitrovica (CBM)
  5. Centar for Democracy and Education – Valley
  6. European Fund for the Balkans
  7. European Movement in Serbia
  8. Foundation BFPE for a Responsible Society (BFPE)
  9. Human Rights Council – Bujanovac
  10. Dr. Jelena Lončar, Academic
  11. Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS)
  12. Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM)
  13. Livrit Presevo
  14. Media Center Caglavica
  15. New Social initiative, Mitrovica (NSI)
  16. New Perspektiva
  17. NGO Be active 16
  18. Peer Educators Network (PEN)
  19. Radio Gorazdevac
  20. Radio Astra
  21. Radio Peja
  22. Rahim Salihi, Civil Society Activist, Bujanovac
  23. TV Prizreni
  24. Valon Arifi, Civil Society Activist
  25. Violeta Haxholli, Kosova Democratic Institute
  26. Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians
  27. Professor Vjollca Krasniqi, University of Prishtina
  28. Youth Initiative for Human Rights – Kosovo (YIHR KS)
  29. Youth Initiative for Human Rights – Serbia (YIHR Serbia)

A time for new constructive voices

Posted on December 21, 2022 by -

picture from kosovo

Following a gathering in Gračanica/Graçanicë, a diverse group of civil society organisations from Kosovo and Serbia have adopted the following joint statement calling for new constructive voices – voices that look to the future whilst retaining a keen eye on the past; voices that seek out partnerships and coalitions beyond the red lines that are supposed to define them; and voices that stand up publicly against divisive and derogatory rhetoric.

The constant cycle of escalation and de-escalation in relations between Kosovo and Serbia represents a failure of political imagination.

The energy taken up in contending with the latest crisis distracts from the mountain of pressing issues which directly impact the day to day lives of citizens in Serbia and Kosovo. 

The trend is already for people to be leaving Serbia, Kosovo, and elsewhere in the Western Balkans, especially amongst the youth. As new barricades are erected, so new bags are packed. Very few are likely to return. The future of our countries will be lived elsewhere.  

Many groups deemed outside the spectrum of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue are fundamentally ignored. The Roma community, for one, finds itself marginalised in both Serbia and Kosovo.

With the prospect of violence more pronounced than it has been for a decade, it is time for new constructive voices to be heard – voices that look to the future whilst retaining a keen eye on the past; voices that seek out partnerships and coalitions beyond the red lines that are supposed to define us; voices that stand up publicly against divisive and derogatory rhetoric.

We, the undersigned, endeavour to maintain channels of communication that reduce the possibilities for misunderstanding and disinformation. Too often we have talked past one another, insisting on the pertinence of one point whilst underestimating or completely ignoring the existence of another.

We think we understand the minutiae of an issue but fail to consider how it is understood or viewed by other communities. We all should be committed to listening with open ears and open minds.  

Only by sharing perspectives and perceptions from our respective communities can we start to move towards a common path for the future. Many of the problems our respective communities face are almost identical, yet we rarely acknowledge this fact.   

If ever there was a time for solidarity in the last decade it is now. The war in Ukraine is a painful reminder of the stark realities of war, even as the legacies of our own remain close to hand.

The cause of peace requires not just words to that effect, but images and relationships that embody togetherness. We stand opposed to all undue projections of force and all narratives of hate and division.

The futures of Kosovo and Serbia are inescapably tied-up with one another, and an agreement on the normalisation of relations is a vital first step in building a better tomorrow. But it is only a first step.    

Signatories
  1. Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture (ACDC)
  2. Aktiv
  3. The Balkan Forum
  4. Belgrade Centre for Security Policy
  5. Centar for Democracy and Education – Valley, Bujanovac
  6. Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of the Balkans, Belgrade
  7. Center for Peace and Tolerance (CPT)
  8. Community Building Mitrovica
  9. Civic Initiatives
  10. European Fund for the Balkans
  11. Foundation BFPE for a Responsible Society (BFPE)
  12. Forum for Development and Multiethnic Collaboration (FDMC)
  13. Goraždevac Media Group
  14. Institute for Territorial Economic Development – InTER
  15. Jelena Lončar, Academic, University of Belgrade
  16. Kosovar Center for Security Studies (KCSS)
  17. Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM)
  18. Local Peace
  19. Milan Antonijević, Lawyer, Serbia
  20. New Perspektiva
  21. New Social Initiative (NSI)
  22. NGO Integra
  23. NGO Be Active 16, Presevo
  24. NGO Livrit, Presevo
  25. Peer Educators Network (PEN)
  26. Rahim Salihi, Civil Society Activist, Bujanovac
  27. Radio Peja
  28. Radio Astra, Prizren
  29. RTV KIM
  30. TV Prizreni, Prizren
  31. Valon Arifi, Civil Society Activist
  32. Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians in Kosovo (VoRAE)
  33. Vjollca Krasniqi, Academic, University of Pristina
  34. Youth Initiative for Human Rights – Kosovo
  35. Youth Initiative for Human Rights – Serbia