Resource Type: Research Report

Research on the shared challenges faced by Serbian communities in northern Kosovo and Albanian communities in south Serbia

Posted on October 25, 2023 by - Uncategorized

This report looks at the shared challenges faced by Serbian communities in northern Kosovo and Albanian communities in south Serbia, and sets out recommendations for local and central governments, the international community, as well as media and civil society.

The research was undertaken as part of the project “From Shared Challenges to Shared Solutions”, which was jointly implemented by the Centre for Democracy and Education – Lugina from Bujanovac and the NGO AKTIV from North Mitrovica, with support from PCi. The report sets out a comparative analysis on the position of Serbian communities in the four northern municipalities of Kosovo and Albanian communitites in Preševo Valley in south Serbia.

Both groups occupy a unique territorial, social, cultural, and political space in that while they are minorities in Kosovo and Serbia respectively, they constitute a majority or near-majority in the regions covered by this research. Nevertheless, they both face a specific set of barriers and challenges when it comes to their relationship with local and central governments, as well freedom of movement, youth perspectives and use of language.

The research results indicate that these two communities share very similar daily problems – unemployment, economic instability, migration, and mistrust in institutions. The research showed that non-recognition of diplomas obtained in Kosovo is the biggest problem for Albanians from the south of Serbia, while the vast majority of Serbs from Kosovo stated security as the main problem, while both communities are dissatisfied with the level of institutional response to their needs.

Taking into due consideration shared concerns and problems, the main conclusion is that it would be beneficial to establish stronger connections between the Albanian community from the south of Serbia and the Serbian community from the north of Kosovo, with the aim of establishing channels of collaboration and information exchange, as well as increasing the level of understanding between them.

The research is available to download here:

Unpacking the Impact of Conflict Economy Dynamics on Six Libyan Municipalities

Posted on March 29, 2022 by - Uncategorized

The PCi report: ‘Unpacking the impact of conflict economy dynamics on six Libyan municipalities’ includes policy recommendations to mitigate the impact of the conflict economy in Libya.

Peaceful Change initiative’s (PCi) new report, ‘Unpacking the Impact of Conflict Economy Dynamics on Six Libyan Municipalities’ fills an important gap in our understanding of conflict dynamics in Libya, arguing that political elites and armed groups cannot be assessed in a vacuum, without exploration of the socio-economic context of the communities that they claim to represent. The research takes a localised approach, exploring factors that influence local conflict economy dynamics, which vary from area to area. It is also a human centred approach, viewing Libyans as participants in the local conflict economy – both willing and unwilling – rather than only as passive victims of the conflict-affected environment in which they live.

The report concludes that reducing the societal impact of Libya’s conflict economy cannot rely solely on high level elite bargains – and a top-down approach to security sector reform. National level conflict dynamics and local instability are linked and this must be tackled via a twin track approach whereby local interventions are supported by the implementation of national-level reforms that address structural issues. In addition, in support of local social cohesion, the paper recommends the establishment of economic-social peace partnerships that promote pro-peace business activities across conflict divides. It also recommends conflict sensitive livelihood and peacebuilding interventions that minimise the risk of assistance worsening conflict dynamics, and that maximise opportunities to contribute to sustainable peace.

On Civil Society in Serbia and Kosovo

Posted on December 9, 2021 by - Uncategorized

Peaceful Change initiative is pleased to announce the launch of research into cross-community initiatives in Kosovo and Serbia, undertaken jointly by the Universities of Pristina and Belgrade as part of the Amplifying Local Voices for Equitable Development (ALVED) project, supported by the UK government.

Click on the link to download the report: The Landscape of Cross-Community Initiatives in Kosovo and South Serbia

Supporting marginalised communities in Georgia impacted by COVID-19

Posted on April 19, 2021 by - Uncategorized

This report has been produced by PCi’s partner organisation in Georgia, IDP Women’s Association Consent. The report summarises quantitative and qualitative research carried out by Consent and their partners in isolated communities in three regions of Georgia, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Shida Kartli, and Samegrelo, on the way they were impacted by the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While COVID-19 has had a wide and profound impact on communities all over the world, it has been especially devastating to marginalised communities that are harder to reach by government assistance and may have fewer resources to cope with unforeseen shocks to the system.

The research, conducted in October and November 2020 looked to understand how these communities were impacted by the first waves of COVID-19, with a view to understanding the structures that support community resilience and the copy mechanisms that can be applied. The report offers recommendations to the international community providing assistance to Georgia, to the Georgian government and to Georgian civil society.

The research was conducted with the support of the UK Government’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.

For the report in English, click here. For the report in Georgian, click here.

COVID-19 and Gender in Libya Assessment

Posted on April 12, 2021 by - Uncategorized

Peaceful Change initiative has released the COVID-19 and Gender in Libya Assessment to support their gender-focused activities to be initiated within the Social Peace and Local Development Libya programme. The Assessment is focused on six communities, Ajdabiya, Bani Walid, Sabha, Tobruq, Ubari and Zliten and research was carried out in the following four areas:

  • Socio-economic impact
  • Gender roles and women’s leadership
  • Gender based violence
  • Conflict, peace and security

To view the Assessment and recommendations click here.

Understanding divisive narratives in Serbia and Kosovo

Posted on October 2, 2020 by - Uncategorized

Peaceful Change initiative is pleased to present research undertaken by Ipsos in order to understand how divisive narratives are generated and disseminated in mainstream media in Serbia and Kosovo. The research is available here: Understanding divisive narratives qualitative research – online focus groups

The findings and recommendations of this research Understanding divisive narratives – media analysis will be used to guide a number of Media Consultation Dialogues (MCD), which will engage media professionals from a variety of backgrounds in order to discuss ways and means of ensuring that divisive narratives become less prominent in mainstream discourse.

This research has been commissioned in the framework of a two and a half year project ‘Amplifying Local Voices for Equitable Development’; funded from the UK Government’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF).