Background: the Kosovo conflict
Kosovo has had a difficult and painful past. The scars of 1999 conflict and longtime of repression still impact the life of Kosovo citizens. The Kosovo conflict resulted in large scale deaths, thousands of missing persons, political prisoners, victims of sexual violence, and other violations of human rights, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
The legacies of unaddressed war crimes, missing persons and conflict-related property disputes affect the relations between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo. Despite international and national efforts in improving the human rights environment and respect of differences still two decades after the conflict the division between communities is present.
Support transitional justice
The legal framework accommodating the highest human rights standards is in place, national human rights institutions are established; however still there is a general need for awareness raising and capacity building and human resources with scientific expertise on human rights transitional justice and peace building processes.
On 2015, Kosovo has signed the Stabilization Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union. With the signing of the SAA the EU made transitional justice part of the Kosovo accession demands.
However, the EU progress reports on Kosovo regularly
point out the lack of human resources to undertake and lead professionally the peace building and integrative process. As Kosovo’s society moves ahead with its state building and integrative efforts there is a need for the Kosovo’s higher education institutions to respond to the societal needs.