Kurti: They will help the citizen work and live with dignity

Building a state with functional democratic institutions is the way in democracy materialise our rights and freedoms, which are the basis of a democratic society, said Republika Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, at the opening of the “institutional responsibility for human rights”, organised by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights in Kosovo, the YIHR.

According to Kurti, the Government of the Republic of Kosovo has already approved the Programme for Human Rights 2021-2025, aiming at socioeconomic development based on removing obstacles to meeting fundamental rights and freedoms, including economics, which will help the citizen work, consume, save and live with dignity and peace.

Prime Minister Kurti stressed that no matter how advanced our laws are, how independent and professional our institutions and courts, democracy always requires active participation of citizens

Kosovo's “government will fulfil the obligations stemming from recognising any universal human right equally and without discrimination. We will help all of us, consider each of us equally, and with particular attention to boost awareness of minorities of all kinds, improve the position of each social category, and in particular we have declared 2022 “Years to disabled persons, the prime minister added.

Refocusing the Government's commitment to advancing human rights to our state and their respect to the full, the prime minister said promotion, respect and guaranteeing human rights and minority rights will be taken into account in government decisions and work every day and decision.

The full word of Prime Minister Kurti at the opening of the conference “Institute responsibility for Human Rights”:

Your Honored Executive Director at Your Initiative for Human Right in Kosovo, Mrs. Marigona Shabiu,

Dear Justice Minister Mrs. Haxhiu Albulen,

Honored Director of the Bureau's Programme for International Narcotics and Law Implementation Issues by the US Embassy, Mr. Shan Edwards,

Honored representatives of institutions and civil organizations,

honoured ones,

Welcome to this conference which allows us once again to highlight the responsibility that institutions have in preserving, guaranteeing and promoting human rights.

We consider these truths to be self-aware, that all humans are created equal, that they are equipped by their Creator with certain unfathomable rights, including life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness.” These are the words that were written in the U.S. declaration of independence on July 4, 1776, later found expressions in the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations approved on December 10, 1948.

Freedom, democracy and implementation and guaranteeing human rights are linked to each other. Building a state with functional democratic institutions is how in democracy materialise our rights and freedoms, which are the basis of a democratic society. As they are defined in the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo and in international documents applied directly to the state of Kosovo, these rights must be implemented. For this, the Government of the Republic of Kosovo has already approved the Programme for Human Rights 2021-2025, aiming at socioeconomic development based on removing obstacles to meeting fundamental rights and freedoms, including economics, which will help citizens work, consume, save and live with dignity and peace.

While the government is actively required to draft strategies and determine policies towards meeting constitutional norms, it is up to the judiciary to ensure respect for them. Consequently, synergy between governments must provide what is to be treated as an axis: respect and implementation of basic human rights and freedoms. In this regard, the Government has confirmed its full commitment to the fulfillment of the United Nations agenda of 2030.

With the drafting of the Human Rights Programme now voluntaryly, the state of Kosovo has become part of global efforts to take over all necessary obligations to contribute to the implementation of Resolution 70/1 “the transformation of our world: Agent 2030 for sustainable development”. Several objectives, such as:

Improved governance, transparency, institutional co-ordination and accountability within public institutions to further realise human rights;

The defense and promotion of human rights;

Security of a healthy life and promotion of prosperity for all

Ease access to the justice system.

Our programme aims to achieve: equality before law, respect and implementation in full human rights on the part of state institutions and protection from violation of human rights by others, the establishment of a stable institutional system that will allow for the implementation of their rights in practice, as well as adequate population information on their guaranteed rights to the constitutions, international laws and instruments.

We have a variety of programs and strategies that advance human rights and implement them, like:

Kosovo's 2020-2024 Gender Equality Programme,

The Sector Strategy of the Ministry of Labour and Social Management 2018-2022, which aims to increase employment and improve and increase social well-being for endangered groups,

National Strategy for Property Rights in Kosovo and

National Strategy for Protection from Violence 2016-2020, but of course others like this.

However, no matter how advanced our laws are, however independent and professional our institutions and courts are, democracy always requires active participation of citizens.

We can really talk about total freedom if we can get rid of what the former US President Roosevelt in 1941 called <x0freedom from money and freedom from nine” or freedom from what we need and not just freedom from fear. So a kind of guarantee of human security, not just physical security. Because after the security of independence, sovereignty and territorial invisibility from foreign states, we need civil rights protection to protect against internal oppression and protection of economic rights to guarantee basic needs. Civil rights guarantee us freedom of speech and free media, religious and political freedoms and others guarantee that no one will be persecuted, threatened or attacked, only because he expresses his or her opinion and actively participates in politics.

For our government, and our social democratic orientation, human rights are more than guaranteed freedoms. Just as freedom required by democratic institutions to materialise it, human rights require economic rights to sustain them. There are these basic rights like the right to housing, education, health and employment.

Rights themselves are not enough if the economy does not provide opportunities for all. We find our social progress closely related to the continued progress of our citizens indiscriminately, and in order to achieve this, we need to open up opportunities for everyone. And we strongly believe that the state has a role to play in this regard. So we've even started with the additions to lehos and children, and we've made free education for all, including the highest educational level, the university, since the right to education is only when it's equal to all, and we know that the inequality created for years, exists in our country, just as we are aware of the small income and the great poverty that exists in a considerable part of our citizens.

So we believe in the universality of people and from this universality comes equality between them, in their treatment and their possibilities. We may have differences and differences, but they will never be the ones that will divide us, rather what will unite us even more, because common is the starting point and destination of a democratic society.

So freedom, rights and the creation of opportunities to achieve these. We look at the state's role in the economy present to that extent and in a way ensure that nobody gets the law in their hands, and nobody uses the possibility of enriching and creating capital in a free market as opportunities to create game rules so that inequality gap increases.

The state is regulatory. The free market that has enabled the growth of wealth in democratic countries and has raised billions of people worldwide from poverty is only thanks to the peace and freedoms that each citizen has contributed to, so progress must be shared so that freedom and rights can bring prosperity to citizens.

The Kosovo government will fulfil the obligations stemming from recognising any universal human right equally and without discrimination. We're going to help you all, we consider each and also with special attention to increase awareness of minorities of all kinds, improve the position of each social category, and in particular we have declared 2022 “Years to disabled persons.

We will have in mind promotion, respect and guaranteeing human rights and minority rights in our decisions and work every day and every decision. Because we are committed to advancing human rights to our country and respecting them fully.