The Council for Cooperation between Government and Civil Society held its first consolidated meeting. The Council is a joint body comprised of representatives from the Government and Civil Society. In addition to its primary role to monitor the implementation of the Government Strategy for Cooperation with Civil Society 2019-2023, the Council will have a broader mandate in facilitating and bridging cooperation between the Government of Kosovo and Civil Society. CiviKos Director Mrs. Donika Emini, in the role of the co-chair of the Council emphasized the importance of increasing the involvement of civil society in policy making from the very early stages of policy making process.
Moreover, she highlighted the urgent need to increase accountability for public funds allocated to NGOs, creating a unified system for contracting services, the need to better regulate volunteering system, and other crucial issues directly related to the functioning of the civil society organizations in Kosovo.Furthermore, she introduced the novelty of the Council – joint thematic groups – which are expected to be established in the future to effectively address issues of interest to the Kosovo EU membership process such as the active involvement of civil society in monitoring the implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement