Better business, better jobs, a better future: progress through partnership in Kamenica
NEP Partnership Strategy (2005 – 2007)
NEP Partnership Kamenica, July 2004
NEP Rr. Adem Jashari, Lagja Ilria, Kamenicë Tel: + 381 (0) 280 72 369 Email: [email protected]
This project is supported by the European Union (European Training Foundation) and the Italian government and was commissioned by the Employment and Skills Observatory of Kosova. The contents, opinions and development lines detailed in the report are those of NEP Partnership and do not commit ESOK, the EU, its agencies or the Italian authorities, in any way.
Table of Contents
Mission Statement...... i Statement of values and principles ...... ii Equality statement of NEP Partnership ...... iii Acknowledgements ...... iv Glossary ...... v
Executive Summary ...... 1
1. Introduction ...... 2 2. National and European Context ...... 4 3. Socio–economic and demographic profile ...... 5 3.1 Population ...... 5 3.2 Education...... 6 3.3 Employment ...... 7 3.4 Unemployment ...... 10 3.5 Service Provision...... 11 4. Analysis of Profile ...... 18 4.1 Introduction ...... 18 4.2 Economic development ...... 18 4.3 Education and training ...... 19 4.4 Infrastructure ...... 20 4.5 Partnership development...... 21 5. Aims and objectives...... 23 5.1 Aims...... 23 5.2 Objectives ...... 23 6. Strategy (2005–2007) ...... 25 6.1 Introduction ...... 25 6.2 Economic Development ...... 25 6.3 Education and training ...... 27 6.4 Infrastructure Development ...... 27 6.5 Partnership Building...... 28 7. Action Programme...... 30 8. Conclusions and follow-up ...... 36 Annexes
Mission Statement
NEP Partnership will engage in stimulating economic development and vocational training based on available resources with the aim of reducing unemployment and improving the quality of life for all.
NEP Partnership, December 2003.
(i) Statement of values and principles
• Creativity • Professionalism • Practical • Commitment • Transparency • Economic development • Social responsibility • Managing change • Assisting people in need • Stimulating human development • Humanity
(ii)
Equality statement of NEP Partnership
NEP Partnership is committed to emancipation and capacity building of men and women as they seek to overcome disadvantage and enhance the quality of their lives.
It is our conviction that this process of empowerment and enrichment can only occur in a manner that ensures total equality.
We recognise the equal rights of all sections of the wider community, regardless of gender, religion, age, disability, marital status, socio-economic background or race.
From the outset we have been committed to involving all sectors of the community. Our strategies to help overcome disadvantage and exclusion are designed in such a way that equality is protected and promoted.
(iii) Acknowledgements
NEP Partnership would like to thank all of the stakeholders who have contributed to the preparation of this strategic plan. In particular the Board of Directors would like to thank their parent organisations for facilitating the participation of the Board members with their time and resources in the formative stages of NEP Partnership.
The Board wish to thank the Italian Government and the European Training Foundation for their initiative in establishing the LEEDAK Project, which has been the catalyst for the development of the Partnership. In particular the Board would like to pay a special word of thanks to Anthony Gribben, ETF Country Manager for Kosovo, who has supported the Partnership in many ways over the last twelve months and provided encouragement and enthusiasm for the project.
Through the LEEDAK Project Vedat Maçastena (ESOK Project Manager) and Mustafë Pajaziti (LEEDAK Project Manager) provided great assistance to the Partnership ensuring that the management and administration of NEP activities were handled in a professional and competent manner. Vedat and Mustafë also provided their interpretative skills to the Partnership during the study visits to Italy and Ireland.
In mentioning the study visits, the Partnership wishes to say a special word of thanks to their hosts in Sicily and Ireland for their hospitality and generosity during their stay in both countries. Hopefully these visits will be the start of long and fruitful relationships between the communities in Kamenica, Sicily and OAK Partnership (Ireland).
In preparing this strategic plan the Partnership was assisted by Pat Leogue (international expert) who undertook the strategic planning exercises with the group and supported the strategy document in association with the Board members. The Partnership was also assisted by Bersant Disha (Facilitator) who helped to clarify the aims and objectives for this strategic plan. The Board would like to thank Pat and Bersant for their assistance in bringing this stage of the project to a conclusion.
To all who have provided encouragement, advice and assistance, we wish to say thank you and hope that you will continue to assist in implementing the projects that we have identified for implementation during the next three years.
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Glossary
CSW Centre for Social Work ERP Employment Regeneration Programme ESOK Employment and Skills Observatory of Kosova ETF European Training Foundation FAO Food and Agricultural Organisation GTZ German development organisation IOM International Organisation for Migration IRC International Rescue Committee KPS Kosovo Police Service KRC Kosovo Red Cross KTA Kosovo Trust Agency KWI Kosovo Women’s Initiative LEEDAK Local Economic & Employment Development in Albania and Kosovo LOC Local Office for Community NEP Economic and Employment Promotion NGO Non Governmental Organisation OAK Offaly and Kildare Partnership (Ireland) OSCE Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe REA Regional Enterprise Agency SME Small and Medium Enterprises SOE Socially Owned Enterprise SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats UNMIK United Nations Mission in Kosovo
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Executive Summary
With a post-war rebuilding programme well advanced and attention now turned to establishing a market economy, the local community in Kamenica (Kosova) is increasingly aware that reform efforts being undertaken at central level, where the lion’s share of international support in terms of expertise, finance and influence lie, are having very little impact locally. Concentration on policy, institutions and national governance simply is not impacting at community level sufficiently for local people to sense any positive change in their lives. A consequence is that the people of Kamenica are becoming less convinced that market reforms are in their favour and are not bringing enhanced quality to their lives. Unemployment is a particular concern.
It is against this background, that a number of stakeholders in Kamenica established a local group (NEP Partnership) comprising local government, employment and education services, and employers, whose objective is to develop the local economy and local employment. The project is supported by Italian and EU funds and is paralleled with a similar initiative led by the Municipality of Lezhe (Albania). International expertise is provided by OAK Partnership (IRL), a flagship of the OECD’s global network of local development agents.
Building on a process of research, dialogue, consultation and consensus building, NEP Partnership has identified a number of priority action areas to tackle unemployment and develop businesses in Kamenica. With an estimated 65% unemployment, the Partnership plan is broad and inclusive ensuring equal weighting to market and equity concerns.
The strategy centres on 4 pillars: economic development by way supporting self employment, business start-ups and a micro-credit system; education and training through improved training delivered by existing training providers; infrastructure development by way of promoting civic society engagement in planning developments and local initiatives to improve local infrastructure; and partnership building, where partnership consolidation and capacity will be central to sustainable development and improved local governance.
The strategy will be over a 3-year period (2005-2007) and will be complimented by an annual work programme defining actions and deliverables. The total cost of implementation of the range of measures identified in the strategy is approximately €450,000. NEP partnership will examine the range of local, national and international support that may be called upon for implementation of the projects.
Results from NEP Partnership’s work, in particular its partnership building and consolidation process, will be disseminated with other municipalities in Kosovo and fellow countries in South Eastern Europe. The aim is to promote experience in how enhanced local governance structures and greater involvement of all parts of local communities can ensure more timely and effective decisions to promote local economic and employment development. Lessons learnt at local level will be shared with central level decision-makers and in so doing contribute to evolving economic policies and employment strategies at national level.
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1. Introduction
Since the end of the war in Kosovo in 1999 international support has been provided for the reconstruction of the physical infrastructure with housing, roads, water and sewerage and communication services being gradually restored. In addition with the assistance of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) the necessary frameworks have been established for the development of a market economy. With a dependence on the state through socially owned enterprises, heavy industry and mining many areas in Kosovo are experiencing high levels of unemployment. Coupled with the under investment in the economic and social infrastructure and a high dependence on agriculture for food and employment that there is a significant number of men, women and children experiencing poverty and social exclusion throughout Kosovo.
With the assistance of funding from the European Training Foundation (ETF) and the Italian Government, a pilot initiative called the LEEDAK (Local Economic and Employment Development in Albania and Kosovo) Project was established in 2003 to support innovative strategies and measures to determine how unemployment and economic development at local level could be more effectively addressed in Kosovo and Albania.
Following an open call procedure, a local group from the Kamenica municipality (NEP) area was chosen as the pilot partnership area for Kosovo. Since the selection process the group consisting of Kamenica Municipality, the Regional Enterprise Agency (REA) Gjilan, the Employment Office Kamenica and the “Andrea Durrsaku” Technical School has participated in LEEDAK Project coordination meetings, teambuilding exercises, strategic planning workshops, attendance at Partnership meetings, membership of a management group in some cases and study visits to Ireland and Sicily. Good cooperation and partnership learning have helped focus the group on addressing the employment and local economic development and particularly on how local cooperation can bring improvements.
There are a number of issues that identify the Kamenica municipality as an area experiencing significant levels of deprivation and poverty. The following Kamenica facts substantiate this claim:
• approximately 65% of the labour force is unemployed; • 65% of the unemployed are long term unemployed (i.e. greater than twelve months unemployed); • 64% of job seekers are described as unskilled; • 29% of jobseekers had attended secondary education; • 1% of jobseekers have attended high school or university education; • up to 20% of the road infrastructure is only third class and roads connecting the villages in the Partnership area are in very poor condition; • 25% of the population is connected to the public water supply system; • 33% of households are linked to the public sewerage system; • one-third of the population has a refuse disposal service provided locally through the municipality; • young people in the 15 – 19 age bracket form only 4% of the population;
(2) • 616 families are assisted by the Social Welfare centre in Kamenica with aid, which is of benefit to 2,250 individuals; • There is a high incidence of early school leaving among women and low levels of participation by females in employment; • Only approximately 30% of those in employment in Kamenica are female; • 77% of women seeking employment are unskilled compared to 52% of men.
With the assistance of the resources available under the LEEDAK Project the Kamenica group has formed the NEP Partnership to address these issues.
This strategy sets out the priorities of NEP Partnership in addressing local economic and employment development for the period 2005-2007. This will be shared with local, regional and international partners.
The strategy plan begins with context setting: an assessment of the socio- economic profile of the municipality. It then defines 4 core objectives associated with reform and development areas agreed by the Partnership: economic development, education and training, infrastructure development and partnership. The strategy continues to detail the priorities and measures to be implemented. Resources required to implement the plans are provided and considered essential in assisting NEP Partnership in the search for donors and other support.
The strategy closes with calls for greater involvement of local partners in the wider economic reform process in Kosovo and the need for more inclusive dialogue among all actors at local level in the bid to improve employment, local economies and general well being of Kosovo society.
Prishtinë Kamenicë
Diagram 1.
Kamenica is most easterly municipality in Kosovo and is located approximately 75km from the capital, Prishtina.
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2. National and European context
The establishment of NEP Partnership in the Kamenica Municipality area is an important development nationally in Kosovo and on a broader level in South Eastern Europe.
The project arose from the recommendations of a peer review undertaken by an international team of experts in 2002 at the request of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. The peer review “Employability in Kosovo” examined how existing policies, structures and measures in Kosovo were contributing to employability borrowing on a principal theme of the EU Employment Strategy. 1
The recommendations of the peer review emphasised that “cross stakeholder partnership, joint planning, cooperation and development of measures to address the large scale industrial reform and plant closures will be a critical first step”. The report emphasises the role of local communities in addressing issues of national importance: “Establishing a common policy framework for economic, employment and skills promotion at local level will be a second. Local solutions will be all the more necessary given that macro economic measures will take time to impact at grassroots level.”
NEP Partnership in Kamenica was selected as a pilot area for the implementation of the recommendations of this report under the LEEDAK Project funded by the European Training Foundation and the Italian Government. Kamenica municipality area is an example of an area in Kosovo where freedom of movement for all citizens is assured and where local stakeholders are working together in the interests of social and economic development.
This pilot project provides an opportunity to determine how local actors in partnership can make an impact in improving local economies, local jobs and local life. The project will be particularly important for policy makers as dialogue develops on decentralisation and greater involvement of civic society.
On a wider, European level, the NEP Partnership project applies the key principles of the European Employment Strategy by promoting employability in the Kamenica area through vocational training. The Partnership also borrows on the principles of the European Charter for Small Enterprises2 by promoting entrepreneurship and start-ups by way of training and advisory services.
Finally, in cooperating with another pilot partnership in the Lezha region of Albania NEP Partnership is contributing to Kosovo’s efforts to meet its commitment for regional cooperation as defined by the EU Stabilisation and Association process for South Eastern Europe.
1 Employability in Kosovo. Employment and Skills Observatory of Kosova. April 2003. 2 Fiera European Council 19/20 June 2003.
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3. Socio–economic and demographic profile
Kamenica is the most easterly of the municipalities of Kosovo stretching to the border with Serbia on the eastern part of the Anamorava River. It shares the border with municipality of Gjilan, Prishtina and Novoberdo (Artana), as well as with the municipalities of Bujanoci, Medvegja and Vranja in Serbia. The total Partnership area corresponds with the area of the municipality, which is 523 km2.
Kamenica, the main urban area within the Partnership is 75 km from Prishtina, the capital of Kosovo and is located in the Gjilan region. The municipality of Gjilan is 30 km from Kamenica. There are a total of 76 villages and towns in the Kamenica municipality area of which 35 are inhabited by Albanians, 27 by Serbs with 14 mixed settlements.
Some 60% of the territory of the NEP Partnership area is hilly and mountainous with land suitable for agriculture and fruit growing in valleys. These are mostly to be found around the Krivareka, Desivojca and Hogosht rivers in the northern part and the Anamorava River in the south.
Much of the lowland areas in Kamenica are agricultural land with 16,221 ha of arable land, 9,246 ha of pastures, 3,927 ha of meadows, 200 ha of orchards and 20 ha in vineyards. The agricultural land is made up of very small farms of less than 5 hectares in most cases.
The hilly areas of the Partnership are rich with reserves of natural resources including magnesium, kaolin, bentonite, quartz, limestone, granite and building materials like sand and gravel.
3.1 Population The population in the NEP Partnership area is 56,774 inhabitants with a population density of 108 inhabitants per square kilometre. Based on statistical data collected after the war, the gender composition is 52.6% male and 47.4% female. Unofficial estimates are that 85% of the population is Albanian with the remaining 15% made up of Serbs and Roma.
Table 1 Population Breakdown
Age No. of population % From 0-6 9,174 16% From 7-15 7,800 14% From 16-19 2,380 4% From 20-40 15,400 27% From 41-65 19,250 34% Over 65 2,770 5% Total 56,774 100%
Some 61% of the population is under 40 years while 61% (34,614) of the inhabitants are aged 20 – 65 (labour force). Some 30% of the population is under the age of 15with 4% of the population aged between 16 years of age and 19 years of age.
(5) The majority of the population lives in villages and are employed in agricultural and livestock activity. Agriculture is a very significant part of the economic activity in Kamenica.
The town of Kamenica is by far the largest urban area within the Partnership area with approximately 10,200 inhabitants.
3.2 Education There are 26 schools in the NEP Partnership area providing primary and secondary education for 10,613 young people. In addition to the schools within the area, many young people also attend school in Gjilan, the regional centre for Kamenica municipality.
Table 2 Education by Sector
Type of school No. of schools No. of students Primary 20 7,515 Secondary 6 2,292 Total 26 9,807
Table 3 provides a breakdown of the education participation by age and ethnic origin in pre-school, elementary and secondary school schools.
Table 3 Education by Ethnic Origin
School Age Albanian Serb Total Pre-school (3-6) 623 183 806 Elementary School (7-15) 6,079 1,436 7,515 Secondary School (15-18) 1,789 503 2,292 Total 8,491 2,122 10,613
Data on participation of adults in education and training activities is not available but it is assumed that the figures are low.
Adult Education and Training Adult education and training is limited to a number of training courses organised by the local technical school and non-governmental organisations in consultation with the local employment service. Courses on offer during the period of development of this strategy include:
• Computer training (MS Windows, MS Word, MS Excel) is provided in the “Andrea Durrsaku” Technical School. This course is of 70 hours duration and caters for 17 participants; • TEFL (Teaching English) is being provided in the Youth Centre for three months duration for 23 participants; • Training in tailoring organised by the “Iliria” Women’s Association, Gjilan and the Swedish organisation “Woman for Woman”. This course caters for 36 participants and is also of three months duration.
Participants pay course fees for the computer course and the English language training while the tailoring course is free of charge.
There is no dedicated adult education centre in the Kamenica area and a lack of vocational training opportunities for adults seeking to re-enter the labour market.
(6) The only opportunities are through the local technical school facilities or travel 30 km to Gjilan, the nearest vocational training centre for adults.
3.3 Employment In the Partnership area there are approximately 4,300 people in registered employment. Almost half of all those in employment are in small private enterprises employing between one and four workers. Some 75% of all private sector employment is in the trade and service sector. From information provided by Kamenica municipality only 107 women are owners of private enterprises and women also account for just 30% of the total number of employed in the area.
Table 4 Private Sector Employment
Private Sector No. of workers Small 1-4 workers 2,201 Medium 5-50 workers 135 Large over 50 workers 110 Total 2,446
a) Public sector Public sector employment accounts for approximately one third of all those employed in the NEP Partnership area with education, health, the police service and the municipality as the main employers. From the Kamenica municipality statistics, the participation of women is highest in the health and education sectors with significant participation by women from minorities in these sectors.
Table 5 Public Sector Employment
Occupation No. of workers Education 870 Health 195 Municipal administration 169 MLO 16 Fire Service 24 Police 150 CSW 24 Courts Service 45 TOTAL 1,493
b) Enterprise Economic activity in the Partnership area is dependent on agriculture and small enterprises that are predominantly service industry although there are a small number of production enterprises. There are a total of 1,280 enterprises with 14 of these in the social enterprise sector.
The main private sector enterprises are the “Kabi” milk factory in Roganë, the “Hugos” beer factory in Topanica, the brick factory “Vllezërit Borovci”, “Tullara” in Crep and “Fungo FF” mushroom factory in Kamenica. Other enterprises include sand and gravel businesses, concrete works and timber producers.
Among the socially owned enterprises (SOEs) most of the companies are no longer in production and are awaiting the development of the privatisation process in Kosovo. The Kosovo Trust Agency is responsible for the management of SOEs in public ownership in the Kamenica area.
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Considering the substantial industrial property involved, the numbers previously employed by the SOEs and the potential for future development, an important development option will be for the Partnership to engage in dialogue with KTA to assess the realistic options for these enterprises in the future.
Annex 5 provides a profile of the main SOEs in the NEP Partnership area. A total of 2,215 people were employed in SOEs. At present only 367 are still in employment and depending on the future of the privatisation process in Kosovo many more may be unemployed in the future. In the preparation of this Strategic Plan, the Partnership has undertaken some research with five of the SOEs. According to the data received 68.7% of the remaining employees are over 45 years of age with a further 25.7% aged between 30-45 years of age. In terms of educational attainment 47% of the employees have attended primary school only with a further 48% having attended secondary school.
The companies studied were a sample of the total of 15 SOEs in the Kamenica municipality area. As such, they provide an insight into the education and skill base as well as the age profile of workers. The results of the research show that there are serious issues to be faced in terms of the employability of redundancy workers from SOEs. A significant investment in retraining will be required as well as access to other employment supports like adult vocational guidance and counselling, mediation and re-training.
Opportunities for self-employment may well be a more realistic option for older unemployed men and women with building on skills acquired in employment in the former enterprises.
Hotel ‘Mineral’ Kamenica is a socially owned enterprise
(8) c) Agriculture Much of the local population in NEP Partnership area is dependant on agriculture for food and economic activity. Land usage is detailed on Table 6 with 91.5% of land in private hands and 8.5% in social sector.
Table 6 Land Use
Land Use Hectares Arable land in the social sector 320 Arable land in the private sector 16,221 Pastures 9,246 Meadows 3,297 Fruits and vineyards 220 Total 29,304
The crops grown on arable land are mostly wheat, corn and oats. Forage plants are grown also to a greater degree than vegetables and potatoes although the planned use of land for wheat and corn in particular have not been achieved due to a lack of adequate fertilisation arising from high costs to local farmers.
Issues that have prevented the greater use of arable land have been cited as the high cost of agricultural inputs, lack of guaranteed markets and cheap imports from neighbouring areas.
Information on the livestock in the area has been gathered from the veterinary station, based on vaccination records and is included with other relevant information in tabular form in Annex 1.
Farming in Kamenica is mixed in general with families maintaining livestock for consumption as well as growing small amounts of crops. There are 8 mini farms involved in milk production, eggs and meat production. In addition there are a number of agricultural related businesses in the area including slaughterhouses, agricultural pharmacies, cooperatives, a mushroom producer, five bakeries and four public markets in Kamenica and Rogaqica.
d) Beekeeping The production of honey through beekeeping is also very popular in the Kamenica area with an active Beekeepers’ Association with 134 active members and approximately 4,200 beehives in almost every village in the municipality area. The Beekeepers Association has been successful in sourcing donor funds from the Mercy Corps and FAO of approximately €30,000. The Association also helped Women’s Associations in Tugjec and Poliqka to source funding from IRC for local beekeeping projects. The funding from the various sources outlined targets the following:
• Provide training in beekeeping; • Purchase tools and equipment; • Purchase of modern beehives; • Increase awareness and interest in beekeeping.
(9) e) Forestry The NEP Partnership area comprises rage areas of forestry totalling 26,798 hectares of which 15,207 hectares are in the social sector. The main types of timber grown in the area are beech, oak and pine.
These forests were previously covered with good timber reserves but have been damaged in recent years due to indiscriminate felling of trees resulting in bare areas in need of replanting. There is a privately owned timber mill “Prapashtica” in the village of Kopërnica. There is also a socially owned enterprise (Ekonomia e Pyjeve) that operated in the forestry business until its closure.
3.4 Unemployment Unemployment is the most significant issue affecting the population in the Kamenica area with employment opportunities severely limited. Of the total population of approximately 57,000 people only about 4,300 are in employment. Allowing for those who are unable to work, it is estimated that 65% of the potential labour force is unemployed in the NEP Partnership area.
Over 3,000 people are believed to be employed outside Kosovo who contribute income to families in the area. However, the numbers living in consistent poverty, while not measured, are believed to be high with an added dependence on agriculture among other families. There is also an informal economy that exists in Kamenica as in other parts of Kosovo.
The employment office in Kamenica, as part of its involvement in the Partnership, has provided statistical data that it maintains on job seekers who visit their offices. At the end of December 2003, a total of 5,928 job seekers had registered with the Employment Office of which 3,086 (52%) were male and 2,842 (48%) were female. The data available indicates that 64% of those seeking employment are unskilled with only 2% semi skilled and 3.7% skilled.
Some 25% of youth (16-24 years) are unemployed in Kamenica
From a gender perspective, 77.5% of women seeking employment are unskilled compared to 52% of men. Women account for 48% of the total seeking employment but were 58% of the unskilled job seekers. No women seeking employment had university education while only ten female jobseekers out of a
(10) total of 2,861 were skilled or had attended high school. While the traditional role of women may have involved in home duties, the indications are that young women, in particular, are seeking employment but will require specific education and training interventions to develop a more inclusive role in the labour market.
According to the employment office, 65% of those registered have been unemployed for more than one year, 18% for up to six months and 17% for up to three months. Almost half (49.5%) of job seekers are aged between the ages of 25 and 39 with a further 25% aged between 16 and 24. This indicates that there is a young workforce with low skill levels, particularly among women. There is an obvious need for return to learning programmes to assist the young workforce to improve their education levels in order to improve employment prospects throughout their working life. This will require a significant investment in retraining, job seeking skills and work placements in appropriate employment to increase the potential for job retention.
In terms of service provision, much work is required to develop a comprehensive profile of the unemployed as opposed to those who are actively seeking employment. This will require significant investment in the national employment service both in terms of policy and resources, to ensure that all jobless people are registered.
However, employment growth depends ultimately on economic growth. Micro and small enterprise development will be central to employment opportunities in the NEP Partnership area.
3.5 Service Provision a) Regional Enterprise Agency, Gjilan The Regional Enterprise Agency (REA) in Gjilan is a non-governmental organisation. Its main objective is to stimulate the development of SMEs in the Gjilan Region in a way that will add value to both the local and national economy.
REA provides a range of services to new and established businesses through counselling and advice on business planning, taxation, bookkeeping, investor services and training programmes for start-up enterprises. The Agency also supports existing businesses through assistance with trade promotion locally and at international trade fairs and encourages business-to-business networking.
b) Employment Office, Kamenica The Employment Office in Kamenica is the local employment service of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. The office has a staff of nine who provide services to job seekers in the Kamenica area. During 2003 the office had a total of 5,928 job seekers on its books, of which 2,842 were female and 3,086 males.
The employment office provides training for job seekers in cooperation with the vocational training centre in Gjilan where 20% of trainees are from the Kamenica area. Trainees at the centre in Gjilan receive €1 per day subsistence and social welfare recipients also receive a travel allowance.
Training at the regional centre in Gjilan is provided in information technology, welding, graphic design and woodwork. The employment office also has links with other vocational training centres in Kosovo. Kamenica trainees are also referred to Ferizaj vocational training centre.
(11) c) Andrea Durrsaku Vocational School, Kamenica The “Andrea Durrsaku” Vocational Training School has a current enrolment of 617 students, 227 of whom are female. In 2004, 183 students completed secondary school. The school provides vocational education in four main subject areas: electrical, mechanical, chemical and technology and civil engineering.
The school has four main training rooms for information technology, electrical installation, a technical and technology laboratory and a machinery workshop. The machinery workshop is in need of refurbishment and has the potential to offer practical training to adults returning to the labour force.
The school has received support from Swiss Contact and GTZ and has the capacity to provide training for adults as well as young people. Staff is trained to deliver training in electrical installation, information technology and welding and has delivered training for adults in electrical installation and computers.
d) Kamenica Municipality The role of the Municipality of Kamenica is set out in the United Nations Regulation 2000/45 and the Municipality Assembly approved the Municipality Statute on 27th April 2001.
The first local elections for the Municipality were held on 28th October 2000 with 31 councillors elected including 10 councillors were also appointed from the Serbian community. The Municipality has an elected Mayor, a Deputy Mayor and a Deputy Mayor from the Serbian community. The Municipality has three Committees:
• Committee for Politics and Finances; • Committee for Intermediation; • Committee for Communities.
The municipality has an elected Chief Executive and a Board of Directors with 9 municipal directorates. Also, within the Board of Directors is the Local Office of Communities (LOC), where the representative of this office participates in the weekly meetings of the Board of Directors with UNMIK and OSCE representatives.
In the second elections in 2002, 31 councillors were elected including four from the Serbian community. During 2003, two new Directorates were formed: a Directorate for Budget and Finances and a Directorate for Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Services.
By the end of the war, much of the infrastructure in the municipality of Kamenica had been destroyed but many improvements have been made in the time being.
The municipality has both a spatial and an urban plan. The spatial plan has identified areas in each village for development of locations for services and housing as well as establishing planning guidelines for land development. Similarly, the urban plan has identified areas for public services, housing, industrial development and planning guidelines for infrastructural development.
Between 1999 and 2002, the municipality has, with the assistance of local and international expertise and foreign donations, has invested €12 million in infrastructure. The projects completed during this period have been of a high priority including the repair and building of schools, health centres, burnt houses, roads, energy supply etc.
(12) In the ten years up to the end of the Serb regime there was little attention paid to the urban planning in the municipality. Since 1999, however, the detailed urban plan has been observed by the relevant organisations. In doing so, it has been possible to maintain designated areas for sport and recreation, industrial development, one off and estates of housing.
The main issues that have arisen in regulating development are:
• variations from the detailed urban plan; • lack of consultation with citizens on urban plan; • failure to complete plan within timescale and lack of rural plans.
The control and regulation of new building constructions has not commenced yet due to the limited number of new buildings and a lack of personnel to implement the controls. Planning controls will be easier to implement with the development of a new urban plan.
Kamenica Municipality provides services to 57,000 inhabitants
Road Infrastructure Within the Kamenica municipality area there are approximately 213 kilometres of road infrastructure, the vast majority of which are first or second-class roads. However, up to 20% of the roads is only third class. While there have been improvements since the war the more rural road networks, particularly those connecting the villages in the Partnership area, are in poor condition. This has resulted in transport difficulties for children attending school, people attending health centres and increasing social isolation of the inhabitants of the villages.
Utilities All local citizens are linked to the electricity network. However, the continuity of electricity supply has been problematic and is a serious issue to overcome if entrepreneurs are to be encouraged to invest in business start-ups. Some 25% of the population is connected to the water supply system with 33% linked to the sewerage system with the more isolated areas of the municipality affected by a lack of water and sewerage facilities. Only one third of the population have a refuse disposal service provided locally through the municipality.
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Housing Table 7 provides a profile of housing in the municipality area. The houses destroyed during the war were categorised according to the extent of destruction. Category IV covers the most seriously destroyed homes and as shown below there are 270 homes still unprepared in the Kamenica area, most of which are totally uninhabitable.
Table 7 Existing Housing Infrastructure
Categories of Homes No of homes No. of homes destroyed Category IV 271 No. of homes destroyed Category III 76 No. of houses/flats built 63 No. of non repaired homes Category IV 201 No. of non repaired homes Category III 69 Total No. of flats/houses 10,835
Health and Social Services Within the municipality there is a Directorate for Health and Social Welfare, which is responsible for all aspects of primary health protection, public health and social matters. The main support for primary health care in the municipality of Kamenica is the Health Centre in Kamenica, which offers a 24-hour service. The Health Centre in Kamenica also has three branches in two Albanian localities and one in a Serb locality. It has 19 clinics (12 in Albanian localities and 7 in Serb localities,) 3 private health centres and three pharmacies (two private and one social.)
The Health Centre provides gynaecological, paediatric, ambulance, laboratory, dentistry, X-rays, epidemiological and vaccination services.
Within the health services the staff offers:
• Preventive services (health promotion, education, vaccination); • Emergency 24-hour care; • Gynaecological and maternity services; • Ambulance service.
The cost of a medical examination is €1. The following are entitled to free examination: pregnant women, children up to ten years of age, men and women over 65, social cases, children of martyr families and war invalids. Medication is free of charge, but is always in short supply.
There is a shortage of medical staff and there is an ongoing need for specialist services e.g. ophthalmology, orthopaedics etc.
e) Social Services Centre for Social Welfare The Centre for Social Welfare provides a public service to protect the rights of citizens, to ensure that welfare entitlements are provided for, to ensure that the rights of families and custody of children is legally protected.
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Social assistance The welfare centre in Kamenica assists 574 families with aid, which is of benefit to 2,482 individuals. There are two categories of people who receive aid:
a) 299 families with 1,064 family members meet these conditions: • families without income from employment who are unable to work due to disability; • men and women over 65 years of age; • dependent children under 15 years of age; • dependent children during the time of their education up to 18 years of age; • adults with permanent disability who are unable to work.
The families assisted in this category receive €62 per month.
b) 275 families with 1,418 family members meet these conditions: • no family member is in employment; • no family member has an income or aid from outside or inside Kosova and are able for work; • parents with children under 10 years of age without any adults in the family; • full time carer of a person over 65 years of age; • a family that has less than 50 acres of working land; • a family which has at least one child under 5 years of age or which cares on a full time basis for an orphan under 15 years of age; • a family, which does not possess a vehicle, tractor etc.
The families assisted in this category receive €34 per month
Kosovo Red Cross The mission of KRC is to ease human suffering, protect people lives and improve the health of the population, regardless of nationality, race, social status or political attitudes etc. The KRC achieves its mission through the implementation of its strategic plan:
• to promote awareness about the KRC mission and activities and to promote its basic principles and humanitarian values • to contribute to improve the health of the population by spreading information on public health • to develop a programme of first aid training • to contribute to meeting the basic needs of the most deprived • to motivate and gather citizens to give blood voluntarily • to improve awareness about mines • to engage people in peacekeeping and building civil society.
The improvement of school buildings remains a priority for resources to provide sufficient space for teaching. In service training for teachers is also a major issue to be addressed to improve teaching practices and develop a more practical school curriculum.
f) Youth, Culture and Sport Kamenica municipality has a youth, culture and sport directorate within its organisation. The directorate employs 27 workers – 22 in its cultural section, 3 in the sports sector and 2 in the youth sector. The following is a profile of the sectors:
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Cultural sector • Four cultural entertainment associations: “Dardana,” “Albana,” “Jeta e Re,” and “Kriva Reka”; • Two amateur theatres: “Lulëkuqja” and “Teatri i qytetit”; • Five cultural houses: Kamenica, Roganë and Ranillug. The houses in Hogoshti and Koretin are not in use; • One literary group: “Nositi,”, Kamenica with a magazine using the same name; • An archive, ‘Kamenica’; • Seven libraries: Kamenica, Strezoc, Tygjec, Hogosht, Desivojcë, Karaqevë, Ranillug; • Figurative Art Association.
Sport sector • 4 football teams, “Kika,” – Hogoshtë, “Kaolini,” – Karaçevë, “Dardana,” Kamenicë “Rudari,” – Kamenicë. • 1 athletic team “Arberia” – Kamenicë • 1 volleyball team women “Arberia’” – Kamenica • 1 chess club “Rinia” – Kamenicë • 1 rifle-hunting club “Dardana” – Kamenicë • 5 karate clubs in Kamenica, Rogana, Koretin • 3 stadiums in Karaqeva, Kamenica and Hogosht • 1 open sport and recreational centre in Kamenica
Youth sector • 2 youth centres • 5 youth organisations
g) Gender and minority issues The municipality has an office dedicated to gender equality, which has been in place since January 2003, dealing with gender issues. This office has a specific remit for the inclusion of women and men in all areas of life, including employment, health, culture etc.
The following is a profile of the involvement of women in employment at municipal level:
• 9 women councillors in the municipal assembly (8 Albanians, 1 Serb), • 43 women work in the municipal assembly, including all directorates (24 Albanians, 19 Serbs), • 245 women work in education, (127 Albanians, 118 Serbs), • 102 women work in the health service (58 Albanians, 44 Serb), • 13 women work in the municipal court (10 Albanians, 3 Serbs), • 24 women work in KPS (20 Albanians, 4 Serbs), • 2 Albanian women work in PTC, • Albanian woman is employed in Electro-economy, • 7 women are employed in CSW (3 Albanians, 4 Serbs), • 2 women employed in the employment office (1 Albanian, 1 Serb), • 27 women work in social organisations (26 Albanians, 1 Serb), • 107 women are owners of private businesses,
Women account for approximately 30% of private sector employment.
(16) The following NGOs are active in the Kamenica municipality area: Handikos, Fortesa, Kosovska Devojka, and the Women League. These NGOs are influential in seeking an improvement in the status of women. Fortesa is an active NGO that has assisted four women to gain employment.
There are a number of donor organisations that have given support for gender issues:
• KWI- financial aid • IRC-CCI, which helped 40 families in difficult conditions • IOM, which held certified computer courses for 30 women • IRC-CASSI financed a project “Violence in family and society,” • MERCY-CORPS INTERNATIONAL financed the project “Help for self- supported family mothers.” • Kamenica Municipal Assembly has promised that it will engage in different projects on gender issues, especially in employment and in including more women in decision-making bodies.
Minorities In the Kamenica municipality area there is freedom of movement for all citizens. Minorities, including Serbs and Roma, are integrated in the work of the Municipal Assembly and are employed in the administration of the Municipality. Minorities have access to all public services including health, education, social welfare services, cultural activities, youth and sports activities. However, the Serb minority are also developing other activities themselves that are supported by the Serbian Government.
Within NEP Partnership minorities are represented at Working Group level.
Voluntary Organisations The list of 35 non-governmental organisations in the Kamenica area is on Annex 4. Most of these organisations are not active. NEP Partnership will as a priority to establish contact with all non-governmental organisations to establish an up-to – date database that will be used to organise training and networking events for local volunteers.
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4. Analysis of Profile
4.1 Introduction As set out in the socio-economic profile of the NEP Partnership area, the Partnership is strategically positioned geographically as the most eastern municipality area within Kosovo. The absence of ethnic dissent and the number of districts where Albanians and Serbs live in the same community also provide evidence of the tolerant and inclusive society within the Partnership area. NEP Partnership is privileged to have the full support of the Municipality of Kamenica, which is playing a major role in the involvement of the local population through their elected representatives in restoring and developing the Kamenica area, in social, economic and cultural terms. The Partnership will build on this key role and involve other partners who have expertise, local knowledge of specific issues and responsibility for the delivery of key services from a statutory or voluntary perspective.
While there is a multiplicity of organisations working in the Kamenica area or providing support for social, economic and cultural development, much is actually focused to date on social and cultural issues. The focus of this strategic plan is on economic development and the creation of employment while taking into account the need to address underlying social and cultural issues. In supporting the creation of sustainable employment NEP Partnership has identified the following key areas to focus on over the next three years:
• Economic Development • Education and Training • Infrastructure • Partnership Development
4.2 Economic development In analysing the profile of the Kamenica municipality area, the NEP Partnership identified the issue of unemployment as the key focus of their work and the issue on which it wants to make significant progress during the term of this plan.
The Partnership has also identified the macro issues that need to be addressed on a national or at a political level that will continue to hinder development at a local level if they remain unresolved. These include the need for the following:
• national programmes targeted at the long-term unemployed providing incentives for return to learning, • retraining programmes linked to employment opportunities, • work experience and work placement programmes aimed at providing skills’ development linked to sustainable local community projects and improvements in the range of services for the unemployed, and • ongoing investment in the network of employment service offices.
The fact that there is 61% of the population is aged between 20 and 65 and an estimated 65% of the labour force unemployed prompts the need to consider labour intensive employment that is of benefit to the locality in the Partnership area. Using the resources of the organisations involved in the Partnership there is an opportunity to develop projects that will enhance the social and economic fabric of life in the municipality area while also providing meaningful work for the
(18) unemployed, improving their skills and confidence. Entrepreneurship promotion will be additional factor for consideration. There are also possibilities in the NEP Partnership area to use the resources of the Partnership to link with existing businesses to identify opportunities for the unemployed. The Partnership role could be to provide training programmes on the specific skills required by the employer as well as elements of personal development, job seeking skills and work placement opportunities.
From the socio–economic profile of the Kamenica area, the NEP Partnership has identified a need for minorities and women to play a more significant role in the labour market locally. The role of the Partnership may include the development of specific initiatives or the amendment of existing programmes provided by other organisations to meet specific local needs.
Economic development in the Kamenica municipality will depend particularly on micro and small businesses. Key issues affecting the establishment of new businesses in Kamenica include the lack of finance at attractive rates for new business development, the structuring of trade tariffs to protect indigenous products, the privatisation of socially owned enterprises, the interruptions in electricity supply and most importantly the resolution of the status of Kosovo.
At a local level the socio-economic profile indicates that there are a number of existing businesses that are successful and have the potential to develop, thereby creating employment opportunities. The lack of a business network has been identified by NEP Partnership as one of the key actions for implementation. The presence of a business association will provide a stimulus for economic development within the existing business community and provide a key link with state institutions through the NEP Partnership structure.
A lack of business skills has been identified during the consultative process as an issue that needs to be addressed both to assist existing businesses but also to motivate and encourage new business start-ups. The ongoing encouragement and development of the private sector at a local level will be a key factor in the revitalisation of the economy in the Partnership area. For its part, the NEP Partnership is in a position to promote initiatives like the establishment of micro financing options for enterprise projects in the form of grant aid, refundable aid, rent/interest subsidies or equity taking through the Partnership structure. Other initiatives could include the availability of socially owned enterprise properties that are not immediately required, on a nominal lease basis for enterprise development using the Partnership as an agent or facilitator.
As agriculture is a significant contributor to the economic well being of a rural area like Kamenica, NEP Partnership will need to consider specific initiatives to encourage diversification, identify local needs and markets and the development of initiatives like food processing with links to existing enterprises or the establishment of new businesses.
4.3 Education and training Some 61% of the population in the NEP Partnership area is under 40 years of age; 61% is aged between 20 years of age and 65 years of age. However, 30% of the population is aged between 0-15 with only 4% between the age of 16 and 20. With young people forming such a large cohort of the population the quality of education is vital for the future prosperity of the NEP Partnership area. In the preparation of this plan the Partnership has identified the need for the physical infrastructure of the schools to be improved in the Kamenica municipality area. Support for the teaching profession in terms of in-service training to improve
(19) teaching methods as well as making education more relevant to the needs of local employers where the employment opportunities lie also need to be considered. Some 64% of those seeking employment at the employment office in Kamenica were unskilled and 29% have attended secondary school with only 1% having attended high school or university. The fact that university education is only available in Prishtina means that young people may leave the area to take up university education and not return thus losing the potential of those young people to the local area.
There is a need also to encourage the adult population to see learning as a life long process. With a significant number of the job seekers lacking skills the educational facilities in the Partnership area should be used to encourage adults to return to education to improve their qualifications as well as using the facilities to retrain workers for new employment opportunities
Some 30% of Kamenica’s population is under 16 years of age
4.4 Infrastructure In undertaking the development of this strategic plan the Partnership identified infrastructural issues as a key concern to be addressed in the future. The improvement in the quality of life for citizens through social, economic and cultural development will be based in the future in having an infrastructure that is well planned and maintained by the community.
It is evident that the partnership area has a great deal of resources managed by the municipality, which provide housing and accommodation, water, sewerage, energy and other public services for the citizens of the area. It is also evident that there is a great need for extra resources to extend public services to the more rural areas of the municipality area in smaller villages and to refurbish infrastructural damage caused during the war. From a planning perspective, there is a need for development plans for rural areas and the implementation of planning controls to ensure that future infrastructural developments are built in a manner that does not have a negative impact on the environment.
It has been highlighted that the improvement in educational attainment will necessitate ongoing refurbishment of existing schools that have been damaged during the war. There is a lack of suitable premises in the Partnership area for the provision of training programmes. Training will require workshop premises and
(20) this may involve the need to refurbish existing buildings as training centres for adults returning to work.
In supporting economic development, there is a need to improve the road infrastructure between villages and provide serviced sites for industrial development in line with the existing spatial plans. The Partnership has also identified a lack of workspace for new business start-ups. This may involve the development of an enterprise incubation centre, the refurbishment of vacant premises. Discussion with the Kosovo Trust Agency about the possible use of socially owned enterprise workspace that is currently not in use is planned.
4.5 Partnership development While the reduction in unemployment is the major issue for the Partnership to address, the development of NEP Partnership itself is of major significance to the stakeholders - Kamenica Municipality, the Regional Enterprise Agency in Gjilan, the Employment Office, the “Andrea Durrsaku” Technical School, Kamenica and representatives of the local business community.
Each partner has invested its own time and resources in developing the partnership. Their involvement to date has included study visits, teambuilding and strategic planning exercises as well as partnership set up and governance arrangements. From this process there is recognition of the roles that each organisation has to play as well as realising that the process of partnership building and reinforcement is essential for the socio-economic development of the NEP Partnership area.
The ongoing development of the Partnership will continue to be open to other stakeholders identified in the socio-economic profile like youth, women, minorities and sectoral representation e.g. the agricultural sector. In achieving this objective, the Partnership will consult with these stakeholders and establish representative structures that will encourage participation by the stakeholders in the work of the Partnership. Meanwhile, the existing partners as part of the strategic planning process have undertaken a self-assessment. This is summarised in the form of a SWOT analysis at Table 8.
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Table 8 NEP Partnership: summary of SWOT analysis
Strengths Weaknesses