Back Have peoples voice heard on how to improve the use of official languages at local level

Have peoples voice heard on how to improve the use of official languages at local level

Over the past weeks, Council of Europe Office in Pristina, has been supporting our partners — the Ministry of Local Government Administration, the Office of the Language Commissioner, and the Ombudsperson Institution — holding a series of seven regional meetings with a focus on one key issue: the implementation of the Law on the Use of Official Languages and Languages in Official Use.

The meetings took place in the regions of Prizren on April 3, Ferizaj/Uroševac on April 8, Gjakova/Đakovica on April 10, Gjilan/Gnjilane on April 15, Mitrovicë/Mitrovica on April 16, Peja/Peć on April 17, and Pristina on April 22. A total of 33 municipalities participated in these important discussions, which were organised under the Council of Europe's project “Fostering Societal Cohesion by Reinforcing Minority Rights and Minority Languages.”

This collaborative effort was vital for promoting linguistic diversity and addressing the recommendations stemming from the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and its 5th Opinion urging the authorities to take all necessary measures to improve implementation of the Law on the Use of Languages.

Mary Ann Hennessey, Head of Council of Europe in Pristina, invited the authorities to allocate sufficient resources to ensure the efficiency and quality of translations. “This includes in particular strengthening translation capacities, recruiting and training bilingual and multilingual staff, as well as distributing resources and guidelines to municipalities to improve the fulfillment of their functions in this regard,“ Hennessey said during the meeting held in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica.


 

These discussions weren’t just theoretical — they were about practical change. Local governments play a crucial role in ensuring that language rights aren’t just guaranteed by law, but actually respected on the ground.

The meetings enabled municipal representatives, language policy network members, and institutional partners to address some of the most pressing challenges such as the publication of official documents in all official languages on municipal websites, the availability of translators, the proper display of inscriptions in the public spaces, and the need to strengthen coordination between the central and the local level.

The Council of Europe will prepare a report with recommendations to be translated into concrete actions for the support of relevant institutions in charge of the implementation of the law.

    
 


 


 

03 - 22 April
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Fifty practitioners to enhance skills in provision of occupational therapy

Following the adoption of the Guidelines for Occupational Therapy (OT), as well as the Training of Trainers (ToT) on OT that took place in January 2024, three 2-day cascade training sessions were organised in the course of February and March 2024.  Fifty professionals, mainly from the Prison Health Department, along with representatives from the Correctional Services, Institute for Forensic Psychiatry, and the Special Institute for Persons with Mental and Physical Disabilities, were trained on this important form of therapy.

To complement the theoretical aspects and provide the trainees with practical knowledge, some of the sessions were conducted in the Dubrava Prison, in a section which houses prisoners with both mental and somatic problems. This on-site training allowed the participants to observe and understand the application of OT principles in a real-life setting, thus enhancing their learning experience by connecting theory and practice.

These cascade training sessions allowed the participants to further improve their skills in applying the OT Guidelines and tools in prisons and other closed institutions, a concept which was thus far not utilised in a structured manner. Furthermore, training healthcare and correctional professionals together helps them further strengthen the inter-institutional cooperation in the treatment and rehabilitation of some of the most vulnerable members of the society.

Each of these sessions were facilitated by two trainers who had participated in the ToT in January and were supervised and mentored by a Council of Europe consultant who has been involved in the process since the very beginning, thus further strengthening institutional capacity to provide training.

The activity was conducted under the auspices of the Council of Europe project “Improvement of the treatment of persons deprived of liberty”.

 

 

*All references to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions, or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United National Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

Istog/ Istok 26 March 2024
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