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Press Statement
The AHC will begin the implementation of a
new project at the Korça Municipality called "Monitoring the Exercise of
Minority Rights at the Korça Municipality"
Tirana, May 8, 2006
The Albanian Helsinki Committee is the
first non-governmental organization, founded on December 19, 1990, as the Forum
for the Protection of Fundamental Human Freedoms and Rights. On March 22, 1992,
the organization became a member of the International Helsinki Federation for
Human Rights, under the name Albanian Helsinki Committee. The primary mission of
the AHC is to monitor respect for human rights and freedoms, reinstate violated
rights, make citizens aware of the protection of their rights and freedoms, and
improve the legislation and practice of law enforcement through critiques and
recommendations. Raising the awareness of the public administration to correctly
enforce laws through building the capacities of this administration is part of
this mission.
One of the main directions of the
Albanian Helsinki Committee's activity is the protection and promotion of
minorities' rights in Albania. As the country's first non-governmental
organization, the AHC has a long, almost 15-year long, experience in the area of
minorities.
In the context of its activity in the
area of minorities, the AHC will begin the implementation of a new project at
the Korça Municipality called "Monitoring the Exercise of Minority Rights at the
Korça Municipality." A city with three minorities (Macedonian, Roma, Aromanian)
and the Egyptian community, Korça was selected as the first model city for the
project's implementation.
The goal of the project is to assess
respect for minority rights in the city and highlight opportunities for their
development. Furthermore, through this project, the Committee seeks to increase
the participation of minorities in local decision-making and enhance their
relations with the local government. The implementation of this project will
give citizens a tool for benefiting from the local administration and proposing
improvements to its policies on minorities. At the same time, the project will
also offer a tool to local government for self-assessment and also serve as a
way to improve their capacities in handling problems addressed by citizens.
In implementing this project, the AHC
will have a close cooperation with the local government, namely the Korça
Municipal Council. The project will be based on polling citizens. The
involvement of citizens in the Korça municipality in general and of minority
representatives in particular will be a significant element for assessing as
objective as possible the situation of minority rights at this Municipality.
At the end of the project's
implementation, the AHC will draft a report based on the processing of data
deriving from the polls. In December 2006, the Committee will organize a round
table discussion to submit the main findings of the report. Invited to the round
table discussion will be various actors of the Korça Municipality who
contributed to the project's implementation and/or individuals interested in
this area. |
