KOSOVO CITIZENS NOW HAVE BETTER ACCESS TO LEGAL AID SERVICES

Today, Kosovo citizens, especially those from marginalized and disadvantaged groups, have better access to legal aid services.  Reflecting on the results achieved together during the Justice Matters activity the last few years, USAID Mission Director Lisa Magno stated, “Equal access to justice is a shared objective.  Justice that serves a few is not justice.  USAID was but a catalyst in our joint efforts the past three years.  You are the ones who made these results possible.”

Over the course of the activity, USAID has partnered with Kosovo’s Free Legal Aid Agency, the Kosovo Bar Association, public universities across Kosovo, and a broad network of civil society organizations to ensure that legal aid services are fair, accessible, and responsive to citizens’ needs.  Working with USAID, the Government of Kosovo has improved its institutional capacities to regulate, oversee and set priorities of the legal aid system.  By establishing First Response Hubs in marginalized communities, CSO partners have expanded access to services and increased the number of low-income and marginalized citizens who received legal aid by 70 percent.  

In partnership with Kosovo universities, hundreds of students have taken part in live legal clinics that included standardized curricula, site visits to justice institutions, and legal education outreach events, all emphasizing practical skills for legal professionals as well as exposure to legal aid career paths.  Many of these students then volunteered their time in free legal aid clinics, educating citizens about their legal right—instilling a pro bono culture in Kosovo’s future legal professionals.  Through online platforms and mobile apps, like ‘Afer Teje,’ over 150,000 people and vulnerable groups, such as women and LGBTQI+ persons, have received access to legal aid resources.  

While the Justice Matters activity is ending, partners now have the institutional linkages to continue expanding the supply of services and improving legal literacy and outreach efforts.  In the words of USAID Mission Director Lisa Magno, “I have no doubt that by building on these successes, you will achieve the transformational change that we all want for Kosovo.”