Foreign Operations Assistance: Kosovo

United States Department of State
Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia
Foreign Operations Assistance Fact Sheet, April 2012 *

KOSOVO

Recent Successes by Areas of Focus:

Peace & Security

• Expanded assistance to minority populations in northern Kosovo by improving infrastructure and providing short-term employment to local communities. The initial projects undertaken in FY2011 are benefitting over 13,000 residents through improvements in public infrastructure, and 1,500 people have benefited from short-term employment opportunities.
• Anti-trafficking advising and training helped Kosovo effectively combat trafficking in human beings and provide comprehensive services to victims of trafficking.
• Donated $1 million in equipment and trained 310 Kosovo Customs and Border Police (KCBP) officers for support in detecting and interdicting contraband transiting through Kosovo. Other trainings addressed customs operations at Pristina International Airport, and data already show a 40 percent decrease in illegal crossings and smuggling across Kosovo’s borders.
• Provided technical assistance to the Kosovo Tax Administration criminal tax investigation unit, which became operational in FY2011 and has opened at least 28 criminal tax investigations.

Governing Justly and Democratically

• BY ACCOUNT	FY 2011 ACTUAL	FY 2012 ESTIMATE	FY 2013 REQUEST
  TOTAL ($000s)	$85,428	$67,450	$57,668
  Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia	$79,000	$63,000	0
  Economic Support Fund	0	0	$42,544
  Foreign Military Financing	$5,000	$3,000	$3,000
  International Military Education and Training	$678	$700	$700
  International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement	0	0	$10,674
  Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism, Demining and Related Programs	$750	$750	$750

  Provided small grants to bolster Kosovo’s minority media. One NGO in particular positively mediated in a dispute between a Kosovo Serb TV station and the GOK, resulting in improved interethnic dialogue and integration of Serb media into mainstream television channels in Kosovo.
• Provided training for Kosovo judges, prosecutors, investigators, defense attorneys, and victim’s advocates on the use of plea bargaining in criminal cases to build capacity within Kosovo’s Justice Sector to investigate, prosecute and adjudicate complex crimes. Trainings resulted in the successful use of plea bargaining in several criminal cases in FY 2011. The use of plea bargaining enables courts to begin reducing their backlog and focus limited resources on adjudicating more complex, high-profile criminal cases.
• Supported electoral reforms, including working with the Central Election Commission to develop guidelines for updating voter registration lists and mapping out long-term plans, and trained staff at the Count and Results Center.

Investing in People

• BY OBJECTIVE	FY 2011 ACTUAL	FY 2012 ESTIMATE	FY 2013 REQUEST
  TOTAL ($000s)	$85,428	$67,450	$57,668
  Peace and Security	$14,487	$18,535	$15,151
  Governing Justly and Democratically	$22,102	$22,264	$20,418
  Investing in People	$3,264	$1,280	$1,280
  Economic Growth	$45,575	$25,371	$20,819

  In partnership with the GOK, U.S. assistance improved the quality of teaching and learning in primary schools by providing teacher professional development, improving learning environments with a focus on reading, science, technology, and system reform at the local level. In FY 2011, 58,000 students, 692 educators, and 48 schools benefitted from these assistance activities.

Economic Growth

• Assisted the GOK in the development of its first Economic Vision and Action Plan, a document developed by key economic ministers that outlines the government’s economic policy and priorities through 2014.
• Provided technical assistance for public-private partnerships which contributed to investment in a major airport improvement project.
• Supported the GOK’s first offering of Treasury Bills, the culmination of a four year effort to implement a domestic debt market, enhancing the overall financial sector.
• Further developed Kosovo’s agricultural sector resulting in increased investment in the sector from $2.3 million in 2010 to $13.7 million in FY2011.
• Interventions in the energy sector in support of privatization and distribution resulted in increases in payments collected on billed sales from 87.8 percent in 2010 to 95 percent in 2011; energy billed as a proportion of energy delivered to the network increased from 78.5 percent to 84 percent; collections as a share of delivered energy increased from 68.9 percent to 80 percent.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Coordinator's Office Annual Reports
U.S. Embassy Website
www.foreignassistance.gov

*This fact sheet does not reflect Peace Corps funding or centrally managed or regional Foreign Operations funding that is not specifically budgeted for Kosovo.