FCT Youth 2013 - Report

Inaugural Conference Youth Forum for Cities in Transition

Contents

Introduction 3

Words of Welcome 4

The Conference in Numbers 5

Pre-Conference Activities 6

Impressions: City Presentations 7

Impressions: Panels and Workshops 8

Impressions: Side Events 10

Outcomes of the Conference 11

Delegates’ Statements 12

The Conference Visibility 13

Donors and Supporters 14

Appendix 15

2

Mitrovica, Kosovo, September 23-27, 2013

Introduction

The younger population of Kosovo faces many challenges, but in particular youth from Mitrovica are

confronted with increasingly problematic conditions due to the on-going, unstable political

situation. Such instability has resulted in declining investments and limited opportunities for all

sectors in society. In consequence, the youth of Mitrovica have suffered from high levels of

unemployment and subsequently unpromising future prospects. For a peaceful transition of the city,

younger population must be included in decision making. Therefore it is crucial to create space for

discussion and exchange and to strengthen capacities in order to engender an empowered youth.

The Youth Forum for Cities in Transition is part of the International Forum for Cities in Transition

(FCT) established in Boston in April 2009. At present, there are fifteen cities across three continents

forming the Forum for Cities in Transition: Mitrovicë/Kosovska Mitrovica, Haifa, Jerusalem, Kaduna,

Kirkuk, Ramallah, Belfast, Derry/Londonderry, Nicosia, Beirut, Tripoli (Lebanon), Berlin and Mostar.

As an international network of mayors, councillors, municipal officials, civil society, business people,

and representatives of the voluntary and community sector, the Forum works by the principle that

cities that are in conflict or have emerged from conflict are in the best position to help other cities in

the same situation. The Forum was initiated by professor Padraig O’Malley and is supported by the

Moakley Chair of Peace and Reconciliation McCormack Graduate School of Global and Policy Studies

at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the Northern Ireland Foundation, Belfast.

The Inaugural Youth Conference for Cities in Transition from 23–27 September 2013 in Mitrovica,

organized by Community Building Mitrovica in cooperation with D&G Solutions, can be seen as an

initial step towards creating a network of young people who will engage with their local leaders and

representatives. Youth from Belfast, Derry-Londonderry, Jerusalem, Kaduna, Kirkuk, Ramallah,

Tripoli and host city Mitrovica shared and explored local experiences, gaining invaluable and

practical knowledge how to build sustainable cooperative relationships within and across their

communities and cities.

3


Words of Welcome

In her opening remarks, the President of Kosovo, her Excellency Atifete Jahjaga, stated:

“From the city of Mitrovica, which unfortunately is divided in the middle, together you are sending

strong messages of tolerance, understanding and peaceful coexistence. You who are sending strong

messages that diversity is a value which should unite us and which

enriches a society, a country.”

“It is the divided cities which remind us of a bitter past, with have left

behind serious consequences, consequences which in many cases are

still present. They remind us of the danger which comes from exclusion

and refusal to accept and respect one another, to accept and respect

diversity. Above all they reminder us how important peace is, how

fragile it can often be and how difficult it is to be built on ruins of

destruction, the trust between people.”

Atifete Jahjaga, President of Kosovo

“When the Forum for Cities in Transition was created, few cities really believed that Mitrovica could

rise to the occasion. Mitrovica has not only risen to the occasion, it has surpassed all expectations. On

this occasion of the first Youth Forum of the Forum for Cities in Transition, Mitrovica once again

leads the way having put together representation from the youth of 10 divided cities that no one

would have believed possible four years ago. This is to be a truly magnificent event that bears witness

to what the youth in divided cities can do when they collaborate with each other.”

Padraig O’Malley, Director of the Forum for Cities in Transition

“Over the course of the next few days, I encourage all of you to share your experiences and

initiatives. It is my hope that through those efforts and through conferences such as this one, citizens

of cities such as Mitrovica will develop ways to work together, for a better future for all citizens,

regardless of political, ethnic, or religious differences.”

Tracey Ann Jacobson, U.S. ambassador in Prishtina

“Contact and confidence associated with the collaboration help overcome different situations, so

Mitrovica can become a city of development of peace, coexistence and tolerance.”

Jan Braathu, Norwegian ambassador in Prishtina

4


The Conference in Numbers

5


Pre-Conference Activities

Renovation of the Conference Hall at the Cultural Centre in Mitrovica

For the Inaugural Youth Conference of the

Forum for Cities in Transition the Conference

Hall at the Cultural Centre in Mitrovica was

renovated as part of the larger project “Bridging

the Divide”, implemented amongst others by

Community Building Mitrovica (CBM). Already

in 2010, the Cultural Centre was completely

renovated in 2010 by the Municipality of

Mitrovica, including painting and plastering of

the inside, reconstruction of the roof and

renovation of the chandelier in the main

atrium. For the implementation of an

international youth conference with

participants from three continents and

numerous presentations and lectures, there was

still renovation to be done at the Conference

Hall as main venue of the conference. In the

course of renovation, the Dome of the Cultural

was insulated, several masonry, floor and

painting works were done, the bathrooms in the

Cultural Centre were renewed a well as the hall

was furnished with carpets and curtains. In

addition, a professional sound system was

installed including the techniques for

simultaneous interpreting. All in all, these

renewals made the Conference Hall a venue that

meets the needs of an international,

multilingual conference while at the same time

creating a comfortable atmosphere for

discussions and exchange.

Open Call for Logo and Poster Design

In preparation for the Inaugural Youth

Conference of the Forum for Cities in

Transition, Community Building Mitrovica

(CBM) started an Open Call for the logo and

poster design. As a result of the open call,

amongst three that applied two designers were

selected, one from the North and one from the

South of Mitrovica, to create the promotional

material for the International Youth

Conference. The poster contained distinct

characteristics of Mitrovica reflecting both sides

of the river Iber/Ibar.

6

The conference room


Impressions: City Presentations

Eight cities in transition were represented in

the course of the conference: Belfast,

Derry-Londonderry, Jerusalem, Kaduna, Kirkuk,

Ramallah, Tripoli and host city Mitrovica. The

delegates of the cities used various media such

as PowerPoint and video clips to illustrate their

talks. In each presentation they outlined the

city’s conflict, social and political life, and the

main challenges that youth are facing, followed

by a discussion in the plenary. The situation in

the cities differed a lot: from ongoing violent

conflicts as in Kirkuk or in Tripoli on

long-lasting conflicts as in Jerusalem to cities

already recovering from conflict as shown

amongst others in the case of Belfast/Northern

Ireland. The delegates also focused on how

youth activism develops and the potential of

civil society and especially youth in conflict

resolution. The city presentations therefore

allowed the participants to acquire a deeper

knowledge about the conflicts of other cities in

transition, about youth activism under different

conditions and they, not at least, enabled the

delegates to share personal experiences. The

importance of such an exchange of knowledge,

ideas and practical know-how was shown in

numerous questions and eager discussions

following each presentation.

7

“There is simply no other solution than living

together. People in Mitrovica need to get in

contact with each other, but they aren’t all

ready yet.”

Selvije Kurti, Mitrovica city delegateCity presentation Belfast

“Belfast is continuously recovering from the

conflict, becoming generally a neutral place for

everyone now. The focus now is on increasing

employment opportunities and tourism.”

Cailin McVeigh, Belfast city delegate

City presentation Mitrovica

“Sharing experiences from divided cities is very

relevant; these experiences need to be brought

to Kosovo especially.”

Ian Cliff, British ambassador Kosovo


Impressions: Panels and Workshops

The conference’s panel discussions covered

topics such as the use of social media, the

role of youth in rebuilding societies after

conflict, youth activism, and youth edu-

cation and entrepreneurship. In each panel,

different experts coming from Prishtina or

Belgrade, international experts working in

Kosovo, and local experts from Mitrovica, from

science and practice, gave introductory lectures

and then the panel was opened for questions

from the audience. The panellists emphasized

altogether the importance of youth in bridging

communities and establishing dialogue and

communication. They encouraged young people

to become more active, giving also practical

hints such as funding opportunities for youth

organizations. It has been noted however that

young people in divided societies face

challenges such as high unemployment rates,

exclusion from decision making and a restric-

tion of freedom of movement and expression.

Social media and youth activism are closely

connected as, according to delegate Saly

Shamra from Lebanon, social media allows acti-

vists to “widen their circles of communication”.

In the panel on education and entrepreneurial

opportunities for youth in Kosovo the need to

strengthen the capacities of young people to

respond in a sustainable way to the needs of the

21st century society was a central issue. In the

panel on youth activism Ardita Metaj Dika from

TACSO and Sanja Lazarević from the European

Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) highlighted

that youth organisations in Kosovo were

struggling with limited access to funds and a

low willingness of people to volunteer. On

behalf on their organisations they gave the

delegates inside information on specific funding

opportunities for youth activities and offered

their support as well. Throughout all the

conference, the importance of the education

was emphasised by almost all panellists and

discussants. In the discussion panel about youth

education Blagica Radovanović from Prishtina

University, amongst other matters, particularly

stressed the role that language plays in conflict,

which can sometimes be a big obstacle in

bringing communities together.

8

“The question is how youth can change society. Constructive solutions must respect everybody’s difference as identity is manifold, and the power of youth is that they can embrace an open identity.”

Marina Ilić, University of Lille 2, France /Assistant to Professor University of Belgrade

“Social networks can contribute significantly to breaking the barriers of communication between young people in conflict societies and stimulate countless forms of cooperation.”

Petrit Selimi, Deputy Minister of MFA

“Youth is trapped in and shaped by conflict. The division is all that they know from their experience, so the question must be how we can fight prejudi- ces. Meeting people helps humanize the other and to overcome the perception of a faceless enemy.”

Ilir Deda, Director of KIPRED

“What we need is a new perspective of the young generation which leaves the youth in Kosovo space for discussion and exchange, for addressing problems, for establishing communication and dialogue.”

Raba Gjoshi, Director, Youth Initiative forHuman Rights in Prishtina


Impressions: Panels and Workshops

During the workshops the conference

participants were split in smaller groups in

order to create a more interactive environment.

In the workshop about future cooperation the

delegates exchanged first project ideas to

implement together. Altogether the focus of the

participants lied on organizing youth exchanges

for sharing experiences. The potential of

increased mobility of young people through

exchanges and workshop tours between

different cities was emphasized in the

discussion. The best method for achieving

change is bringing people together, a delegate

said.

Common interests such as culture and sports

can build bridges between divided communities

and are great catalysts for youth activity. An

idea was to organise a sports tournament with

international teams each of which consisted of

members of conflicting communities, because

sports unites, and tournaments can provide

education in sports and civic matters equally.

Other thoughts were focused on the use of

media, e. g. producing a video with a peace

message together and to spread it through

social networks. CBM staff also offered support

of up-coming project ideas through the senior

delegations of the Forum for Cities in Transition

(FCT). A matter, which can be discussed at the

FCT conference in Kaduna in November 2013.

In the workshop on planning of joint projects,

moderated by Allan Leonard (Northern Ireland

Foundation), each delegation developed

concrete project ideas for their respective cities

as well as projects connecting people from

different cities and countries. The projects are

to be realized after the conference and are

presented in detail on page 11 of this report.

9

Workshop on future cooperation

“We, peace activists in Israel and Palestine, should take examples not from the European Union, which are far ahead from us in living peacefully. We shouldlearn from the Balkans, from Northern Ireland, and other non-peaceful regions which are working step by step to build a better community.”

Uri Rosenberg, a delegate from Haifa, Israel

Workshop on joint projects


Impressions: Side Events

In addition to the program at the Cultural

Centre, a number of Side Events were organized.

Due to walking tours of the city, guided by local

volunteers, the participants became acquainted

with both sides of Mitrovica. Moreover, the

conference group visited several local

institutions such as International Business

College Mitrovica (IBCM) Campus North and

Campus South as well as the North Mitrovica

Administration Office (NMAO). At IBCM Campus

North, the participants were welcomed by

Dragan Tomić of SPARK, IBCM Officer Peter

Neumann and several professors of the

institute. They informed the conference group

about the College’s study programmes and

competencies, emphasizing the international

and business-oriented profile of IBCM. In the

discussion, Tomić underlined that IBCM’s goal is

to foster business development in order to

facilitate peace reconciliation whilst trying to

stay out of politics.

At the NMAO executive officer Adrijana Hodžić

held a speech about the history and mission of

her institution. In 2010 the office evolved from

an initiative to create fair conditions for the

elections; since then it offers services to citizens

without imposing any political obligations on

them. To involve the participants in activities

from the youth of Mitrovica, a concert of

Mitrovica Rock School was organized. Following

the idea that music connects and bridges

divided communities, an ethnically mixed band

consisting out of Serbs and Albanians was

performing for the first time at Mitrovica Rock

School South. Activities were not bounded to

Mitrovica: the conference group also undertook

visit to the city of Mitrovica north and south as

well as a a trip to Prishtina.

10

IBCM North campus visit

“We are trying to develop only a bit faster than the community.”

Dragan Tomić

“Citizens are the ones that should propose the changes they want.”

Adrijana HodžićMitrovica Rock School concert for youth delegates and volunteers


Outcomes of the Conference

In the concluding session the delegates of the

participating cities presented their pledges to

implement specific project ideas:

Jerusalem:− Youth exchange: 10 people from

North/South Mitrovica and 10 from East and West Jerusalem, each visiting Mitrovica and Jerusalem to stay and work together

− Connecting students’ association with other groups and do activities together

Kirkuk:− Event on International Peace Day (1

September): Conflict Cleaning Campaign – disseminate information about other conflicts in cities in transition, and clean the environment as a symbol of “cleaning the conflict”

− Peace building through making handicrafts with children and involving their parents as well

Kaduna:− “Voice of the Youth” workshop to bring

Muslim and Christian youth together and do e.g. media trainings and allow them to express their feelings and desires

− “Peace Club” in separated Kaduna schools to discuss about elections

Tripoli:− Bringing Mitrovica rock school to Lebanon to

educate people about their project− Sports tournament with all cities together

Ramallah:− Hosting young people from Mitrovica to

learn about their situation and to create an opportunity for Serbs and Albanians to get intouch with each other

− Project for young people with disabilities in Ramallah, e.g. paintings, handicraft

Belfast and Derry/Londonderry:− Exchange of youth workers with Jerusalem− Social media campaign to promote the FCT’s

work

Mitrovica:− Project to bring children (5-6 years old)

from both parts of the city to play, includingtheir parents to encourage them to talk with each other

− Paint and decorate tyres and present them in both parts of the city

All delegates signed the “Call to Action”, a joint

agreement of the members of the Forum of

Cities in Transition (see also pages 16-17).

The Youth Forum of Cities in Transition Confe-

rence 2014 will be hosted by Kaduna, Nigeria.

11

Ardiana Osmani passing the baton on to theKaduna delegates

“In Kaduna we discussed some ways on how to tackle the problem and the two major outcomes were respect for one’s religion and the continuity of the Youth enlightenment through coordinating programs. I’m glad on how the youth welcomed the idea, showed their interest in the program and offered their support.”

Hayatu Ashafa, Kaduna, Nigeria


Delegates’ Statements

“I didn’t know what to expect before I went to Kosovo. However, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Kosovo and also my opportunity to be part of the conference. I learnt a lot about how other young people live in cities in conflict and met some great people during the week. It was a humbling experience to see how others live, andit was great that we had the opportunity to all help each other and share ideas.”

Sarah Couser, Belfast, Northern Ireland

“I feel very privileged and honoured to have spent a week in Mitrovica in the conference for Cities in Transition. Through the wonderful youth I met in Mitrovica, I saw that even in the most difficult situations one can see light at the end of the tunnel. I saw young Serbs and Albanians communicating, sharing opinions, even sometimes arguing, but all were trying to build bridges for a better future of Mitrovica. This example gave me much hope.”

Uri Rosenberg, Haifa, Israel

“As far as the conference goes, I was really impressed how good it was organised, how much the CBM staff did to get people from all over the world which have similar problems as we do in Mitrovica. I will try to cherish and maintain the friendships that I formed with thispeople. Thank you and CBM for letting me be a part of such a unique experience.”

Vladislav Stevanovic, Mitrovica, Kosovo

“Youth Forum for Cities in Transition has impacted tremendously on my life. Most of all itopened my eyes to important things and has confronted my thinking, stimulated my heart, catalysed my energy and challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and make an impact on

the world. It’s time for passionate and enthusiastic youth to rise and help write a different story for our cities and beyond. I value the privilege of sharing this experience with other youth in my cities so we can be a part of bringing peace. It was really transforming.”

Hayatu Ashafa, Kaduna, Nigeria

“My impression was that problems exist everywhere, despite the multiplicity of forms, but the solution exists with the hope in the eyesof the nation’s youth. Feelings were more remarkable with new friends and with possible ties enabled to continue forever.”

Sevar Rafiq, Kirkuk, Iraq

“Actually before I came to the conference I was confused whether it will meet my expectations or not, how should I treat these different peopleespecially the ones who are from the country I have conflict with (the Israeli Side), and by time I became excited in this new experience and theinternational gathering, and by being more involved I became much more excited in meeting these different people from different cultures and thoughts.”

Diana Sinan, Ramallah, Palestine

12

International delegates


The Conference Visibility

The conference received broad coverage in

regional media, in print, broadcast, and online.

TV:− Al Jazeera Balkans: Susret mladih iz podijeljenih

gradova, 28/9/2013− Klan Kosova: Lajmet Qendrore, 23/9/2013 − RTV21: Lajmet Flash, 23/9/2013

Print:− Bota Sot: Jahjaga: Nuk lejojmë që grupet

kriminele të mbajnë peng stabilitetin e vendit, 24/9/2013

− Zëri: Kriminelët nuk e diktojnë të ardhmen e Kosovës, 24/9/2013

− Tribuna: Jacobson: Mitrovica, njëra ndër sfidat e shumta të ndara në botë, 24/9/2013

− Kosova Sot: Mësojnë nga përvoja e Mitrovicës, 24/9/2013

Online:− AlbanianScreen: Jahjaga në Mitrovicë, jep

mesazhe për tolerancë, 23/9/2013− Rtv21.tv: Jahjaga: “Qytetet e ndara – përkujtues

të një të kaluare të hidhur, 23/9/2013− Koha.net: Jahjaga jep mesazh për tolerancë nga

Mitrovica e ndarë, 23/9/2013− Kosovo News Network: Jahjaga jep mesazh për

tolerancë ngaMitrovica e ndarë,23/9/2013

− Illyriapress.com: NëMitrovicë filloiKonferenca e Forumitpër Qytetet nëTranzicion,23/9/2013

− ekonomia online: Jahjaga në Mitrovicë:Diversiteti napasuron, 23/9/2013

− rtk live: Jahjaga: Qytetet e ndara janë përkujtuestë kaluarës së hidhur, 23/9/2013

− Kosovapress: Konferencë ndërkombëtare për rolin e të rinjve në qytetet në tranzicion, 23/9/2013

− b92.net: Jahjaga: Različitost obogaćuje, 23/9/2013

− BLIC online: Jahjaga: Različitost treba da nas ujedini, 23/9/2013

− Pressonline.rs: Jahjaga: Priština neće dozvoliti da nas kriminalci drže kao taoce, 23/9/2013

− UMass Boston News: UMass Boston Peace Maker Plans First Youth Peace Conference in Mitrovica, 23/9/2013

The conference was also visible on:

− Website of the president of Kosovo: http://www.president-ksgov.net

− Website of the US Embassy in Pristina: http://pristina.usembassy.gov

− Website of Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://www.mfa-ks.net

− Website of the Forum for Cities in Transition: http://citiesintransition.net

− Website of the North Mitrovica Administration Office (NMAO): http://kk.rks-gov.net/MNAO/

− Facebook Page of Community Building Mitrovica

13

Al Jazeera Balkans filming

http://kk.rks-gov.net/MNAO/

http://citiesintransition.net/

http://www.mfa-ks.net/

http://pristina.usembassy.gov/

http://www.president-ksgov.net/


Donors and Supporters

Donors:

U.S. Embassy

SPARK

Norwegian Embassy

UNDP

Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands

Mitrovica North Administration

Office

Municipality of Mitrovica

IKV Pax Christi

IBCM

Forum for Cities in Transition

Mitrovica Forum

Thanks to:

Mitrovica delegates: Kenan Beqiri, Suzana Beqiri, Marija Golubović, Miloš Golubović, Berat Hajdari,

Florentina Hajdari, Marigona Kelmendi, Blerim Kelmendi, Tijana Kolutac, Milizza Kosova, Ivana

Kovačević, Selvije Kurti, Nemanja Kuzmanović, Mergim Memoviq, Labinot Musliu, Erdina Mustafi,

Ardiana Osmani, Danijela Perić, Manuela Petrović, Stefan Radovanović, Milivoje Raicević, Nataša

Saveljić, Stefana Stamenković, Vladislav Stevanović, Zana Syla, Bojana Trajković, Snežana Trajković,

Besnik Uka, Besnik Voca

Panelists: Petrit Selimi, Selvije Kurti, Miloš Golubović, Peter Neumann, Ilir Deda, Marina Ilić, Kenan

Beqiri, Aleksandar Sovrlić, Raba Gjoshi, Sanja Lazarević, Ardita Metaj Dika, Rick Lautenbach, Fisnik

Kumnova, Dragan Tomić, Mirlinda Purrini, Blagica Radovanović

Representatives of Mitrovica Forum: Sadri Ferati, Dragan Spasojević, Valdete Idrizi

Secretariat Forum for Cities in Transition: Prof. Padraig O’Malley, Nancy Riordan, Allan Leonard

International volunteers: Debbie O’Neill, Jan Behrens, Lisa Schäder

14


Appendix

Conference Programme

Monday, 23 September09:00 Opening plenary− Atifete Jahjaga, President of Kosovo− Tracey Ann Jacobson, U.S. Ambassador in

Prishtina− Jan Braathu, Norwegian Ambassador in

Prishtina− Dragan Tomić, SPARK Programme Manager− Christopher Decker, UNDP Governance

Programme Coordinator− Padraig O’Malley, Director of Forum for Cities

in Transition− Avni Kastrati, Mayor of Mitrovica− Aferdita Sylaj, Community Building Mitrovica− Vesna Golubović, D & G Solutions− Moderator: Valdete Idrizi

11:00 City presentation Mitrovica14:30 Panel discussion: Use of Social Media− Petrit Selimi, Deputy Minister of Foreign

Affairs− Selvije Kurti, civil society activist− Miloš Golubović, CBM− Moderator: Nancy Riordan

17:00 City presentation Derry/Londonderry18:30 Site visit: IBCM campus North

Tuesday, 24 September09:00 Site visit: IBCM campus South11:30 Discussion and response to IBCM site visits− Peter Neumann, IBCM− Dragan Tomić, SPARK− Moderator: Miloš Golubović, CBM

14:30 Panel discussion: Role of youth in rebuilding societies after conflict

− Ilir Deda, Director of KIPRED− Marina Ilić, Research Fellow at University of

Lille− Kenan Beqiri, National Democratic Institute

Mitrovica

− Aleksandar Sovrlić, Mitrovica Rock School− Moderator: Valdete Idrizi

16:15 Workshops about future cooperation− Moderators: Jan Behrens, Miloš Golubović, CBM

18:00 City presentation Kirkuk

Wednesday, 25 September09:30 City presentation Jerusalem11:00 City presentation Belfast14:30 Panel discussion: Youth activism− Raba Gjoshi, Youth Initiative for Human Rights

in Prishtina− Sanja Lazarević, European Center for Minority

Issues− Ardita Metaj Dika, Resident Advisor− Rick Lautenbach, Youth Urban Achievers− Fisnik Kumnova, Mediation Center Mitrovica− Moderator: Aferdita Sylaj, CBM

Thursday, 26 September09:00 City presentation Tripoli11:00 Panel discussion: Youth Education and

Entrepreneurship− Dragan Tomić, SPARK− Mirlinda Purrini, Women Association SHE-ERA − Blagica Radovanović, Professor at University of

Prishtina in Mitrovica− Moderator: Aferdita Sylaj, CBM

14:30 Site visit: North Mitrovica Administration Office

15:45 City presentation Kaduna17:30 City presentation Ramallah

Friday, 27 September09:00 Evaluation of workshops and discussion

about future projects− Moderators: Miloš Golubović, CBM, Allan

Leonard, Northern Ireland Foundation16:00 Presentation of pledges for joint project

ideas− Moderator: Allan Leonard, Northern Ireland

Foundation

15


Appendix

Call to ActionApril 14-16th, 2009

The Forum for Cities in Transition – whose members comprise four Cities (Derry/Londonderry, Kirkuk, Mitrovica, Nicosia) – meeting in Boston, 14-16 April 2009, affirmed its commitment to promoting understanding between member cities with the aim of encouraging mutual learning, dialogue and the resolution of conflict through non-violent methods.

Even though we face different problems, challenges, and contexts, cities in transition can both learn from, and offer lessons to, each other. We believe that this learning should be shared, so that cities in transition can use the resources and knowledge of others to address these challenges.

People from societies in transition are in the best position to help people in other societies in transition.

Basic Principles

The Forum identified basic principles upon which such positive outcomes can be achieved. We call onleaders to uphold and apply these principles in policymaking and service delivery, and to measure progress against them.

1) Respect for the dignity of every individual

2) Respect for the value of leadership in building trust and confidence across and within communities

3) Respect for human rights, equality, fairness and adherence to the rule of law, including fair treatment of minorities

4) Respect for the value of dialogue between conflicting parties according to context

Agreement

The participating cities affirmed:

1) That City to City workshops of this sort are effective, productive and valuable

2) That learning from each other’s successes and challenges is immensely empowering

3) That some external actors can act as an obstacle and a barrier to promoting joint working and problem solving

4) That they create a Forum for Cities in Transition, with those present becoming founding members

5) That the Forum’s purpose shall be to address common problems through expanding the pool of knowledge from which to draw practical lessons

6) To develop and maintain an active network of individuals and cities present for mutual benefit

7) To deepen and broaden the network by taking ownership of the Forum’s future, the individuals signing here agree to take steps to explore how each of the cities involved can plan to host future Forum annual events in their own territories in conjunction with civil society and educational institutions

8) That the Secretariat for the Forum shall initially be provided by the Moakley Chair and the Northern Ireland Foundation.

16


Appendix

Call to Action: Signatures

17


Appendix

Delegates’ Biographies

Emer Campbell (Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland)Profession: catererCurrent employment: catererSentence about yourself: I am 22 years old, I grew up in Derry, Northern Ireland. I recently

graduated from the University of Ulster with a degree in International Relations.Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− Through my volunteer work with the Peace & Reconciliation in Derry. I worked onseveral projects with the youth throughout the city. One of the biggest projects that Ifacilitated brought students from across the city to question their local politicians about issues that they have with our society. The event empowers the youth and they have the chance for their voice to be heard. We even expanded the event to Letterkenny and two in Belfast. Another project that I facilitated enabled from both communities in Derry to take ownership of their own learning about the troubles in Northern Ireland.

Cailin McVeigh (Belfast, Northern Ireland)Profession: Centre attendantCurrent employment: Belfast City CouncilSentence about yourself: I am 21 years old and work as a lifeguard and also teach children

with autism to swim.Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− I worked as a youth representative with a group called the Resisdents Jury to decidewhat was needed for the community in a piece of land they were regenerating.

− I work as a youth leader in the local Community Centre.− I am a member of the youth forum in Belfast− I am a member of a lifesaving club and I am team leader and talk to- guide the young members of the club.− I am a member of a cross community group for people my age in my area to meet and greet local

politicians to say what problems and what needs to be resolved.

Sarah Couser (Belfast, Northern Ireland)Profession: studentCurrent employment: customer assistant at a supermarketSentence about yourself: I am 22 years old and I am in my final year of university. I am

hoping to graduate with a first class honours degree in business with marketing.Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− Volunteer as a leader in a cross-community youth club.− Was part of organising workshops for young people in certain area of Belfast, e.g. arts

and crafts, place to hang out and get to know them.− Volunteer as a street pastor at the weekends, helping to keep Belfast a violent free city. Try to diffuse

conflicting situations with young people when they are out at night clubs at night.

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Appendix

Delegates’ Biographies (continued)

Melissa Wright (Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland)Profession: part-time youth workerCurrent employment: Londonderry YMCASentence about yourself: I work with young people from all backgrounds. I see it as my job to

connect the young people to forums which can represent positive solutions and alsocelebrate everybody’s diversity.

Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:− Created a cross-community Youth Chair.

Barry Pollin (Belfast, Northern Ireland)Profession: police inspectorCurrent employment: neighbourhood police dutiesSentence about yourself: I am the former Regional Police Commander for Mitrovica and

have been the Advisor to the Chief of Police for Basra, Iraq. I have 30 years policingexperience policing in cities in transition.

Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:− I create opportunities for young people through sport and manage the national

wrestling squads for Northern Ireland.

Aari Jabari (Kirkuk, Iraq)Profession: B.Sc. Industrial ManagementCurrent employment: Director General at INSAN Iraqi Society for Relief & Development

(Iraqi NGO)Sentence about yourself: Aari Najmuldeen Mohammed Jabari was born in Baghdad, Iraq. He

received his post graduate degree in computer science at the National Institute forComputers in Baghdad in 1998. He received a Bachelor’s degree in IndustrialManagement from Al Mansour University in Baghdad in 1996. Currently, Aari isPresident and Director General of INSAN Iraqi Society that has branches in Kirkuk andBaghdad. INSAN deals in the following issues: Conflict Management and Peacebuilding, Human Rights Education, Civil Society Capacity Building and Emergency Response and also coordinates a coalition of local NGOs in order to conduct advocacy campaigns. Past experiences include Movimiento por la Paz, el Desarme y la Liberdad, Médecins du Monde, Enfants du Monde – Droits de l’homme. He speaks Kurdish, Arabic and English.

Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:− Youth capacity building through vocational trainings such as; Computer installation and maintenance,

barber, hairdressing, mobile phone fixing, TV satellite fixing and installation, blacksmith, sewing and decorative etc.

− Income generation opportunities for youth who obtained new skills, up to 254 has opened their own business.

− Social media techniques and networking for youth to raise their attention towards peace building initiatives.

− Media and youth; training of youth journalists on conflict sensitive journalist, up to 50 obtained new skills− Social activities for youth such as: football tournaments, mobile theatre, music instruments, marathon,

wall painting and drawing peace symbols, planting trees etc.

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Sevar M. Rafiq (Kirkuk, Iraq)Profession: studentSentence about yourself: ambitious guy who wants to put the passion of love, brotherhood

and humility among his city citizensActivities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− I’m one of Kirkuk citizens which is a city in transition. I took part in many activitieswhich contributed to developing me and my fellow citizens.

− I have finished the English Access Micro-scholarship Program, a program of two years ofEnglish learning for Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen, funded by the USA

− I took part in a cleaning campaign for the streets of Kirkuk in 14/11/2011 (the day of Earth)− I took part as a volunteer in the Cities in Transition in Kirkuk in 2012

Joan Shekwolo James (Kaduna, Nigeria)Profession: peace advocateCurrent employment: teacher with Kindle School and volunteer youth field officer II with

Interfaith Mediation Centre representing Chikun local government areaSentence about yourself: I as a peace practitioner working with faith based organization

promoting trust and acceptance across ethno-religious dividesActivities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− I have been involved in promoting harmonious coexistence and encouraging interfaithdialogue among youth from different ethnic and religious affiliations. I have participated in the Harambeepeace camp organized by I of C and also in Generation for Peace program in Kaduna. I have used Television platform to promote interfaith dialogue, forgiveness and reconciliation among Muslim and Christian youth in my communities. At present, as a teacher and volunteer peace worker, I use the knowledge and skills acquired during the Harambee and Generation for Peace training programs to promote servant leadership and confidence building among youth’s groups.

Hayatu Nura Ashafa (Kaduna, Nigeria)Profession: peace advocateCurrent employment: volunteer youth officer II with Interfaith Mediation Centre

representing Kaduna South LGA and student at Bauchi State PolytechnicSentence about yourself: A peace advocate and student of computer science who believes in

peace and advocating for peaceful coexistence among youth groups in my community,school and willing to continue to preach and practice peace as an attitude everywhere Ifound myself.

Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:− Having participated in the Harambee I of C Leadership Program in Nigeria, peacebuilding trainings and

other conflict prevention initiatives by IMC, I have now formed interfaith peace club for the youth in my community, promoting coexistence to sustain the relative peace Kaduna city is experiencing. I am involved in interfaith enlightenment campaign collaborating with Sabon Gari Student Development Association, in promoting inclusive community and reading culture among youth groups. In partnership with other community youth associations, I was involved in creating safe space for all people to participate in conflict prevention activities such as interfaith community dialogue and peace clubs in schools.

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Shay Bialik (Jerusalem, Israel)Profession: student, social activist, spokesperson, guideCurrent employment: Merav Cohen, Jerusalem city council elective - Personal Assistant and

SpokespersonSentence about yourself: As I am more active for my city and community, I learn more. As I

learn more, I get more involved and active.Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− Spokesperson and new media developer, “OFEK”, the largest students’ association in theHebrew University

− Reut tSadaca- Young female politicians’ dialog- talk peace, make peace− Project Coordinator- Hebrew University students’ internships, with members the Israeli parliament. − Team leader and counselor - the Jerusalem education and community center for children in the Hebrew

University− Social Justice Struggle of Israel – Camp Site manager. Media and New-Media Manager and the district

Media coordinator− Youth Conference Take The Lead- International coordinator and counselor− Co-founder and Manager, the Jerusalem students’ Center for Public Diplomacy in New-Media.

Maisa Hamed (Jerusalem, Palestine)Profession: Social worker (child investigator)Current employment: social affairs ministrySentence about yourself: I have Experience working in front of an audience. Responsible

person, Tolerant, well-versed in many subjects, multitasked person with initiative. Teamwork ability and Excellent Human relations. Ability to work under pressure and meetdeadlines. Endurance, sticky target, assertive and quick absorption. Organization andmanagement capacity. Organized, flexible, and punctual person.

Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:− Youth Camp in Nazareth, Summer 2010- 2013− (Ages 8-13) Helping throughout devotional lessons for teenage students Counselor− "Children fight Cancer" camp in Nazareth with the Cancer association –2011 − Training Groups and helping children mentally and emotionally− At Yad-B-Yad group (Palestinians and Israelis together)- (group leader).

Uri Rosenberg (Haifa, Israel)Profession: studentSentence about yourself: I’m a 36 year-old “child”, exploring the world, exploring myself,

connecting to people and trying to make the world a little bit better.Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− I’ve been leading “Yad-Beyad” for the last 6 years. “Yad-Beyad” is a jointIsraeli-Palestinian group of young people from both sides of the conflict, meeting every1-2 months, discussing the political situation, sharing perspectives, learning about theother’s view and narrative, cooperating in projects as a mixed group and creating bridges of friendship between Israelis and Palestinians.

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Maya Darwich (Tripoli, Lebanon)Profession: Journalist & PRCurrent employment: Bisara7a magazine & editor for sama lebnein & Al wasata & al rayan

magazineSentence about yourself: I adore every works I do because I feel it's a challenge for me.Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− I work with my friends from 2 years in an association to help poor people andencourage all the youth in my city to participate with us.

Saly Shamra (Tripoli, Lebanon)Profession: Monitoring and Evaluation SpecialistCurrent employment: Office of Transition Initiatives – USAID Funded ProgramSentence about yourself: Saly Shamra is a 28 year old activist. She holds a degree in Nutrition

and Dietetics from the American University in Beirut. She is also part of an internationalorganization called Rotaract, which is an effort to bring peace and internationalunderstanding.

Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:− Youth Capacity building workshops on Leadership, municipal law, advocacy,

communication skills, proposal writing, needs assessment conducting etc.− Environmental Campaigns − Preparing peaceful sit-ins for peace messaging− Reacting in emergencies and mobilizing the local citizens− Peace messaging through arts and music− Peace building and conflict resolution workshops and camps including both sides of the conflict

Dana Sinan (Ramallah, Palestine)Profession: Business AdministrationCurrent employment: Project ManagerSentence about yourself: My name is Dana Sinan born and raised in Palestine in 9th

March1988. I work in my own project in Palestine that helps in developing mycommunity especially in what it goes through of the unjust Israeli occupation. I believe in the independence, women rights and equalities. I’m grateful for thisopportunity in participating in this FCT conference in which we will explore our mutualexperiences and get further communication.

Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:− Youth Women Association is my initiative project that is funded by Fast Forward (a Palestinian

organization) focuses on building the capacity of a group of young female graduates and undergraduates, and helping them in playing a vital role in the community. Such an experience has a great value to the participants as they were allowed the opportunity to gain leadership techniques.

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Diana Sinan (Ramallah, Palestine)Profession: FinanceCurrent employment: Project CoordinatorSentence about yourself: My name is Diana Sinan, a Palestinian female born in 28th

March,1991. I believe that as a youth girl I should give a hand in developing and revivingmy community with the experiences I will get here in Palestine, so I have startedworking at Leaders Organization (Ramallah, Palestine) after I have completed my BAstudies at Birzeit University with major in Finance& Banking (2012-2013). I got a goodknowledge there and met a very supporting people in the working environment.I’m very interested in travelling and meeting different people from different and various cultures generally and the FCT youth conference particularly, hopefully this conference will add to my experience and help me in the way of dealing and communicating with other people.Thanks to my family who taught me to follow my dreams, to be positive, cheerful, hard working, and to know exactly what I want to be in the future, this encouraged me to study hard and work harder.

Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:− I’m working in a project called Leadership Academy; it is an intensive training project for a one year

aimed in preparing young people for active participation and engagement in their community and leadinga positive social change. We develop a team of qualified core trainers in leadership who have the potential in improving their skills and the Palestinian political system, how to act and communicate with each other regardless of their gender, religion, race, or and discriminatory factor.

Manuela Petrović (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Profession: studentCurrent employment: not employedSentence about yourself: I am 23 years old, student of International Business College - Public

Administration spur and my plan is to finish my studies and start workingActivities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− There are many of them, starting from summer camps which through differentactivities bringing youth from all ethnics groups together, many training sessions abouthuman rights and advocacy , different issues with which we are facing with, conferencesand debates for searching the common solution for our problems and needs. Non formal education on high level in a past and I believe in future. But all these would be useless if is not applied in our lives. Me as an activist I’m sharing and spreading my experience and knowledge about respecting, cooperating and having a health and peaceful live in my society. This is not easy especially to work in area such is Mitrovica but young people as me need to stay together and work no matter on the circumstances and obstacles we have.

Tijana Kolutac (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Profession: studentCurrent employment: not employedSentence about yourself: I am student of International Business College Mitrovica, spur

International Sales and Marketing

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Stefana Stamenkovic (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Profession: studentCurrent employment: unemployedSentence about yourself: I am 21 year old. I am from Vranje- South Serbia, but I live in

Mitrovica, because of studying. I am student of 5th semester on Environmental andAgricultural Management at International Business College Mitrovica- IBCM. As an IBCMstudent, I had opportunity to work with people of different background, to introducemyself with public sector in practice way, to be included in certain projects; during theinternship period at Secretariat for Inspection and Environmental Protection in Vranje,department for Environment.

Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:− During the starting study, 3 years before, I was faced with problems which had Mitrovica citizenship.

Because of that I was starting to participate in workshops, educational trainings and seminars in different NGOs in order to try to empower myself and youth around me. Experience gained in that way I share with all young acquaintances.

− Based on that, me and my friends founded NGO “Young European Leaders Society” in my born city, in order motivating and supporting young people trough different kind of projects.

Vladislav Stevanovic (Mitrovica, Kosovo) Profession: JuristCurrent employment: Student Service Assistant at the International Business College

Mitrovica (IBCM)Sentence about yourself: “The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a

captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.”Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− Before I started working at the International Business College Mitrovica (IBCM) I wasvolunteering in the NGO “Center for Kosovo Society Depolitization” in which we implanted a number of projects aimed at harmonizing the complex relationships between the two major communities in Kosovo after war. We have also worked with marginalized communities like the Roma and Ashkali minorities in order to integrate them in the society. After that I worked as assistant secretary in the Economic High School in Ranilug (Kosovo) and after a year I got employed in the International Business College Mitrovica.IBCM is a project which promotes education as a way to bring closer the communities in Kosovo. And I cansay that so far we have made big improvements in Mitrovica, a city known for its divide. We have now students who are asking for teachers from other nationalities because they are simply good lecturers. Alsothe students often form mixed groups when they want to protest about something. So in a way I believe that the place in which I work represents a beacon of light which will lead this troubled region into a brighter future.

Bojana Trajkovic (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Profession: studentCurrent employment: Internship in EU information center MitrovicaActivities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− With my colleagues I create a club called the Wake up club, which was a place whereyoung people could watch movies and hanging out.

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Danijela Peric (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Profession: studentActivities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− I’m working on a project to increase public awareness on environmental degradationand problems in Mitrovica.

Erdina Mustafi (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Profession: studentCurrent employment: Internship in EU information center MitrovicaActivities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− Establishing a club for students and young people, with focus on extracurricularactivities.

Berat Hajdari (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Profession: studentSentence about yourself: Berat Hajdari is born on 25 February 1992 in Mitrovica. He is

studying at University of Pristina, Faculty of Education - History and Civic EducationProgram. He is becoming very active on civil society sector, not only in volunteering fordifferent issues, but also by giving his contribution to the community where he lives. Byattending lot of trainings, workshops and debate, Berat gained enough experience oncivic activism. As a young person, he is very motivated to take initiatives in order toimprove the environment where he lives. Since the primary school, he has been part ofPupils’ City Council, and then in the Gymnasium he has been participating actively in different events organized by the School Council. Now, he is becoming a very responsible citizen, who believes that he has the chance and ability to change a lot of things by being active and productive. He believes that his future is in his hand and no one else can determine it.

Mergim Memoviq (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Profession: VolunteerCurrent employment: CBM - Community Building MitrovicaSentence about yourself: My name is Mergim Memoviq and I am student of English language

and literature. I am part of volunteer activities in my country for very long time, and Ienjoy when I do that. I like to help my community.

Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:− One of them was named Youth Spirit, we worked a lot to make new artists. Other was

called Rilindja, movement which helped poor people and also we had other projectsfrom cultural to education. Now I am part of CBM and we work in the field of debate and some other activities which target youngsters from our high schools.

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Marija Golubovic (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Profession: studentCurrent employment: noneSentence about yourself: Eager to make changes in the worldActivities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− The conference is one of the best examples of those activities. Besides that I attendantmany trainings and seminars in which I succeeded to change myself and to try influencein my surroundings.

Milivoje Raicevic (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Profession: English language and literature studentCurrent employment: program OfficerSentence about yourself: Reliable, trustworthy ambicious guy with a clear goal for the better

future.Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− Seminars, debates, policy advocacy papers, conferences, youth exchange programs.

Selvije Kurti (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Profession: Student Current employment: n/a Sentence about yourself: Is my passion to study and work on these fields: civil society,

community research, youth and volunteerism, democracy, international relations,cultural studies, conflict resolution, divided communities, critical thinking and socialmedia.

Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country: − Coordinator of Regional Youth Group of CBM YGCBM- Youth Group Community Building Mitrovica

“Education for Human Rights and Active Citizenship in Western Balkans” regional project (ex Yugoslavia countries), supported by Helsinki Committee.

− Kosovo Inter-ethnic Youth Leadership and Community Building" Coordinator – Advocate Group - NationalDemocratic Institute – NDI NGO

Besnik Voca (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Sentence about yourself: I was born on 17.06.1993 in Mitrovica. Primary and High school

completed in Mitrovica. I study Law in Law Faculty in Prishtina, in second year now. Myhobby is football and my favourite team is Inter from Milano/Italy. My favorite player isMateo Kovacic. Usually free time is spent watching football and reading different books.I’m part of youth forums, I attend in different activities.

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Suzana Beqiri (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Profession: Student at International Business College Mitrovica and Faculty of Education Current employment: Intern at Mitrovica Women Association for Human Rights Sentence about yourself: I have born on 20. 09. 1990 in Mitrovica, I have finished primary and

secondary school in Mitrovica. Now I am studying Public Administration at InternationalBusiness College Mitrovica. I also study English language at University of Prishtina.

Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:− I was volunteer at Red Cross in Mitrovica − I am part of Youth Group at Community Building Mitrovica (CBM).− I have participated in: Youth Securing the Future project − Project for the Advocacy against Smoking − Participated in 21st Regional Human Rights School − Participated in 22nd Regional Human Rights School − Participated in 23rd Regional Human Rights School − PCM- Training Project Cycle Management − School of entrepreneurship

Milizza Kosova (Mitrovica, Kosovo)

− Profession: Sociologist− Current employment: unemployed− Sentence about yourself: I was born and raised in Mitrovica, where I finished primary and

high school. I attended University of Prishtina, where I studied Sociology. I love readingall the time, and listening music.

− Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:− I worked as a coordinator in NGO “7 arte” mostly on cultural events such as Green Music

Festival-Mitrovica “Gjuj Art” promoting different art activities in awareness for environment . I am also a forum member in Human Rights Education for Active Citizenship in Western Balkans , mostly active on a campaign for different awareness such as Breast Cancer, Stop using weapons, Gender Equality, and Human Rights in general.

Stefan Radovanović (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Profession: Law studentCurrent employment: Technical support at NGO Santa MarijaSentence about yourself: Law Student from Zvečan. I am constantly involved in cultural

events and I'm glad to help society communicative, positive and ready to essentialwork.

Activities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:− peer mediation 2008 in Kosovska Mitrovica, Workshop camp for multiethnic

coexistence, Volunteer Management and old people, Youth human rights school.

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Zana Syla (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Profession: StudentCurrent employment: unemployedActivities on which you worked to empower youth in your city/country:

− Vice-president of Gymnasium “Frang Bardhi”-2012-2013, cordiantor of “KOHA”movement-ngo-2012, part of debate club of Mitrovica -2013, Organizer of Fair scienceand culture- 2013

Labinot Musliu (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Sentence about yourself: I was born in 09.05.1994 in Mitrovice, attended elementary school

“Migjeni” and Medicine High School in Mitrovice. Now I study Politics Science atUniversity of Prishtina in Prishtina. Doing a lot of volenteer jobs, and part of civilsociety in different activities.

Marigona Kelmendi (Mitrovica, Kosovo)Sentence about yourself: I was born in 15.06.1994 in Mitrovice, attended elementary school

“Migjeni”and High school “Frang Bardhi” Gymnasium in Mitrovice. Now student in thefirst year at Law Faculity ,University “Hasan Prishtina”. Started being part of civil societyat 2010 with the Karl Popper Debate Club of Mitrovica ,part of CBM(Community BuildingMitrovica),than continued with activities and trainings with NDI(National DemocraticInstitute), and a lot of other active groups as well.

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Appendix

Welcome Speech of Atifete Jahjaga, President of Kosovo

Honored Mayor Kastrati,

Honored Deputy Minister Selimi,

Honored Ambassador Jacobsson

Honored Ambassador Braathu,

Honored Ms. Idrizi,

Honored Ms. Golubovic,

Honored participants,

Beloved youth,

I have the pleasure to be here today among you, young men and women from Belfast,

Derry/Londenderry, Tripoli, Kirkuk, Kaduna, Nicosia/Lefkosha, Jerusalem, Mostar, and certainly

among you, young men and women from Mitrovica, under the framework of one of the most

important initiatives regarding the noble goal it aims to fulfill.

I congratulate you all who have supported and made possible the youth dimension of the forum of

cities in transition, and for the support you have shown to the vision of Adriana and Milos. Vision

which without any doubt reflects the forward-looking and the ambitious spirit of the youth, who

know no fear and dare to hope beyond any barriers.

I welcome you all, young men and women, who come from different cities, but carry on your

shoulders similar burdens and face similar challenges of separation and exclusion, which

unfortunately are keeping hostage your perspectives for a better life.

However from here, from the city of Mitrovica, which unfortunately is divided in the middle,

together you are sending strong messages of tolerance, understanding and peaceful coexistence. You

who are sending strong messages that diversity is a value which should unite us and which enriches a

society, a country.

Therefore we, the leaders of our countries should be proud of you, of our youth, for your

commitment to speak openly about the difficulties and exchange experiences by taking upon

yourselves the burden and the responsibility to build together a better future, different from that of

today, from that of yesterday.

It is the divided cities which remind us of a bitter past, with have left behind serious consequences,

consequences which in many cases are still present. They reminder us of the danger which comes

from exclusion and refusal to accept and respect one another, to accept and respect diversity.

Above all they reminder us how important peace is, how fragile it can often be and how difficult it is

to be built on ruins of destruction, the trust between people.

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Welcome Speech of Atifete Jahjaga, President of Kosovo (continued)

Our societies in Eastern Europe have generally been exclusionary and now the time has come to

create an inclusive environment that builds the future without forgetting the past.

You bring along your experiences, encounters and efforts of the lives of the divided cities, which as

such have frozen the conflict creating a continuous situation of anxiety, tension and dysfunction.

It is this situation which we aim to change by building bridges of communication and trust between

citizens and between them and the institutions of the country. We aim to restore the unitary identity

of the city and to incite the sense of belonging, respect and responsibility to every citizen towards

the city, the society and the country.

In Kosovo, despite the difficulties and challenges, our vision remains clear. We are committed

towards a forward looking future, learning from the past and not allowing it to repeat itself. We

remain committed to make Kosovo a country in service of its citizens regardless of one’s ethnicity or

religion. And to regard our multi-ethnicity and multiculturalism as the value of our society, of our

state, which we so proudly share with others.

We have taken important steps on this road of ours, still much remains to be done. Yet we are more

than ever determined to remove any barriers between our citizens and between the citizens and the

institutions of our country.

The majority in Kosovo has its responsibility towards all communities and in particular towards the

Serb community, to help and facilitate their inclusion in the institutional and social life of Kosovo.

And above all to remove any doubts or disbelief, for this country is for all of us, for all the citizens

who live in it. Communities have their responsibilities and obligations, together with all the citizens

of the country, to build a better life for themselves and for everyone else, in the framework of a new

Kosovo that respects the dignity of each and every one.

We are going towards an electoral process, a process which in addition to the test of democracy, to

hold free and democratic elections, it should pass the test of comprehensive inclusion and massive

participation of citizens of all communities for them to exercise their rights to elect their legal and

legitimate representatives. And this process must be a free and democratic process which will help

the citizens of Kosovo to be part of the democratic road towards the European integration.

While cases of attack like the one last Thursday, where a EULEX officer was killed, want to incite

feelings of fear and insecurity, but we will not allow the narrow interests of criminal groups to keep

hostage and dictate the future of our citizens and the stability of our country.

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Welcome Speech of Atifete Jahjaga, President of Kosovo (continued)

Dear young men and women,

We can achieve the change we want to see by working together, by listening to one another, taking

upon our responsibilities and fulfilling them, the responsibilities towards our common future.

We live in a time when the boundaries between countries are becoming ever more invisible, and the

free movement of people, the access to information are softening the divisions between us while

diversity is becoming a value of cities, societies and states.

Thus I encourage you all to see diversity as a value and to promote it as such. Only inclusion,

tolerance and understanding between people will safeguard peace and give citizens opportunities for

a life full of opportunities.

Before I close I want to leave you with some words of Nelson Mandela:

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his

religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love

comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

And let your love for the city of Mitrovica, either on the south or the north of the Ibar river, be part

of the love for a common future, yours and ours, which will help us overcome the difficulties of the

past. This is the common future which we will all build little by little, and make Mitrovica a city,

where there are no divisions and where trust reins.

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Welcome Remarks of Prof. Padraig O’Malley

Dear Adriana & Milos & Valdete,

It saddens me greatly that I am unable to be with you today as you welcome Her Excellency President

Atifete Jahjaga & the delegates from 10 cities that are either in conflict, emerging from it or in some

stage of transition from a legacy of violence to a future that the youth of the cities gathered here –

Kirkuk, Nicosia, Derry~Londonderry, Belfast, Jerusalem, Tripoli, Kaduna, Mostar, Ramallah &

Mitrovica - cities that span four continents, different cultures & ethnicities, different religions &

national allegiances will shape.

You were born into conflicts that were not of your making, yet have had to bear many of the

consequences. Over 50 percent of the world’s population is under 30 years of age: you are here to

speak on their behalf.

Your voices have too often been held in check while your elders have continued to squabble & relive

the conflicts of yesterday & glorify the unrestrained indulgence in violence that once engulfed your

societies. Their sights are often fixated on pasts they cannot escape from but pasts from which you

can unshackle yourselves, break the bondage of the competing “isms” you were exposed to from

birth.

It is a cliché to say that the future is yours, but how you shape that future, beginning here in

Mitrovice/Kosovoska Mitrovica how you begin to explore the ways in which you can reinvent your

cities as beacons of hope & possibility, according each other parity of esteem, committing yourselves

to upholding the sanctity of human life & the inviolate sacredness of human rights & with an iron

fisted determination to ensure that you will find here in the next week the means to work together, a

collective of different cultures molded into an instrument of action dedicated to abhorring the

tyranny of ideas that evolve into tyrannies of conflict.

The Arab Spring was inspired by the idealism of young people, not your wishy-washy kind of idealism

but from an idealism grounded in coldly calculated realism. The youth who called out to each other

using social media in all its forms to communicate that 30 years of dictatorship & repression were

enough & the power of the people in their hundreds of thousands massed into the confines of Tahrir

Square in a demonstration of massive nonviolence forced H0sni Mubarak from office & for the first

time in the better part of 5 years Egyptians had their first taste of freedom & queued for miles &

waited for eight hours or more to cast their ballots for the first time.

That revolution unfortunately was followed by a counter revolution by the military ousting the first

democratically elected president in Egypt from office.

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Welcome Remarks of Prof. Padraig O’Malley (continued)

But the youth is undeterred & the impact of their actions reverberated across the globe. They were

the agents of unprecedented change. With their actions they unleashed a cycle of change across

North Africa. The old order is dead. The new order that will take its place is not yet fully developed

but it is up to the youth to forge the changes.

You, too, are the agents of change in your cities. Many of your cities have been devastated by

self-inflicted violence, paralyzed by the ghosts of the old order & wearing the scars of intercommunal

warfare. This is your legacy. Hostility simmers under the surface of politeness. This is what you must

change. You are step children of violent generations. You have to take the lead in the effort to

eradicate the parasites of hatred & vengeance that preclude your recovery & healing; you must lead

your elders into an era of reconciliation where the remnants of old grievances & resentment are

finally erased & communities once so bitterly divided act for the common good of all, for equality in

the distribution of services, of resources, of the opportunities to realize the potential of yourselves as

individuals. None of this is easily done.

Which is why you are here as part of the Forum for Cities in Transition first youth forum where each

of you can learn from the experiences of others; together you create a support system that allows you

to collectively persist & overcome obstacles that individually you my fail.

You are at the frontiers of technological change that has already transformed the ways in which we

work & live & communicate. Many of you cannot imagine a world without smart phones, tablets,

iPhones, androids, the interconnectivity of Facebook, the instantaneousness of twitter. In a decade

they will be obsolete, replaced by technologies still more advanced.

This is your world. You are the vanguard of the unimaginable.

I hope you will depart Mitrovicë/Mitrovica enriched, enthralled, imbued with the spirit of

togetherness, inspired to move forward with next year’s youth forum & full of spontaneous gratitude

for the example Mitrovicë/Kosovska Mitrovica has yet again set & fully committed to carrying out

the projects you have agreed. For without the hard work that goes into implementing outcomes you

will be doing yourselves an injustice.

With my most sincere hope that you will succeed, not for the sake of the FCT or the youth forum but

for yourselves.

33


Appendix

Post-Conference Activities

After implementing Conference CBM and D&GS started on developing Conference report that is

presented on 5th Annual Forum for Cities in Transition Conference held in Kaduna Nigeria. Report

presented concern of the youth in divided societies, obstacles but also good practices in solving of

the youth issues.

From November 4th, until November 8th, fourth annual conference was held in Nigeria, Kaduna. For

that purpose Mitrovica Forum was represented by Sadije Jashari, Ardiana Osmani and Milos

Golubovic. On the November 5th, panel discussion with topic “Mitrovica & Kaduna Cities Getting

Youth Engagement in the Peace & Reconciliation Process” where Youth Forum leaders presented

Youth Forum and shared it how it was organized and about future steps of the Youth Forum. On same

panel it was also presented all agreed projects and mutual actions which will be implemented until

next Youth Conference. In that manner Youth Forum leaders also asked for support for Youth

delegations how they could work on fulfilling commitments on which they pledged in Mitrovica. On

the same panel Kaduna Youth delegations presented their point of view about Youth Conference and

stressed out that how important is that Youth Forum gets support from all delegations. Kaduna Youth

delegation announced that they will take to organize next youth conference that will be held in

Kaduna, Nigeria next year. In that regard all delegations support youth conference and pledge that

they will work closely with their youth groups and to send delegations on next youth conference.

Kaduna Forum also took part in commitment that they will help in organizing event.

Mitrovica Forum representatives also took part in other panel discussion who we could share best

practices and to establish further cooperation beyond agreed on plane discussions. In that regard

Baghdad delegation expressed their interest to come in Mitrovica/Kosovo on study visit how they

could learn about youth projects. Funding for this study visits is responsibility of Baghdad delegation

where Mitrovica Forum will be responsible for organizing visits. Also in correspondence with Charles

Senott co-founder and Vice-President of Global Post from Boston it was discussed about training

from 20 young people both from North and South will be trained by Global Post journalism trainers

how they could become journalists’ reporters.

On the last day Mitrovica Forum committed about projects that will be developed and implemented

by next year which are:

− Support next youth conference – Mitrovica delegations pledge that they will work closely with

Kaduna Youth Forum in organizing next Youth Conference. Mitrovica Forum will provide their

expertise in organizing this type of events and to guide them in overall organizing process.

34


Appendix

Post-Conference Activities (continued)

− Supporting youth delegations in fulfilling their commitments – Mitrovica Youth leaders with

continue to work with young delegations who attended Youth Conference in capacity of FCT

Youth Forum Secretariat and monitoring, advising and helping in implementation of agreed

activities and projects.

− Send youth football team to Foyle Cup in Derry/Londonderry – In cooperation with

Derry/Londonderry delegation Mitrovica will send youth football club where they will have

opportunity to presente their talents to some of the leading football such as: Manchester United,

Everton, Celtic and many more.

− Mitrovica Rock School visiting Tripoli – Mitrovica Forum will serve as a bridge between Mitrovica

Rock School and Tripoli in preparing visits of Mitrovica Rock School. Tripoli delegation will

propose actions for implementing this activity.

− Project of Youth exchange between Mitrovica, Tripoli, Palestine and Ramallah – where delegations

will come together for a project proposal that will be submitted and implemented. Project will

include various internships, educational staff, scholarships, youth workers and beyond. All

delegations will equally take part in writing and implementing activities.

Mitrovica delegations in discussion with delegations from Northern Ireland to start developing other

activities and cooperation between cities regarding youth projects in overall creation of the new

opportunities for youth in cities.

CBM and D&GS continued with cooperation with FCT secretariat on developing and implementation

agreed in Mitrovica but also in Kaduna. As Mitrovica took responsibility to work closely with youth

forum on implementing agreed project. In purpose of easier monitoring of activities of the youth

group Youth Forum Secretariat was established together with representative of Tripoli, Northern

Ireland and Mitrovica.

Implementing organizations are in regular contact with youth delegations that came in Mitrovica but

also made contact with other cities willing to join youth movement. Beside nine cities that

participated in Mitrovica there are two new cities that expressed their interest to be part. Baghdad

and Mostar agreed to send their representatives on next youth conference. FCT secretariat together

with Youth secretariat is working on engaging rest of the member cities in youth forum and to

expand youth movement as much as possible.

Fifth annual FCT conference will take place in Belfast, 2014 where second annual Youth Conference

will take place in Kaduna 2014.

35


Appendix

Conference Budget

Budget items(summarised project budget in EUR)

Unit Unit cost Quantity Total

PROJECT DIRECT COSTS

Project Coordinators (North and South) month 500,00 12 6.000,00Project Support Officer month 350,00 3 1.050,00Finance/Administrative Officer (40% of Salary) month 312,00 6 1.872,00Subtotal 8.922,00

LOCAL and INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERS Per diem day 20,00 200 4.000,00Airline trnasportation Umass Boston volunteer return ticket 1.100,00 1 1.100,00Airline trnasportation Belfast volunteer return ticket 594,00 1 594,00T-Shirts shirt 7,20 100 720,00Subtotal 6.414,00

CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS TRANSPORT & ACCOMODATIONAirline transportation for participants (return tickets)Kirkuk return ticket 565,00 2 1.130,00Nicosia return ticket - 2 - Derry return ticket - 2 - Belfast return ticket - 2 - Jerusalem return ticket 805,00 3 2.415,00Mostar return ticket - 2 - Tripoli return ticket 801,00 2 1.602,00Ramalah return ticket 989,50 2 1.979,00Kaduna return ticket 1.952,50 2 3.905,00Hotel Accomodation half board Hotel Palace 30 rooms, 6 nights

participant perday

60,00 180 10.800,00

Meals for all participants (lunch, coffee) (50 participants x 5 days)

participant perday

25,00 250 6.250,00

Subtotal 28.081,00

CULTURAL CENTRERenovation of the Conference Room in Cultural Center (CBM, Municipality of Mitrovica)

lump sum 70.000,00 1 64.530,25

Subtotal 64.530,25

CONFERENCE VENUE LOGISTICSStationary for Conference participants participant 20,00 60 1.200,00Translation Albanian/Serbian/English lump sum 500,00 2 1.000,00Renting Conference space day 150,00 5 750,00Translational equipment day 196,00 5 980,00Transport of delegates lump sum 1.500,00 1 1.500,00Subtotal 5.430,00

36


Appendix

Conference Budget (continued)

Budget items(summarised project budget in EUR)

Unit Unit cost Quantity Total

CONFERENCE EVENTSFormal dinner delegate 20,00 100 2.000,00Opening cocktail delegate 10,00 100 1.000,00Tourist activities tour - - - Rock School concert lump sum 800,00 1 800,00Subtotal 3.800,00

VISIBILITYDevelopment and printing of Conference Banners - large

banner 450,00 1 450,00

Development and printing of Conference Banners - medium, mobile stand

banner 120,00 2 240,00

Development and printing of the participants handouts

pc 7,50 80 600,00

Development and printing of the Conference Posters pc 6,50 80 520,00Designer costs design 200,00 3 600,00Photographer day 25,00 5 125,00Subtotal 2.535,00

PROJECT SUPPORT COSTSTransport costs month 80,00 6 480,00Communication costs - Internet month 50,00 6 300,00Communication costs - telephone month 80,00 6 480,00Office Stationary month 50,00 6 300,00Office in Mitrovica North (DG Solutions in kind) month 150,00 6 900,00Unexpected costs lump sum - 1 - Subtotal 2.460,00FOLLOW UP PROJECT COSTSTickets for Youth Forum leaders for Conference in Kaduna, Nigeria

return ticket 2700,00 2,00 5400,00

Subtotal 5400,00

Total project cost (EUR) 127.572,25

Overheads @ 6% 3395,52

Total 130.967,77

37

Documents

FCT Youth 2013 - Report