OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities chairs Bujanovac Department Stakeholders’ meeting, holds consultations in Belgrade

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov visited Serbia from 12 to 15 September 2023 to chair the Stakeholders’ Meeting of the Bujanovac Department of the Subotica Faculty of Economics of the University of Novi Sad and to hold consultations with Serbian authorities on the country’s efforts to promote integration of its diverse society.

On 15 September, Abdrakhmanov chaired the 14th Stakeholders’ Meeting of the Bujanovac Department together with OSCE Mission to Serbia Head Jan Braathu. The stakeholders reviewed the latest enrolment figures and discussed promotional activities and ways to help graduates advance their careers, including through partnerships with the business community.

They also discussed the preliminary findings of a recent assessment on how to improve the teaching and learning of Serbian as a non-mother tongue in southern Serbia, which was conducted by the office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities and the Government of Serbia Co-ordination Body for the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja. 

“The Bujanovac Department remains central to promoting social cohesion in the region. The continued investment by the Stakeholders’ Committee aims to ensure that students attain the best quality education in both languages and leave the university equipped to fully participate in social and economic life,” said the High Commissioner.  

The Bujanovac Department was established in 2011 to address the lack of higher education opportunities in the Albanian language, as well as to improve students’ proficiency in the state language. The department also serves to stimulate interaction among youth from different ethnic backgrounds and to support economic development in southern Serbia. Between 2011 and 2022, 1,088 students (571 girls and 517 boys) were enrolled in the BA programmes.

In Belgrade, the High Commissioner met with President of the National Assembly Vladimir Orlić, First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić, Education Minister Slavica Đukić Dejanović, Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue Minister Tomislav Žigmanov, Commissioner for the Protection of Equality Brankica Janković, Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church His Holiness Porfirije, and other officials.

During these meetings, the High Commissioner acknowledged Serbia’s comprehensive legal framework to accommodate the interests of national minorities and discussed recent developments in this respect.

In particular, Abdrakhmanov commended the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue on its consultations with all national minorities and its efforts to achieve measurable results toward societal integration. In this regard, he said, he looked forward to the finalization of the revised Action Plan on National Minorities.

Discussions in Belgrade also touched on Serbia’s role in regional stability, its connection with ethnic Serbs in the region, and the effect bilateral relations can have on relations with ethnic groups living in Serbia.

During his visit, the High Commissioner also met with representatives of the Albanian community, including the president of the National Minority Council, to listen to their concerns, priorities and views.