Italian Cooperation in the country

The Italian Cooperation has been present in Kosovo since 1999, with the aim of promoting the cultural, economic, political, social and educational development of the Country through the involvement of national and local institutions, civil society and the international community.

The intervention in the Country took place in the post-conflict phase, with the development of humanitarian aid programs in favor of vulnerable groups, and then progressively moved towards strengthening civil society and consolidating the governance capacities of central and locals institutions.

In line with the commitments undertaken at international level, Italy 
has promoted over time the continuous and consistent presence of Italian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), through a multiplicity of initiatives and projects aimed at improving the conditions of the population in the Country.

Historically, the main areas of intervention have been: support to 
public administration, inter-ethnic dialogue, vocational education and training, employment, health, environment, agriculture, disability and protection of cultural heritage.

In the most recent phase, the Italian Cooperation's commitment focused on some sectors in particular, such as protection of health and agriculture, with particular reference to the field of food safety.

Strategic development document in the country

The reference document regarding the country's development strategies is the "National Development Strategy 2016-2021 (NDS)".

The Italian strategy and the areas of intervention

The Italian commitment, in recent times, focused on two particular sectors: health protection and phytosanitary standards. As regards the health sector, the project "Support to the Kosovo health system" is currently ongoing and it intends to make the cardiac surgery department of the Pristina University Clinic fully operational. In addition to providing equipment, instruments and consumables, the project aims at training local staff with the technical assistance of Italian Hospital Companies.

Regarding the phytosanitary standards, the project "KOSAGRI - Strengthening the Kosovo Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development (MAFRD) for the improvement of the fruits & vegetables production according to EU standards", implemented by CIHEAM - Bari (IAMB) , with the aim of assisting the local Ministry in the process of integration in the European Union facilitating the adoption of European standards on food safety.

Alignment with the local government strategy and harmonization with donor community interventions

As far as the agricultural sector is concerned, the strategic reference document, to which the Italian intervention is aligned, is the "Agriculture and Rural Development Plan, ARDP 2009-2013". Regarding the health sector, the reference sector strategy is "Health Sector Strategy 2017 - 2021".

Goals and expected results

The Italian Cooperation intends to strengthen and enhance the results obtained in the two specific areas of intervention. In particular, as regards the health protection sector, the transfer of the next tranche of financing is expected, in order to complete the project activities. With regard to the phytosanitary standards, consultations are ongoing to continue the financial support on EU funds with the aim of enhancing and consolidating the results obtained so far with a view to future developments on the issue.

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