Inclusive and Accountable Representation

Inclusive and Accountable Representation is a five-year activity that works to: 1) increase gender equality in government leadership, representation, and responsiveness; 2) strengthen the Kosovo Assembly’s post-legislative scrutiny capacity; and 3) strengthen the information integrity and resilience to information disorders. By doing so, this activity contributes to USAID’s overall goal of better serving citizens’ needs through accountable and effective governance.

Activities  

• Increase women’s representation in public office through skills- and network-building opportunities, inclusion dialogues, mentorship resources, media engagement, and recruitment programs. 
• Support gender-responsive legislative and fiscal policies by providing government leadership with technical assistance, research, and access to strategic networks.
• Strengthen the Kosovo Assembly’s oversight mandate through the functionalization of an independent Parliamentary Institute, responsible for providing library/archival services, conducting citizen outreach, and furnishing unbiased research to lawmakers. 
• Promote greater information integrity in the political sphere by strengthening civil society’s capacity to detect disinformation, creating public campaigns to combat malign influence, advancing regulatory reforms to hold culprits accountable, and organizing national and regional forums. 

Expected Results  

• Advocated for the Assembly to adopt the legal framework for the Parliamentary Institute, a new unit that will provide essential services to Members of Parliament with regard to their representation, law-making, and oversight functions. 
• Increased opportunities for women to engage in politics and the political arena.
• Enhanced political parties’ and media’s internal processes to ensure inclusion of women, marginalized communities, people with disabilities, youth, ethnic and religious minorities, and LGBTQI+ persons.
• The Assembly of Kosovo provides professional services leading to more informed decisions for Members of Parliament through research and budget analyses. 
• Combat information disorders within party structures and develop strategies for their online communications contributing to political party information integrity. 
• Strengthened civil society organizations to more effectively monitor, debunk, and combat information disorders. 

Additional Information 

PROJECT FUNDING 
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID/Kosovo) 
Swiss Development Cooperation Agency (SDC) 

PROJECT DURATION 
November 2022 – November 2027

IMPLEMENTING PARTNER
National Democratic Institute  

TOTAL FUNDING 
$15,000,000 
(including $5,000,000 SDC contribution)

KEY COUNTERPARTS
National Assembly of Kosovo, political parties, Aktiv, Action for Democracy Society/Hibrid, civil society, local media, Central Election Commission

WHERE WE WORK 
Nationwide 

CONTACT 
Albana Kusari, Project Management Specialist