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The Structured Dialogue for Diaspora Rights (SDDR) is an initiative supported by the Democratic Society Promotion (DSP) project, financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Kosovo and managed by Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KCSF). This initiative aims to establish a collaboration between communities living abroad and public institutions in Kosovo, using contemporary technologies and informal channels of collective advocacy; by facilitating a two-way discussion between the Diaspora communities and Kosovo institutions on key national public policies.

GERMIN utilizes the new technologies, and a strong network created through SDDR to advocate for the diaspora voting rights, which includes more than 250 organizations, and over 25,000 community members regarding voting procedures and deadlines. As a DSP grantee, GERMIN has had an impact on a policy level, public discourse, structural aspect and representation of Diaspora voices into policy-making through their direct engagement and feedback mechanisms created. GERMIN has established a diaspora professionals task force and has been recognized numerous times for its approach and progress. 

Goals:

  • Greater social and political rights amongst Kosovo Diaspora members in their home country.
  • Better representation in the Kosovo policy-making processes
  • Improvements on the voting procedures,  including voting in embassies and consulates and mailing votes to the respective country embassies instead of mail to Kosovo. One of the amendments in the draft law which allowed the registration of the voters via email, was implemented in 2017 for the first time.
  • Easing of the administrative and bureaucratic procedures for the Diaspora members in their home country
  • An amendment regarding the “Green card policy”, a tax for vehicles entering from EU countries in Kosovo

Activities:

  • 10 Focus Groups in 2016-2017 with Diaspora members in the countries where the greatest concentration of the Albanian community is, to learn more about their needs and potential regarding to their home country (Lausanne, Oslo, Vienna, London, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Koln, Stuttgart, New York, Washington D.C.)
  • Diaspora Flet Conference (2018) – a four day Conference which gathered over 150 diaspora members from 24 countries around the world.
  • In 2019, GERMIN was part of the parliamentary working group for amending the Law on Elections, which was initiated by the Committee on Legislation, Mandates, Immunities, Rules of Procedure of the Assembly and the Oversight of the Anti-Corruption Agency; the initiation of law amendment came as a direct demand from diaspora representatives during the conference in the Parliament of Kosovo.
  • The Diaspora Task Force, which was created during the SDDR proposed numerous amendments to the draft law, including voting in embassies and consulates and mailing votes to the respective country embassies instead of mail to Kosovo; the constitutional elections rights.