Human Rights Day – a reminder to decision makers

On the occasion of the International Day of Human Rights, and in view of the upcoming Kosovo national elections on December 12, Youth Initiative for Human Rights and Civil Rights Defenders (formerly Swedish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights) call upon all political parties in Kosovo to increase their efforts in promoting the respect for Human Rights. Human Rights should be a priority to all political parties and not least a priority in the work of a newly elected Parliament.Human Rights constitutes the core values and principles of democratic societies based on rule of law. This is something Kosovo should aspire to meet the soonest. Moreover respect for human rights is a basic condition that needs to be met for closer integration with the European Union.

We call upon all political parties to not forget these principles during the election campaign and after the elections and to seriously work towards promoting these principles regardless of what their positions might be after the elections.