UNICEF Kosovo Programme Strategy 20212025

Overview

The UNICEF Kosovo Programme Strategy for 20212025 sets out a comprehensive roadmap for improving the wellbeing of children and their families in the Republic of Kosovo. Built on a rightsbased approach, the strategy aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and Kosovos national development priorities. It reflects a fiveyear period of learning from the 20152020 cycle, new demographic trends, and emerging challenges such as the COVID19 pandemic, climate change, and increasing migration flows.

Vision & Mission

Vision: A Kosovo where every child enjoys their rights, thrives in a safe environment, and reaches their fullest potential.

Mission: To work with the Government of Kosovo, civil society, the private sector and communities to protect children, promote equitable access to quality services, and strengthen the capacities of institutions that safeguard childrens rights.

Strategic Areas

The strategy is organized around four interlinked strategic areas that together address the most pressing needs of children in Kosovo.

1. Child Survival & Development

• Reduce underfive mortality through integrated health and nutrition services.
• Scale up early childhood development (ECD) programmes, especially in rural and marginalized communities.
• Strengthen safe breastfeeding practices and nutrition education for mothers.

2. Quality Education for All

• Promote inclusive, childcentered learning in formal and nonformal settings.
• Increase school attendance and completion rates for girls, children with disabilities and outofschool youth.
• Support digital learning solutions and teacher capacity building.

3. Protection & Participation

• Prevent child labour, early marriage, trafficking and genderbased violence.
• Strengthen childfriendly justice mechanisms and social protection systems.
• Amplify childrens voices in local decisionmaking through child panels and youth councils.

4. Emergency Preparedness & Resilience

• Build community resilience to natural hazards, pandemics and socioeconomic shocks.
• Develop rapid response protocols for humanitarian emergencies affecting children.
• Integrate climatesmart approaches into child health, nutrition and education programmes.

Key Expected Results

The strategy outlines measurable outcomes to be achieved by the end of 2025:

• Underfive mortality reduced by 20% compared to the 2020 baseline.
• At least 85% of children under three receive full vaccination and appropriate nutrition services.
• School enrolment of children with disabilities increased to 90% and retention to 80%.
• Incidence of child labour among children aged 1217 reduced by 30%.
• At least 10% of children affected by emergencies receive psychosocial support within 48hours of a crisis.
• Climateresilient school infrastructure upgraded in 25% of vulnerable municipalities.

Implementation & Partnerships

Effective implementation hinges on collaborative partnerships across sectors:

Government

UNICEF works closely with ministries of Health, Education, Finance, and Social Welfare to align programme activities with national policies and budgeting cycles. A dedicated UNICEFKosovo Programme Office coordinates technical assistance, policy dialogue and capacitybuilding initiatives.

Civil Society & NGOs

Local NGOs are primary implementers of communitybased ECD, school health, and protection programmes. UNICEF provides grant funding, training, and monitoring support to ensure adherence to childrights standards.

Private Sector & Foundations

Partnerships with telecom companies, banks and international foundations help mobilise resources for digital learning, nutrition supplementation schemes and infrastructure upgrades.

Communities & Children

Communitybased child panels and youth councils are established in each of the seven administrative regions to guarantee that childrens perspectives shape programme design and evaluation.

When children are meaningfully involved, programmes are more responsive, effective and sustainable. UNICEF Country Representative, Kosovo

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning

The Strategy embeds a robust M&E system based on three pillars:

1. Data collection & analysis: Quarterly data dashboards, national household surveys, and schoolbased monitoring tools.
2. Midterm and endline evaluations: Independent assessments to measure progress against the set indicators and to identify gaps.
3. Learning and adaptation: Regular learning workshops with partners to translate findings into course corrections and to disseminate best practices.

Results are reported in the annual UNICEF Kosovo Country Programme Report and shared publicly through an online repository to ensure transparency and accountability.

Conclusion

The 20212025 UNICEF Kosovo Programme Strategy represents a forwardlooking, evidencebased plan that places children at the centre of Kosovos development agenda. By addressing survival, education, protection and resilience in an integrated manner, the strategy seeks to close persistent gaps, respond swiftly to emergencies, and empower children to become active contributors to a peaceful and prosperous society. Continuous partnership, rigorous monitoring and a steadfast commitment to child rights will be essential to turning these ambitions into lasting reality.