All numbers presented here are based on estimates by the municipal authorities

General Information

Ferizaj/Uroševac is a municipality located in Southern Kosovo, on the road from Prishtinë/Priština to Skopje. The vast majority of the population are Kosovo Albanians. There is a sizeable Ashkali community and small communities of Roma, Egyptians, Serbs, Bosniaks and Turks. According to the Municipal Community Office, the most important issues faced by communities in Ferizaj/Uroševac are unemployment, poor infrastructure, a low level of education and a large proportion of the female population depending of social aid.

As in many municipalities, there has been a demographic shift since the 1999 war: the Serbs and Roma population used to be higher, but many subsequently moved away. This situation is slowly changing as some members of these communities return – in particular to villages. Authorities state that all communities interact on a regular basis. Furthermore, all municipal documents are issued in Albanian and Serbian and communities have access to healthcare in their own language.

Important Contact Details

Municipal Website:  http://kk.rks-gov.net/ferizaj/
Municipality: 0290/329-555, 029/320-544 

Demographics

Accurate population statistics are not available for Kosovo. The numbers presented here are approximate estimates by the Municipal Community Office, cross-checked with OSCE Municipal and Community Profiles, as well as with NGOs.

* The 1991 census results are considered unreliable due to a boycott by the Albanian population

Before the 1999 conflict there were sizeable Serb and Bosniak communities residing in the municipality of Ferizaj/Uroševac. Following significant unrest between ethnic groups after the war, most Serb and Bosniak community members left and today only small Bosniak and Serb communities remain. Members of Bosniak and Turkish communities generally live in the town of Ferizaj/Uroševac, similarly to the Ashkali, Roma, Egyptian community members who mainly reside in the Halit Ibishi/Halit Ibiši and Koçi Xoxe/Koce Zoze neighbourhoods. Roma are also residing in Sallahanë/Salahane village, together with some Egyptian community members. Egyptians also reside in the village of Dubravë/Dubrava. Serbian returnees primarily live in Bablak/Babljak, Srpski Babuš/Babushi Serb, Talinoc i Muhaxherëve/Muhadžer Talinovac and Softaj/Softovic.

Political Representation

The Mayor of Ferizaj/Uroševac, Mr. Bajrush Xhemajli, represents the PDK. In November 2009, he has been re-elected in the first round for a second mandate with over 50% of votes. The Deputy Mayor is also affiliated to PDK. While a position of Deputy Mayor for Communities existed in the former municipal government, then held by a member of the Ashkali community, Mr. Rexhep Bajram, this position has not been reappointed in the current government.
PDK obtained a majority of seats in the Municipal Assembly (15). PDK is in coalition with the AKR (6 seats). As the largest non-majority community in the municipality, it is unsurprising that the Ashkali community has two representatives from two different parties (PDAK & BDA) with seats in the Municipal Assembly. This represents an increase in comparison with the previous mandate. No candidate of the political parties representing Serb and Roma communities has been elected, while Egyptian, Bosniak and Turkish communities did not present any candidate. However, the Municipal Assembly Communities' Committee makes for political participation of communities in the legislative procedure.

There is a Municipal Community Office in place in Ferizaj/Uroševac, as well as a position of Municipal Return Officer.

Safety and Freedom of Movement

Security in the municipality is the responsibility of the Kosovo Police (KP). Security is also ensured through the work of the Municipal Community Safety Council. The local government states that currently communities in Ferizaj/Uroševac do not face serious incidents. In the recent past, there have been incidents such as robberies, threats and incidents targeting schools. However, thanks to rapid intervention and cooperation between parties, these problems have for the most part been eliminated and order restored. Communities have full confidence in the KP and are free to travel throughout the municipality unhindered.

Education

In the municipality, education is provided at pre-school level, primary level, as well as lower and higher secondary education level. However, classes are only available in Albanian. The Bosniak, Gorani and Roma students are attending school in Albanian language. There are no Serbs attending school, but four Croats enrolled in a Serbian language school in the municipality of Lipjan/Ljipljan. The Municipality of Ferizaj/Urosevac provides the four Croats with a monthly scholarship of 50 euros, covering travel expenses, textbooks, etc.

Ferizaj/Uroševac offers primary, secondary and college education. Schools in the municipality do not offer education in languages other than Albanian and the municipal educational system suffers from a shortage of good textbooks.

Returns

Note: only the Albanian, Serbian, Roma and Ashkali communities returned to the municipality of Ferizaj/Uroševac.

There are several obstacles to the return process and issues to be resolved prior to returns: the municipality states that the main problems are a lack of support upon returning, the lack of employment opportunities and the weak economic development in general. In 2008, municipal authorities mentioned that most Serbian returnees had left again after a short stay. The lack of housing is also a challenge for returnees. While in 2008 respondents mentioned threats as a factor negatively affecting the return process, this wasn't mentioned in 2010.

The municipality did not provide any information on internally displaced persons or forced returnees.

Economy

A major problem leading to the current unemployment rate is the incomplete or substandard education of many citizens. A further problem stemming from the poor financial situation is the inability of many community members to pay for utilities such as electricity and water

Access to Health Care and Other Public Services (Police/Administration/Public Companies/etc.)

Other Public Institutions
Public institutions issue official documents in both Serbian and Albanian, and the municipality states that there are no obstacles to communities when communicating with public institutions.

With regards to social assistance, the Municipal Community Office pointed out that terminating the social assistance of families whose children have attained the age of five not only endangers their subsistence, but also impacts negatively on the children's education.

List of Community Organisations