In April of 2012, a web-based platform to fight corruption was launched. This innovative civil society approach to tackle corruption through social media was introduced to the people of Kosovo. Just like other social media sites, this interactive site provides opportunities for citizens of Kosovo to freely report corruption cases that they face and exchange comments about corruption. Responsible bodies in the Government follow-up on reported cases and these reported cases will then appear as either verified or unverified.
This initiative is part of our work through the UNDP Kosovo Governance Team to improve capacities for policy planning, policy implementation and administration at central and local levels for effective and gender-responsive governance. My role in this initiative has been to develop the concept of the social media site, consult with civil society organisations and select a partner and coordinate the implementation of the concept. I also organized the launching event.
Constant consultation with civil society organisations on the development of the concept and its implementation was important since the initiative needed to be locally driven and sustainable. In light of this, Internews Kosova, a local partner, was selected to create and manage the social media site. This gave them an opportunity to further develop their capacity and knowledge.
For this social media site, the Kosovo Anti-Corruption Agency (KACA) and the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council were involved in the management of the data. From the beginning, I was regularly in touch with KACA, the Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC), the Kosovo Police (KP) and other relevant actors in ensuring commitment to help build better governance.
Many government officials participated in the launch to support this project. KACA, the Office of Disciplinary Council of KJC and KP showed excitement and appreciation of this initiative.
I am very grateful for the support I received from all stakeholders, partners and colleagues from the UNDP Governance Team and Communication Unit to help realize this project that included a successful launch. I look forward to seeing the citizens of Kosovo maximize use of the site through their active involvement in developing their own society. The website is accessible from www.kallxo.com.
Biography:
Hiroko Oda is a UNV Governance Programme Analyst with UNDP Kosovo.