POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE On 15 December, the Mission supported the staff of the CSCO in conducting a workshop to summarize 2016 community safety activities in Kosovo. During the workshop, the CSCO staff reported on the progress achieved during the year and identified shortcomings. They prepared a plan of action for 2017 aimed at improving their performance. The workshop gathered representatives of the CSCO, MoIA, KP, the Mission and ICITAP. partnership with the CSCO. With enthusiastic participation from over 90 municipal and KP officials, community safety activists, women, youth and representatives of communities, the Mission recognized the readiness of most community safety actors and volunteers to contribute to designing and improving the local platforms and practices that will support the implementation of the new Community Safety Strategy, that was drafted later in the year. Municipal Community Safety Councils (MCSC) In order to support and continue advocating for the establishment of MCSCs in the northern municipalities, the Mission continued to provide capacity-building assistance to all potential members of MCSCs in these municipalities, with the aim to enhance their understanding on the practical application of partnership-building and problem solving approaches while also strengthening their existing knowledge of community safety infrastructure and policepublic partnerships in their municipalities. The fact that three nominated future MCSC co-ordinators representing mayors from the north attended the regular annual conference with Kosovo mayors as MCSCs chairpersons allows for more optimism regarding the future establishment of MCSCs in this part of Kosovo once the political impediments are solved within the Brussels agreement talks. The Mission is gradually shifting its focus from capacity-building to a strategic advisory role, in further support of the agencies responsible for structuring and enabling the long-term sustainability of municipal safety forums, as foreseen in the new Community Safety Strategy and Action Plan 2017-2021. From 18 to 27 October, the Mission organized four7 advanced capacity-building workshops for future MCSCs in northern municipalities. The aim was to familiarize MCSC members with innovative approaches in the provision of community safety, as well as with hands-on techniques for problem analysis and problem solving. The Mission facilitated this capacity-building effort in order to equip nominated members with more advanced knowledge and skills to ensure the effective functioning of future MCSCs. With participation from over 50 municipal and KP officials, community safety activists, LPSC leaders, women, youth, representatives of NGOs and non-majority communities, the Mission acknowledged the evident and unequivocal readiness of all community safety actors in the north to take decisive steps in advocating with municipal authorities to formally establish MCSCs as soon as possible. Between 27 April and 10 June, the Mission organized eight6 specialized MCSC co-ordination workshops in all KP regions. The aim of the workshops was to engage MCSC co-ordinators and members in peer-to-peer learning and networking opportunities, while fostering co-operation and co-ordination amongst neighbouring MCSCs located in the same KP region. Participants were introduced to measures aimed at enhancing sustainability, communication improvements and inter-sectorial co-operation measures, along with emergency preparedness practices at the local level. In addition, participants assessed their potentials in addressing the implementation of the Strategy on VERLT 2015-2020 and possibilities for wider and structured preventive engagement with communities and neighbourhoods within their respective municipalities. Based on the objectives of targeted capacity building interventions and the findings substantiated in the MCSC Capacity Building Needs Assessment Review conducted in 2015 these workshops were prepared and implemented by two of the Mission’s departments, in 6 Workshops were held in Prishtinë/Priština, Gjilan/Gnjilane, Gjakovë/Đakovica, Pejë/ Peć, Mitrovicë/Mitrovica South, Prizren, Ferizaj/Uroševac and Zvečan/Zveçan. On 7 December, the Mission supported the MoIA in organizing the annual conference with mayors as chairpersons of MCSCs. During the event, municipal mayors and deputy mayors, along with key community safety stakeholders, joined members of the Steering Group for Implementation of Community Safety Strategy, and exchanged information about the performance of MCSCs. They discussed developments in the implementation of the Strategy on Prevention of VERLT and how to improve co-operation between community safety forums that would eventually lead to closer co-ordination with the central government. The nominated municipal community safety coordinators from three northern municipalities were also present at this annual event for the first time8, where the new Community Safety Strategy 2017-2021 was discussed, as well as the handover of the MCSC capacity building programme to the CSCO. Moreover, the Mission familiarized participants with the new public awareness poster, launched in six languages, in co-operation with the MoIA and MCSC coordinators in all regions. The poster is expected to enhance MCSC’s visibility 7 Workshops were held in Zvečan/Zveçan, Mitrovicë/Mitrovica North, Zubin Potok and Leposavić/Leposaviq municipalities. 8 As a result of Mission’s two-year effort, the mayors of Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North, Leposavić/Leposaviq, Zvečan/Zveçan and Zubin Potok have appointed their permanent associates as nominated future-MCSC Coordinators in their respective municipalities, in lieu of improving the community safety and civic co-operation with the police in their areas of responsibility as a stepping stone towards official establishment of MCSCs in northern Kosovo. 61