Partners

on: 13 Sep 2016

Kosovo Foundation for Open Society

When I started working in 1997 at the Soros Foundation, I have to admit that I knew very little about the civil society in general, and especially for the one in Kosovo. In the 90’s there were so many civil initiatives on one hand, and so few registered civil organizations that would brought an interesting paradox: when the whole country was placed in civilian leadership binary, and functioning in general , the number of organizations which today we call non- governmental organizations or non - profit organizations , was symbolic. There were three or four of them. They were very strong, well organized, and had captured an important position within the political and socio - economic developments of that time, which were quite turbulent. At this time, I knew of one of this organization-Riinvest Institute. Under the leadership of Muhamet Mustafa, who already had a huge baggage of expertise and experience in the economic field but also in politics, Riinvest Institute had soon taken an important place in the regional stage of development institutes , for whom we learned that were called “think-tank”. With analyses that Institute would constantly conduct, the region’s economic mosaic was being fulfilled, which came to be seen with a specific dioptres after disintegrating economic movements of the former Yugoslavia.

We were lucky that I and my colleagues from the Soros Foundation were able to establish a very close partnership in the years before the war With Riinvest, which culminated after the war when we became co initiators of the Forum 2015, which together with KACI organization we put in motion in March 2003. An advocacy platform like this one had constantly been fed with deep analysis on Kosovo’s economy conducted by Riinvest Institute, as well as public policies in different resorts that not only constantly generated better information for the public on these development issues , but also concrete recommendations to advance the issues with which Forum 2015 dealt.

What makes Riinvest Institute very specific within civil institutions scene in Kosovo is that they constantly have educated cadres, especially in the field of economy, who today have become carriers of some crucial initiatives, not just civil society’s initiatives, but also the university academic and administrative ones. To achieve this, long before forming its university structure the Institute made sure that all its staff are educated and specialize in the European prestigious universities. It was a very visionary and effective action that marked positive developments in the economic and social scene in Kosovo.

And finally, such a healthy and forward-looking developmental trajectory definitely paves a new way for the new generations, which Riinvest educated them by also giving them a chance to not only gain expertise but also experience in the affairs of a modern “think tank”. The Institute is led by a new generation of experts who are in the best path to become the Kosovo’s top experts in their fields much needed in this country. I have no doubt that Riinvest will continue to have a very important role in future developments in our new country, and will be, as it has been until now, a new energy for Kosovo experts.

Luan Shllaku

Executive Director

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