Postcard #1: Feb. 21, 2006
Dear friends of Kosovo children, I have decided to post a monthly postcard summarizing some of the highpoints of the month on the website. I guess that’s the first bit of news…the launch of our website in January of this year. We hope that we can keep the site informative for all of you during this historic year here in Kosovo. The year started out well after the conclusion of our annual review. This year’s theme for the review was “A Kosovo Fit for All Children is a Kosovo Fit for Everyone”. Although the 8 standards that were established by the contact group for Kosovo are extremely important and as part of the UN family here we all actively support the Provisional Institutions of Self Government (PISG) in their efforts to reach these, we have the additional task of making sure that Kosovo becomes a good place for children….all children. We think that this will not only reinforce the standards but also ensure an added dimension that is often overlooked in this very political process. A new issue that we have had to factor into our workplan this year is the preparedness for possible Avian Influenza outbreak. We have formed a task force here in the office, sent off two staff members to the regional social communication workshop in Geneva on AI ,and will be integrating awareness messages in the school curriculum through the Healthy Schools Programme as well as assisting PISG in planning for preventing and responding to any outbreak. We are continuing our health and hygiene campaign in the three Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Cezmim Lug, Zitkovac and Kablar. The joint statement of UNMssion in Kosovo (UNMIK), World Health Organization (WHO)and UNICEF can be seen on the website but unfortunately for the children faced with extremely high blood levels, no families have moved to the safer site of Osterode. This is a tragic situation that is extremely complex but we hope to move towards a resolution soon. During our annual workplan one day retreat, we agreed with local partners that more emphasis was needed on supporting excluded groups within Kosovo. As we head towards a final resolution to status, the issue of getting basic services to all excluded groups will be important. Our programme this year is only partially funded and now more than ever, we feel we can make a difference in the areas we are working so we will making a concerted effort to ensure that the necessary support is available to tackle the challenges ahead. As I mentioned at the beginning, we will continue our efforts to keep this postcard going throughout the next months. Expect the next one around March 15. Wish you were here!
Regards to all, Rob Head of Office UNICEF/Kosovo rfuderich@unicef.org
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