Civil society in Kosovo has gone through three distinct stages of development, which directly reflect the political, social and institutional circumstances of the country.
From organizing for survival in the 90s, to post-war reconstruction and the current challenges of polarization and funding crisis, the civil sector has continuously changed form and role.
In "Confrontation Podcast", civil society activist Taulant Hoxha emphasized that civil society should be seen as a social infrastructure that always responds to the times in which it operates.
"As a social infrastructure, civil society is always a response to the circumstances of the time and reflects the needs of the time," he said, according to the Telegraph.
The 90s: Civil society as a survival mechanism
According to Hoxha, who was also the director of KCSF, in the nineties, society in Kosovo responded to the circumstances of a classic occupation and apartheid, where the main need was organization for survival.
"In the nineties, our society responded to the circumstances of a classic occupation, of an apartheid, and the needs were to organize society for survival. As such, Kosovo society has produced one of the most unique forms of civil society organization," he emphasized.
He added that almost all of Kosovar society was organized in various forms of civil society, especially after the collective departures from institutions in the early 90s.
"Almost all of Kosovar society has been organized in the form of civil society since the late 80s and early 90s, especially after the collective departures from institutions and workplaces in 1991 onwards," said Hoxha.
As concrete examples, he mentioned humanitarian networks and organizations that supported the population during that time.
"The 'Mother Teresa' humanitarian association had an extraordinary network for distributing humanitarian aid, but very quickly also small clinics and health points throughout Kosovo to provide health services to the population, which was extremely important," he stated.
He also emphasized the role of the Council for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms in documenting systematic violations by the Serbian regime, as well as the existence of trade union movements and peaceful political resistance.
"There were various trade union movements, as well as the peaceful political resistance itself, which in a certain form was a semi-organization of civil society, as it did not directly have effective power," Hoxha emphasized.
After the war – until 2008: Reconstruction and institutionalization
After the end of the war, civil society entered a new phase, characterized by reconstruction, emergency relief, and institution-building. Kosovo, devastated and under international administration, benefited from a large financial infusion from international donors.
During this period, non-governmental organizations became the dominant form of civil organization, providing a structure for managing funds and reporting to donors. According to Hoxha, this was a necessary phase for stabilizing the country and preparing for state-building.
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From 2008 to Today: Surveillance, Polarization, and Repositioning
With the declaration of independence, the focus of civil society shifted towards lawmaking, policymaking, and monitoring of institutions.
"With the building of the state, space for abuses also opened up, so oversight became necessary," said Hoxha.
However, in recent years the sector has faced social polarization, dominance of daily media agendas, and a decline in international funding. Despite this, he emphasizes that civil society is not disappearing.
"Civil society is always a product of circumstances. It will exist whenever citizens engage in their own interests," concluded Hoxha./Telegrafi/.
