GLOCOL Seminar (48) / Global COE Program Seminar (43): "A Research Base for Conflict Studies in the Humanities"

Since the end of the conflict in 1999, Kosovo has been divided between two political powers – Pristina and Belgrade. The divide between the administrative structure under the authority of the Kosovo government (and UNMIK at least until the coming into effect of the Kosovo Constitution in June 2008) and that of the Serbian government can also be witnessed in the education sector. While Kosovo Serbs, following the directions from Belgrade, continue to use the education curriculum of the Republic of Serbia, the Kosovo government has repeatedly insisted on their use of curriculum prepared by the Ministry of Education of Kosovo.

Based on its mandate stipulated in the UN resolution 1244, UNMIK has acted as the mediator between the two sides of this political game. One such example in the area of education is the Sveti Sava School, located in Fushe Kosove/Kosovo Polje, a municipality adjacent to the capital. After being destroyed during the riot in 2004, this originally Kosovo Serb school was reestablished and administered by UNMIK as a school compound that hosts both Kosovo Serb and Kosovo Albanian primary and secondary schools. This effort of UNMIK has certainly contributed to the peaceful coexistence of different communities within the same school premises. However, I will also argue that the communication between the two schools was confined to purely administrative matters and little has been done to establish a system that facilitates deeper interaction between the two communities.

Profile: After teaching political theory and research methods at the University of Essex, UK, and the University for Science and Technology, Kosovo, she has worked in UNMIK in the areas of education and justice from 2007 to 2009. Her publications in English include `Nationalism and Serbian Intellectuals`, Perspectives on European Politics and Society, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2004

In this presentation, I will first provide a short overview of the Darfur conflict and the operation of UNAMID mission, and then, through my own photographic work, explain the role of the Communication and Public Information Division where I work as a photographer.

UNAMID was established in July 2007 through the UN resolution 1769 with the aim to protect the security of its personnel and humanitarian workers, as well as to protect civilians through the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement (2006) and prevention of armed attacks. Although the number of clashes between the Government of Sudan and armed groups that have opposed the Government has significantly decreased, the political, social and environmental factors that caused the conflict still exist, resulting in a serious humanitarian crisis.

One of the roles of my Division is to document and publish aspects of works of not only UNAMID but also other humanitarian organizations in alleviating the problems affecting people in Darfur. These include political meetings between the mission and the government leaderships, observing the volatile situation in the IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps, and DDR (Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration) projects to support the reintegration of ex-militants including child solders.

Profile: He is currently working as a Public Information Officer/Photographer in the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) in Sudan. In the past, he has worked as a consultant and mission coordinator for a Greek NGO in Kosovo and Serbia. He has also led development projects in Iraq and Jordan for `Medecins du Monde` before joining UNMIK where he was appointed as the leader of the Humanitarian Assistance Team.