Mainstreaming Environment and Poverty Reduction into National Development Process in Kosovo UNDP – UNEP POVERTY AND ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE Inception Workshop 9-10 November 2008 in Bratislava, Slovakia

Kosovo

Kosovo at glance Total Population Rural population Urban population Population density Age distribution, total 0-14 years years 65 and older Total Kosovo Surface % 45 % 195 p/km² 33 % 61 % 6 % km² Source: Statistical Office of Kosovo

Human Development Index (HDI) 2007 HDI at the bottom of Medium HDI Countries Bottom South Eastern Europe Countries 99th HDI Ranking Main HD issues: income and health Source: Kosovo HDR 2007

Economy The economic growth in the aftermath of the conflict was fairly favourable however post-conflict growth was not sustainable Between , the average real GDP growth was 1.5 % per year In 2007 GDP grew at 3.5% The GDP per capita in 2007 around €1250…

Environment Agricultural land 53 % -52 % arable -31 % pastures Forests 39 % No sewage water treatment facilities No dumping site meeting minimal EU standards Pollution from thermoelectric plants

Environment Issues and Concerns Quantity and quality of water Waste management Air pollution Land pollution Loss of biodiversity and deforestation Loss of agricultural land Poor spatial planning

Poverty Outlook 45 % poor (15 % extreme poverty) 42 % unemployment Low health and educational outcomes Caused by inability of economy to generate new jobs and low levels of economic growth More than 35,000 families, around 240,000 people receiving social assistance from the government budget Source: World Bank, Poverty Assessment, 2007

Poverty Outlook Poverty in Kosovo is high but shallow On average larger households are poorer Households with female heads have higher poverty incidence The majority of poor people are living in rural areas The poverty risk is higher for the unemployed and low skilled

Poverty and Unemployment In 2006 unemployment rate estimated at 42% (around 4 times higher than EU average) Youth, women and less educated are disproportionably effected from unemployment Additional challenges: low participation rate, high entrance to labour market (30,000 new entrants/year) The current predicted growth is not expected to lead to a significant decrease in unemployment Source: Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare

Environment and Poverty 26% of households lack tap water supply from public systems 39% are not connected to the public sewage/sanitation system 6 % have central heating 99% have access electricity In 2003, 70% of water samples from rural areas and only 8 % of urban areas were found to have bacteriological contamination Source: Kosovo Mosaic 2006

Environment and Poverty Life expectancy is lowest in the region - 68 years The TB incidence rate per in cases highest in Europe Highest level of infant mortality in Europe, with 35 cases in Maternal mortality in 2003 was estimated at 23 per thousand - one of the highest in Europe Source: Second MDG Report 2006

Challenges for Environment and Poverty Limited Budget Implementation and enforcement of law Capacity building in this area – experts Lack of data on environmental parameters Lack of environmental monitoring programs Not eligible to GEF or Clean Development Mechanism

Mainstreaming Environment and Poverty Preparation of Kosovo Social Exclusion Agenda (Kosovo Parliament and UNDP) Drafting White Paper on social policies (Ministry Finance and Economy ) -Identify and address the main issues -Better targeting of social assistance scheme Resolution on MDG’s – annual reporting on achievements Three environmental laws have been declared and approved Four Administrative Guidance notes about environment have been signed and approved

Future steps Continuation of fulfillment of Kosovo Action Plan in Environment Network for air quality control Improve standards in mining and energy generation Promotion of reforestation Beautiful Kosovo Dragash Project

Kosovo in a Transition Period New Constitution New Institutions New Opportunities!