Supporting the Western Balkan’s collective leadership on reconciliation
Building capacity and momentum for the Regional Youth Cooperation Office 

The project ‘Supporting the Western Balkan’s collective leadership on reconciliation: building capacity and momentum for the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO)’ focused on enhancing reconciliation in the Western Balkans countries as measured by increasing the embracing of diversity and reducing prejudice and discrimination. It was implemented from October 2018 to May 2021 in six Western Balkans (WB6) countries—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo,[1] Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia—by three UN agencies (lead: UNDP Albania; UNFPA Albania; UNICEF Albania) in partnership with RYCO as the implementing partner and supported by the PBF with some USD 3 million. In 2019, the joint project included a regional component of research into youth perceptions of peace and security in the Western Balkans region, in cooperation with UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub and UNFPA Eastern Europe and the Central Asia Regional Office. In 2020, twice challenged by force majeure—the massive earthquake that hit Albania in November 2019, and the Covid-19 pandemic—partners adjusted the workplan and implementation to the new situational reality, and a project extension was granted by the PBF, until May 2021.

Key highlights of the project achievements include the following:

  • Mapping of best peacebuilding practices in the WB6 region and consultations with 4,500 young people from Albania, Kosovo and BiH through U-report methodology; and two fundraising tools for schools, entitled Fundraising made possible: A guide for the future, and Fundraising made possible: Raising funds together. One School Peacebuilding Manual formed the basis for wider consultation and for training teachers from 22 schools in the WB6. Teachers were mentored to implement peacebuilding ideas in their schools. Teachers’ project ideas and the Peacebuilding Manual were made available to a wider teaching audience in the region through the development of a digital platform to be used as an online learning resource for teachers in WB6 (led by UNICEF).
  • The Y-Peer Peacebuilding Manual was developed to build the skills of young people, especially those hard to reach, to address peacebuilding and conflict transformation by using youth peer-to-peer methodologies and to reflect aspects of young people’s personal development and their experiences in the context of the WB6 region. A total of 21 young people from the WB region were trained as Trainers-of-Trainers (ToTs) on topics of peacebuilding and conflict transformation. They facilitated 15 Y-Peer local workshops in WB6, with participation of more than 300 young people with implementation of 15 best innovative ideas with regard to youth grassroots and NGOs on reconciliation and peacebuilding across the region. A regional Youth Peace Lab was implemented with the participation of 120 young policymakers from WB6 who developed 20 policy solutions to the most pressing regional issues, from mobility to connectivity, and transformation of the legacy of war, among others. An awareness and advocacy campaign was developed and implemented, communicating the importance of young people’s engagement in building mutual understanding and reconciliation, dealing with the past and intercultural learning and advocating at policymaking levels to develop an enabling political and social environment that empowers and facilitates youth exchanges. The campaign promoted the project outcomes and benefits to youth in the WB6, by reaching more than 30,000 young people in the region through social media (led by UNFPA).
  • A capacity assessment for RYCO paved the way for the financial disbursement of funds to the Office and assessment of the internal capacities for its institutional strengthening needs. Based on the findings, RYCO’s institutional capacity building plan was built, including provision of technical support to the Office for the development of new HR policies, a Risk Assessment and Risk Management Guidelines, Safety and Security in the workplace policy, and an IT solution to facilitate internal e-Processes. In addition, a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework was developed, to enable RYCO to monitor and measure its institutional performance, according to a results-based management approach for institutional effectiveness, in compliance with its Strategic Plan for 2019–2021. The processes included capacity building activities to enable the Office to make use of the new documents. RYCO managed 44 grants across WB6 that comprised programmatic and financial support, financial monitoring, expert monitoring and capacity building for RYCO staff in the Head Office and Local Branch Offices for financial management of grants (led by UNDP).
  • Regional research into youth peace and security in WB6 during 2019–2021 was held in consultation with the youth advisory group and consisted of 24 youths across WB6 who were contributors to the process but also recipients of a series of trainings on research methods, peacebuilding, conflict analysis, dealing with the past, gender equality and gender-sensitive peacebuilding and advocacy. The research data collected, analysed and validated with the youth research advisory group were published in a report launched at a regional high-level dialogue with youth and policymakers. An advocacy campaign was held to promote the findings of the implemented research (led by UNDP IRH in partnership with UNFPA EECA Regional Office).

[1] For the UN, all references to Kosovo shall be understood in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).