With the launch of the Kosovo Judicial Council’s Performance Dashboard, a more open and transparent court system in Kosovo is brought to life. The U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Philip S. Kosnett launched the Performance Dashboard virtually with an online address on May 15, 2020. Developed by USAID in cooperation with the Kosovo Judicial Council, the Performance Dashboard provides public access to court and individual judge performance data, allowing citizens to monitor the work of the justice system without leaving their homes.
Kosovo has long struggled with communication challenges between its judiciary and its citizens. Even with improvements in transparency and a reduction in backlogged cases, Kosovo citizens’ trust in the courts and its judges remains low -- partly due to citizens’ lack of awareness of the improvements. The Dashboard allows citizens to view the data themselves and analyze performance using four key indicators: clearance rates of cases, efficiency trends, backlogged cases, and individual judge productivity. Citizens can access data going back as far as 2017, and the Kosovo Judicial Council is continually uploading new data onto the website.
Ymer Hoxha, President of the Basic Court of Prizren, expressed the justice system’s commitment to serving the people of Kosovo, “We remain committed to transparency and publication of this data because it is a major step toward open and accountable justice. This is only one step in increasing transparency toward our citizens whom we serve every day.”
The Kosovo Judicial Council’s website now includes both the Performance Dashboard feature and the court user survey, which allows citizens to both give and view feedback. In addition, the website features data for disciplinary decisions on judges and provides the online form and guidelines for filing a complaint in line with the applicable laws. These efforts by Kosovo’s courts and judges are building trust between Kosovo’s judiciary and the citizens they serve. These efforts by USAID’s Justice System Strengthening Program, which began in November 2015, advance the rule of law in Kosovo and ensure that the justice system operates in a professional, efficient, and accountable manner.
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