Property Governance Activity

Property Governance is a five-year activity that aims to improve the property rights system in Kosovo. The activity standardizes processes and improves service delivery to citizens so they can formalize and register their property. These efforts will improve transparency and accountability in the governance of property, and in particular, the activity will promote women’s property rights. By doing so, this activity contributes to USAID’s overall goal of better serving citizens’ needs through accountable and effective governance.

Activities  

• Work with municipalities, through the Municipal Cadaster Offices, on property registration processes, making property registration accessible to all citizens.
• Enhance transparency and accountability in the governance of property systems by increasing citizen and civil society engagement through participatory activities and facilitating public access to cadastral data. 
• Strengthen private sector engagement on municipal development plans, property system modernization strategies, and advocacy efforts to reform the construction legal framework. 
• Augment women’s access to property by expanding joint-titling protections to women applicants, improving property inheritance processes, and supporting gender equality public awareness campaigns.

Key Results to Date 

• Supported the Kosovo Cadastral Agency in establishing the Better Practices Committee, which outlines best practices and successful interventions piloted in partner municipalities that can be replicated across Kosovo’s municipalities. 
• Developed the Social and Behavior Change Communication Strategy, which helps to shift societal attitudes about women’s property rights and contributes toward increasing the number of women inheriting family property. 

• Facilitated inclusive and participatory citizen engagement in the development of Municipal Development Plans, enhancing municipal planning on property management.

• Supported five municipalities to develop Service Delivery Improvement Plans, which identified specific interventions needed to improve the quality of property-related service delivery to citizens.

• Provided support to municipalities resulting in 2,579 women now having title to their property.

• Established Property Transparency Forums in five partner municipalities that comprise a diverse group of stakeholders including representatives from local civil society organizations advocating for women and vulnerable groups, the private sector, and journalists.

• Established Public-Private Councils that are bridging the local government with the private sector to improve and incentivize investment in the respective municipality. 

Additional Information  

Project Funding 

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID/Kosovo) 

Project Duration 

May 2022 - May 2027

Implementing Partner 

TetraTech

Total Funding 

$10,151,578.53

Key Counterparts 

Municipalities, Municipal Cadastral Offices, Kosovo Cadastral Agency

Where We Work  

Ferizaj/Uroševac, Gjakova/Djakovica, Gjilan/Gnjilane, Lipjan/Lipljan, Mitrovica e Jugut/Juzna Mitrovica, Peja/Peć, Pristina, Prizren, Kacanik, Rahovec/Orahovac, Suharekë/Suva Reka and Obiliq/c.

Contact  
Perihan Ymeri Ustaibo, Project Management Specialist