About Kosovo

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+ 381 38 712 770

Kosovo emerged as an internationally recognized independent state in February 2008, after unilaterally declaring its independence from Serbia. This followed almost 10 years of U.N.-supervised transition following the 1998–99 Kosovo civil war. That war pitted ethnic Albanians against ethnic Serbs in Kosovo, and major combat between these populations ended after extensive NATO air and ground force interventions in 1999.

The United States was one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo’s independence, and support for Kosovo has been a major U.S. objective since that time. As the Kosovo war ended, the United Nations adopted UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution No. 1244 (1999), which authorized the U.N. to govern the territory of Kosovo through the U.N. Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Under UNSC Res. 1244, security is provided by the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR). KFOR consists of armed forces supplied by a coalition of 30 countries, of which 23 are NATO nations. At the time of Kosovo’s independence in 2008, NATO affirmed that KFOR will remain in Kosovo on the basis of UNSC Res. 1244, unless the U.N. Security Council decides otherwise. Today, 5,600 KFOR troops remain in Kosovo to provide security, while also helping the Kosovo government to create a new Kosovo Security Force capable of assuming national security responsibilities.

On October 15, 2012, Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga invited the Peace Corps to send Peace Corps Volunteers to Kosovo. The Peace Corps sent an assessment team in December 2012, which determined Kosovo was prepared to host Peace Corps Volunteers. The Peace Corps signed a Country Agreement with the Republic of Kosovo on September 9, 2013.

Check out our annual report in English to learn more:

Annual Report 2019

PCR

Peace Corps Response sends experienced professionals to undertake short-term, high-impact service assignments in communities around the world. Peace Corps Response Volunteers are expected to possess the technical skills needed to fulfill their assigned role with minimal training.

VSP

The Virtual Service Pilot connects qualified U.S. citizens with host country counterparts to meet partner requests in new ways – from supplementing on-the-ground Volunteer efforts to reaching regions where Volunteers cannot go. Participants collaborate virtually with counterparts to complete project tasks, donating 5-15 hours per week for 3-6 months.

Volunteer satisfaction, health, and safety

Partners

We partner with the following agencies to implement projects in Kosovo:

Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology

Ministry of Local Governance and Administration

Resources

Peace Corps service is a life-changing experience, and no two Volunteers experience their service in exactly the same way. Check out some of the links below to learn more about our country and the experiences other Volunteers have had serving here.