On January 20-21, the Balkan Trust for Democracy (BTD) held a workshop to launch the Enhanced Policy Dialogue of Professionals in Kosovo and Serbia Program, marking its third year of Kosovo-Serbia professional work exchange programs. This initiative, supported by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, exemplifies an innovative approach to facilitating cross-border collaboration through a series of policy work exchanges between mid-career professionals from media, law, and government in Kosovo and Serbia.

This Pre-Exchange Workshop consisted of several panels, as well as informal gatherings for participants to meet one another. Participants had the opportunity to hear from several past alumni, who shared their experiences and offered recommendations and advice for the upcoming exchanges. Alumni presenters included: Dragan Petkovic from Juzne Vesti, Bojan Elek from the Belgrade Center for Security Policy, and Cristina Mari from Kosovo 2.0. The conversation was moderated by Nathan Koeshall, Co-founder of the Catalyst Foundation. The workshop concluded with a closing reception that connected current participants with local alumni and other BTD partners and grantees currently working to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

Over the past three years, the BTD has led exchange programs for Kosovar and Serbian professionals from a variety of different sectors. Building on the past success of the two-year Professional Work Exchange for Enhanced Policy Dialogue Program, BTD’s 2016 Enhanced Policy Dialogue of Professionals in Kosovo and Serbia Program aims to further normalize Kosovo-Serbia relations by strengthening communication platforms, advancing multi-perspective policy dialogue, and facilitating cooperation between representatives of governments, media, and legal organizations in both Kosovo and Serbia.

To find out more about this and other BTD Kosovo-Serbia professional exchange programs, please see our website.