September 19, 2024 | Thursday
In September 2022, UNOPS Kosovo and the University of Pristina signed an agreement to fully operationalise the Faculty of Mathematics. The EU-funded building is designed to improve the surrounding area of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMNS), creating accessible, safe and environmentally friendly facilities for all. The project also includes gender, cultural, and inclusivity considerations, ensuring a space that meets diverse needs. .
Contributing to the Sustainable Goal 4, committed to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, the intervention foresees the design, provision and installation of furniture and equipment for FMNS. This also includes laboratory equipment, providing suitable working and learning conditions for students and staff.
With the goal to provide students with state-of-the-art facilities and to help improve higher education standards through gender and environmental friendly infrastructure, UNOPS entered the next phase of construction in January 2023.. Now in its final stage, the new building will soon serve over 2,300 students and 133 staff members across 5 departments: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and geography, offering modern, eco-friendly infrastructure and contributing to a safer, healthier environment for the university community and the wider local population.
More than just a construction project, with the support to UNOPS Kosovo for the construction of the new facilities of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, EU has fostered a mission to not only address issues related to inclusivity and environment, but also workers conditions. UNOPS Kosovo has adopted the Goal Zero Campaign, highlighting the EU’s commitment to safety and environmental responsibility in construction projects, paving the way to a greener, and more worker-friendly future in Kosovo.
At the heart of the Goal Zero project, led by UNOPS, is a powerful mission: to ensure that every individual working for or with the organisation can carry out their duties without risking illness or injury. This commitment to safety is not just a policy—it’s a core value that is ingrained in all activities. By adopting a zero-tolerance approach to unsafe work environments, UNOPS is focused on delivering top-quality results for partners and communities in a way that is both safe and sustainable.
The EU has played a key role in creating the setting for UNOPS Kosovo to implement the Goal Zero Campaign, , providing funding and guidance to incorporation of safety, energy, and environmental considerations into the project. This partnership ensures that the Faculty of Mathematics building will not only stand as a symbol of academic excellence but also as a testament to the importance of worker safety and sustainability.
These efforts have shifted the construction culture in Kosovo, placing worker safety at its core. Workers now proactively identify and mitigate hazards, embracing their responsibility to protect themselves and their colleagues.
One of the key initiatives of this campaign – aiming to reinforce the idea that safety is not just an obligation but a shared responsibility – is the Goal Zero Champions program. Through this initiative, workers who demonstrate exceptional commitment to safety are recognized and rewarded, reinforcing the idea that safety is not just an obligation but a shared responsibility.
By integrating important values such as accessibility, inclusivity, environmentally-friendly construction and workers’ safety, this project not only enhances the building’s efficiency but also aligns with Kosovo’s broader goals for sustainable development.
