October 15, 2024 | Tuesday
Founded in March 2017, the Missing Persons Resource Center (MPRC) had a mission to assist the families of missing persons in Kosovo by coordinating efforts to uncover the fate of their loved ones. While 1,617 persons remain unaccounted for, the MPRC is dedicated to help their families seek answers and pursue justice.
The space for dialogue and collaboration offered by the center, brings together representatives from family associations of Serbs and Albanians from Kosovo along with other ethnic groups. This collective effort aims to create a platform for communication and encourage reconciliation between communities who share the pain of unresolved loss.
The core mission of MPRC is to serve on behalf of families of missing persons as a constant reminder to the government in fulfilling their duties and obligations in enlightening the fate of all missing persons in Kosovo and towards the families of the missing.
The European Union has supported MPRC in various projects and activities since its founding, significantly helping them to serve as a connecting bridge between families of the missing persons on one hand, and as their voice on a policymaking level. By supporting initiatives like MPRC, the EU proves its commitment and support to families of the missing in their search for answers and justice.
Over these years, thanks to the support of the EU, MPRC has managed to create a safe space for open dialogue between the families and the institutions working on missing persons’ cases. This platform allows families to voice their concerns, ask critical questions, and receive answers.
In an interview given earlier this year for the Europe House Kosovo, Bekim Blakaj, the recipient of the European of the Year Award for 2024, stated loud and clear the need to collectively face our past as a way to move towards a better future. With their every day efforts, Initiatives like MPRC are contributing to this exact goal and they stand as a symbol of resilience, hope and reconciliation.