Atifete Jahjaga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Atifete Jahjaga
ROF I
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Portrait of President Jahjaga
|
|
| 3rd President of Kosovo | |
| In office 7 April 2011 – 7 April 2016 |
|
| Prime Minister | Hashim Thaçi Isa Mustafa |
| Preceded by | Behgjet Pacolli Jakup Krasniqi (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Hashim Thaçi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 April 1975 Gjakovë, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia (now Gjakova, Kosovo) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Astrit Kuçi |
| Alma mater | University of Pristina University of Leicester University of Virginia |
| Signature | .svg){kind=small} |
| Website | Jahjaga Foundation |
Atifete Jahjaga (born 20 April 1975) is a Kosovar Albanian politician. She was the third President of Kosovo. She made history as the first female President of Kosovo. She was also the first president who wasn't part of a political party. At 36, she was the youngest female head of state ever elected to such a high position. Before becoming president, she was a high-ranking officer in the Kosovo Police. She held the rank of General Lieutenant Colonel, which was the highest rank for a woman officer in Southeastern Europe.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Atifete Jahjaga was born in Gjakova, a town in what was then Yugoslavia. Her family comes from the Berisha tribe in northern Albania. She went to school in Gjakova. In 2000, she finished her law degree at the University of Pristina.
She continued her studies abroad. In 2006 and 2007, she studied police management and criminal law at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. She also trained at the George C. Marshall European Centre for Security Studies in Germany. She attended the FBI National Academy in the United States. In 2007, she earned a special certificate in Crime Science from the University of Virginia in the U.S.A.
Police Career
After the Kosovo War, Atifete Jahjaga joined Kosovo's Police Academy. She worked hard and moved up through the ranks. She started as a major, then became a colonel, and finally a major general.
She became the Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police. For a short time in 2010, she was even the acting General Director. While working in the police, American officers and diplomats noticed her. They saw her as a promising young leader from Kosovo.
President of Kosovo
In 2011, Kosovo was going through a political challenge. The previous president had resigned. On April 6, 2011, Atifete Jahjaga was chosen as a candidate for president. She had support from major political parties and the U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo. Even though she was well-respected in the police, many people didn't know much about her political views.
On April 7, Jahjaga was elected President by the Parliament. She received 80 votes out of 100. She is the only president to be elected in the first round of voting. In her first speech, President Jahjaga said her main goal was to help Kosovo join the European Union and the United Nations. She believed that Kosovo's dream of joining the EU and having a strong friendship with the United States would come true.
Presidency
Building Kosovo's Image
As President, Atifete Jahjaga worked to make Kosovo's government stronger. She also helped Kosovo gain more recognition from other countries around the world. She worked to improve Kosovo's image, promoting peace, understanding, and good relationships with neighboring countries. She also tried to attract foreign businesses to invest in Kosovo.
President Jahjaga played a key role in showing Kosovo as a democratic country. She traveled to many international meetings and made friends with leaders from other nations. She shared Kosovo's story of building a new country and helped it become part of important global discussions.
Leading by the Constitution
President Jahjaga made sure that laws followed the country's Constitution. She also made sure they matched European Union standards. Her actions showed that different parts of the government in Kosovo work separately, which is important for a democracy.
For example, in 2012, she asked the Parliament to rethink a law about freedom of speech. She wanted to remove parts that could punish journalists for what they wrote or make them reveal their sources. She believed these rules went against freedom of expression and human rights.
During the elections in 2013 and 2014, she worked to make sure they were fair and open. This was important because previous elections had faced criticism. Thanks to her efforts, the elections were seen as fair by international observers. She also helped solve a political problem in 2014, working with different parties to form a new government. U.S. President Barack Obama even praised her for her leadership during this time.
She also helped create a special court to deal with certain issues, which was an important step for Kosovo. To get more people involved, she set up three National Councils. These councils included people from different parts of society, like businesses and universities.
Working Towards European Integration
President Jahjaga actively worked to help Kosovo join the European Union. In 2012, she started the National Council for European Integration. This group helped build agreement on Kosovo's path to Europe. They also worked on a plan for Kosovo to join the EU.
She pushed for Kosovo to meet the requirements for visa-free travel to the European Union. This would make it easier for Kosovar citizens to visit EU countries. Her efforts helped Kosovo complete many of the necessary steps by 2015.
In early 2015, many Kosovo citizens were trying to illegally migrate to Western Europe. President Jahjaga was the only leader who visited the affected towns. She spoke directly with citizens to understand their concerns. Many European officials praised her for helping to stop this wave of migration.
Upholding the Rule of Law
On February 14, 2012, President Jahjaga created the National Anti-Corruption Council. This group helps different government bodies work together to prevent and fight corruption. She always supported a fair and unbiased justice system.
She also changed the law on pardons. This new law made it harder to pardon people who had committed serious crimes. She pardoned very few prisoners, and in 2015, she pardoned none. This showed her commitment to strengthening the rule of law.
Fighting Extremism
During a political challenge in 2014, Kosovo faced a growing threat from violent extremism. Many Kosovar citizens were joining terrorist groups in the Middle East. President Jahjaga took strong action to stop this. She led security efforts to fight extremism and radicalization. Kosovo became an example for other countries on how to deal with this problem.
Because of her efforts, U.S. President Obama invited her to a special meeting of the UN Security Council in 2014. At this meeting, a resolution was passed to fight violent extremism. President Jahjaga also played a key role in passing a law that prevents citizens from joining armed conflicts abroad. The United States and European Union praised her for Kosovo's support in fighting terrorism.
Attracting Foreign Investments
Jahjaga worked hard to create new partnerships for Kosovo. She aimed to attract more foreign investments. She encouraged the government and private businesses in Kosovo to work together. This would make Kosovo an attractive place for foreign companies to invest.
She also helped secure a 22 million euro donation from Sheikha Bint Mubarak of the United Arab Emirates. This money was used to build a Pediatric Surgical Hospital in Kosovo.
Empowering Women
During her time as president, the role of women in Kosovo improved. In 2012, she hosted an International Women's Summit called "Partnership for Change—Empowering Women." About 200 leaders from around the world attended. The discussions led to the "Pristina Principles." These principles support women's rights to be involved in politics, have economic resources, and access safety and justice.
In May 2012, President Jahjaga became a member of the Council of Women World Leaders. She often speaks at global conferences about the important role of women in society.
Promoting Peace and Tolerance
Jahjaga worked hard to build bridges between different ethnic groups in Kosovo. She was active in talks between different religions. She often reached out to minority communities in Kosovo. In 2013, she visited the Serb Orthodox Monastery of Dečani for Easter. She encouraged all citizens of Kosovo to continue showing religious tolerance.
She also led the Consultative Council for Communities. This council made suggestions to help minority communities in areas like education, jobs, and social issues. It also spoke out against unfair policies towards these communities.
Millennium Challenge Corporation
Jahjaga led efforts to make Kosovo eligible for development funds from the U.S. Government's Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). In 2015, she created a special group to work on this. They worked to improve Kosovo's performance on various indicators. These included economic freedom, democratic rights, fighting corruption, and good governance.
On November 6, 2015, the MCC announced that Kosovo had passed its scorecard for the first time. This meant Kosovo was doing well on 13 out of 20 indicators. On December 16, 2015, the MCC decided that Kosovo was eligible for a large investment program.
Office of the President of Kosovo
During President Jahjaga's time, the Office of the President was often seen as the most trusted institution by the people of Kosovo. She was the first president who was chosen by agreement and not tied to one political party. She focused on making the President's office open to all citizens and political groups.
Her role was to help different parts of the government work together. This made the government more open and effective. She and her team were praised for being very transparent and responsible with public money. Her advisors were experienced professionals who were not tied to political parties.
The Jahjaga Foundation
The Jahjaga Foundation is a non-profit organization started by Atifete Jahjaga in March 2018. Its main goal is to help Kosovo and the Balkans grow democratically. It does this by including all people in society and supporting groups that are often left out. This work helps build peace in the region.
Honours and Awards
Honours
- Italy
- Two Sicilian Royal Family: Received the Two Sicilian Royal Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George Benemerenti Medal, 1st Class.
- Two Sicilian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Francis I.
- Panama
- Honorary citizen of Panama City.
Awards
- 27 June 2013: Received an honorary degree (Honoris Causa) from the University of Durham.
- 21 September 2014: Received the Leadership in Public Service Award from the Clinton Global Initiative.
- 16 July 2015: Received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Leicester.
See Also
In Spanish: Atifete Jahjaga para niños
- Ismet Asllani
Images for kids
-
Jahjaga and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sign an agreement.
-
Jahjaga with King Abdullah II of Jordan.
-
Jahjaga was received at the holy see in the Vatican by Pope Francis.
.jpg)
