Wikipedia

Selim Selimi

Selim Selimi (born 28 October 1980) is a Kosovar lawyer and rule of law specialist, who served as the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Kosovo.[1] He also worked as the Rule of Law Advisor and Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Kosovo[2][3] and as Rule of Law Advisor to the President of Kosovo.[4]

Selim Selimi
Minister of Justice
In office
3 June 2020 – 22 March 2021
PresidentHashim Thaci
Prime MinisterAvdullah Hoti
Preceded byAlbulena Haxhiu
Succeeded byAlbulena Haxhiu
Personal details
Born28 October 1980
CitizenshipKosovo
NationalityAlbanian
Alma materDuke University
ProfessionLawyer and Rule of Law Specialist
Signature

Selimi has extensive experience working for international organizations including OSCE, UNDP, UNOPS, U.S. Department of Justice - ICITAP and U.S. State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs - INL covering mainly rule of law, justice and governance. He is a certified Attorney at Law and holds a master's degree in International Development Policy - Law and Development from Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University in the United States and a Master's Degree in Political Sciences - Management of Development, from University of Turin in Italy.

Early life

edit

Selim Selimi was born on 28 October 1980 in Gjilan (Kosovo). He lived in Presevo where he attended elementary and secondary school.

Education

edit
 
Duke University

Selimi holds a law degree from the University of Prishtina and is a certified Attorney at Law by the Kosovo Bar Association.[5]

He has a master's degree in Political Sciences - Management of Development, from University of Turin in Italy and a master's degree in International Development Policy - Law and Development from Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University in the United States on a Kosovo American Education Fund (KAEF) Scholarship.[6]

While at Duke, Selim was the MIDP class representative for Sanford School of Public Policy's Board of Visitors. He was also the graduation speaker for the Masters in International Development Policy class of 2010.[7] Selimi was featured in 50 Years of Public Policy at Duke[8]

Career

edit

Selim Selimi started his career at OSCE, Kosovo Police School in March 2000. He held various positions in Police Field Training Office, Criminal Investigation Department and was appointed Chief of Curriculum Development Section. Selimi has also worked for OSCE Mission in Kosovo's Implementation Team at the Police Inspectorate from 2006 to 2008 as a Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code Expert.[9] Selimi worked for the U.S. Department of Justice - ICITAP as a Rule of Law Advisor, based in the office of Kosovo Chief State Prosecutor.

For UNDP Selimi worked in Geneva, Switzerland for Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery and in Pristina, Kosovo as a Project Manager for Parliamentary Affairs[10]

Selimi was appointed a Rule of Law Advisor to the 4th President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga in 2012. He was the Coordinator of The National Anti-Corruption Council that was established by the President of Kosovo, to increase cooperation and coordination among the Kosovo institutions in the forefront of the fight against corruption.[11] In 2013 Selimi was appointed Special Envoy to Initiative for RECOM, a regional commission for the establishment of facts about war crimes and other serious violations of human rights committed in the former Yugoslavia.[12]

Selim Selimi was appointed the Rule of Law Advisor to Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj in 2018.[13] He was also the Coordinator of the High Level Council on Rule of Law, Chaired by the Prime Minister.[14] In 2019 he assumed the duties of the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister.[15] In this position he was a member of the Kosovo Security Council and head of the technical dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.[16]

 
Selim Selimi - Minister of Justice

Selim Selimi served as Minister of Justice of the Republic of Kosovo from 3 June 2020 to 22 March 2021. During his tenure as the Minister of Justice he concluded the Functional Review of the Kosovo Rule of Law System[17] and presented to the Parliament various pieces of legislation, among others, the Civil Code of Kosovo, Draft Law on the Anti-Corruption Agency, Draft Law on Criminal Procedure, Draft Law on Establishing the Commercial Court of Kosovo, Draft Law on the Disciplinary Responsibility of Judges and Prosecutors, Draft Law on Execution of Criminal Sanctions, Draft Law on Correctional Service, etc.[18] Selimi formed the Inclusive Working Group that produced the first document for the process of Vetting of Judges and Prosecutors.[19] During Minister's Selimi tenure in coordination with USAID, Kosovo was for the first time included in the “World Justice Project Rule of Law Index”, which ranked Kosovo first in the Western Balkans and second in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region for respecting the rule of law in 2020 and 2021.[20][21]

 
Kosovo Serbia Normalization Agreement - Oval Office - White House

Minister Selimi was part of the delegation led by Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti that negotiated and signed the Kosovo and Serbia Economic Normalization agreements on September 4, 2020, at the Oval Office of the White House in the presence of Donald Trump, President of the United States. The deal encompassed freer transit, including by rail and road, while both parties agreed to work with the Export–Import Bank of the United States and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and to join the Mini Schengen Zone.[22][23] The agreement also included mutual recognition between Israel and Kosovo.[24]

After serving as Minister, he continued working as an Attorney at Law in Prishtina, Kosovo.

Selim Selimi also worked as Rule of Law Advisor for a US State Department - Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) funded project in East Africa implemented by UNOPS, based in Port Louis, Mauritius. The project is designed to provide advice and expertise to INL East Africa Transnational Organized Crime program (EA - TOC) and national-level institutions on rule of law matters and assist the law enforcements and prosecutions offices of Western Indian Ocean Islands of Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros with advice and training to improve the interdiction, investigation, and prosecution of crimes.[25]

References

edit
  1. ^ admin (3 June 2020). "Selim Selimi nga Presheva Ministër i Drejtësisë në Qeverinë e Kosovës". Ministria Lajmeve. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  2. ^ Gashi, Blendi (27 March 2019). "Selim Selimi shef i stafit të Kryeministrit". Reporterinet (in Albanian). Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Ministria e Drejtësisë". Ministria e Drejtësisë. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  4. ^ Peci, Edona (9 December 2013). "Kosovo Urged to Fight Harder Against Corruption". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  5. ^ "OAK | ODA E AVOKATËVE TË KOSOVËS". www.oak-ks.org. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  6. ^ "KAEF | Graduate Fellowship Program". www.kaef-online.org. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  7. ^ Policy, Sanford School of Public. "Faces@50: Selim Selimi, MIDP '10". sanford.duke.edu. Retrieved 19 October 2022. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ cac133@duke.edu (2 September 2021). "Selim Selimi, MIDP '10". 50 Years of Public Policy at Duke. Retrieved 18 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "7162". osce.org. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  10. ^ Politics, iKNOW (31 January 2012). "Women's caucuses and alliances for sustainable development". International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  11. ^ SADRIU, President of the Republic of Kosovo-DR VJOSA OSMANI-. "Anti-Corruption Council". President of the Republic of Kosovo - DR. VJOSA OSMANI - SADRIU. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  12. ^ "The Appointment of Envoys to RECOM". REKOM ~ KOMRA ~ RECOM. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Haradinaj announces names of new government staff". top-channel.tv. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  14. ^ "Prime Minister Haradinaj chaired the third high-level meeting on the rule of law". Zyra e Kryeministrit. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  15. ^ "Russian UN employee detained by Kosovo in armed raid on north". the Guardian. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  16. ^ "Novinska agencija Beta". Novinska agencija Beta (in Serbian). Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  17. ^ Scanner 1, Gazeta. "Selimi dhe Power diskutojnë Rishikimin Funksional të Sundimit të Ligjit". Lajmet e fundit - GazetaSCANNER. Retrieved 19 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ "Raporti i Punës i Qeverisë së Republikës së Kosovës (Qershor-Dhjetor 2020) 22.01.2021". Zyra e Kryeministrit (in Albanian). 22 January 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  19. ^ Drejtësisë, Ministria e. "Ministri Selimi: Forcimi i llogaridhënies do t'i mbrojë prokurorët dhe gjyqtarët e ndershëm dhe t'i largojë nga sistemi ata që nuk meritojnë të jenë pjesë e tij". md.rks-gov.net. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  20. ^ Drejtësisë, Ministria e. "Kosovo Ranks First in the Western Balkans in Respecting Rule of Law". md.rks-gov.net. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  21. ^ "Kosovo Included in World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index | Kosovo | U.S. Agency for International Development". www.usaid.gov. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  22. ^ EWB (4 September 2020). "Documents signed at the White House cover wider scope than expected". European Western Balkans. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Serbia and Kosovo sign breakthrough economic accord that is short of normal relations". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  24. ^ "Ambassador: Israel will recognize Kosovo in the coming weeks". B92.net. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  25. ^ "KAEF | Graduate Fellowship Program". www.kaef-online.org. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Selim_Selimi&oldid=1246309464"