Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has called for the mental health and well-being of children and young people to become a central priority of state policy, emphasizing the need for an integrated system focused on prevention, early identification and continuous support.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion on mental health organized by the Office of the Prime Minister in cooperation with UNICEF, Kurti said children’s and young people’s mental well-being must be incorporated into all relevant government policies.
Kurti said a report prepared with UNICEF had provided an important assessment of the situation and outlined recommendations for improving mental health services in Kosovo.
“After the report was launched, I asked UNICEF for us to meet again to reflect on its findings, discuss the recommendations in depth and, above all, determine the steps we must take as a state to advance the mental health agenda in Kosovo,” Kurti said.
He stressed that the meeting should mark the beginning of concrete action rather than remain a discussion of the findings.
“Our task now is to move from evidence to action. We have a clearer document to help us understand the challenges and needs. Our responsibility is to determine where we should focus our efforts, which measures require priority action and how we can work together to build a more sustainable and accessible system of mental health support,” he said.
Kurti emphasized that mental health cannot be addressed by a single sector, as it is connected to healthcare, education, family environments, social services, public safety and the communities in which children grow up.
“Children’s mental health is not, and cannot be, the responsibility of just one sector. It is connected to health, the environments in which our children learn, the families in which they grow up, the social and healthcare services that support them, their safety, the communities in which they live and the opportunities we create for them,” he said.
Government plans inter-institutional working group
The prime minister also highlighted measures introduced during his government’s term to support children and families, including child benefits and financial assistance for new mothers, which he said had gradually increased over the years.
He said the government’s ambition was to establish a system that prioritizes prevention and early intervention rather than responding only after problems develop into crises.
“Our ambition is clear: to build a system that does not simply respond to crises, but invests in prevention, identification and early support. A system in which children, young people and their families know where to turn and can receive the right support at the right time,” Kurti said.
He announced that, following the roundtable, his team would begin procedures to establish an inter-institutional working group tasked with developing a coordinated and comprehensive approach to mental health.
The group’s longer-term objective will be to prepare national strategic documents in the field.
Other participants continued discussions on the next steps and priority measures needed to strengthen Kosovo’s mental health system and psychosocial support for children and young people.
