Challenges in providing legal aid to displaced persons following armed conflict: Lessons learned from kosovo

Abstract

This Practice Note is the third in a continuing series of personal reflections on human rights practice today. This series, Practice in the First Person, aims to provide occasional snapshots of the life and work of contemporary practitioners provided by activists and advocates working around the globe. R. Dule Vicovac is a lawyer who has worked in the Balkans for over twelve years. He has been a legal expert for the past three years in European Union (EU)-funded projects supporting internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Kosovo. He was also a lawyer with the United Nations in Kosovo for eight years, working to facilitate access for IDPs. He writes here about his experience and lessons learned in working to provide legal aid to a population whose situation remains unresolved 14 years after the cessation of armed conflict. © 2013 The Author.