Introduction: In and Out of Kosovo
In January 1999, 11 NGOs working in Kosovo decided to form the International NGO Council of Kosovo (INGO Council), primarily for advocacy purposes. During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia from March-June 1999, nearly all of the few NGOs working in Kosovo moved their operations to the Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia (FYROM), joined by new organisations arriving in FYROM and Albania to deal with mass refugee movements out of Kosovo.
In FYROM the original Council members continued to meet but struggled to deal with the rapidlychanging situation. Although the Council itself failed to produce any joint statements, its members were key in organising a letter signed by 35 NGOs sent to donors and the FYROM government supporting UNHCR in its coordinating role. Despite this support many NGOs grew frustrated by UNHCR's lack of presence on the ground, seeming inability to coordinate, and unwillingness to speak out on key problems such as the controversial role of NATO militaries in setting up refugee camps. At the same time, some NGOs worked directly with the military in contravention of basic humanitarian principles, showing that not every NGO was concerned with coordinating positions.
In Albania, while the government established its Emergency Management Group early on, coordination structures were difficult to navigate for NGOs. The Brussels-based NGO network VOICE held a meeting in Tirana in April 1999 to identify how they could facilitate the work of INGOs responding to the refugee crisis, and in May an NGO Focal Point set up to collect and disseminate information about humanitarian activities. From the start of June, the Focal Point distributed approximately two reports per week in hard copy and electronic format in-country, and at the international level via VOICE and InterAction head offices.
