Around 40 students from different communities in Kosovo — 27 children from Fushë Kosovë and 11 from Dragash — came together to create origami doves, a universal symbol of peace, which will be sent to the United Nations headquarters in New York as part of an international installation amplifying children’s voices and messages of peace.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of UNMIK, Peter Due, stressed the importance of the activity in empowering children’s voices as messages for peace in all countries affected by conflict.

“Your doves will carry your messages, and I hope they will be messages of peace, kindness, and whatever you feel you would like to write. Your doves will fly and travel to the United Nations headquarters in New York, where they will join other doves made by children from around the world — some from war zones and conflict areas, others from more peaceful places like Kosovo. So your voices and your wishes will travel with these doves,” he said.

The Ambassador of Slovenia to Kosovo, Borut Blaj, who collaborated on the project, underlined the importance of the initiative, which calls for the protection of children’s rights and peace.

“Every year, nearly 12,000 students and children are empowered through this project here in Kosovo and in Albania. I would also like to add that in Kosovo, with the support of the Slovenian Ministry of Defence, we are implementing this project in several municipalities through civil-military cooperation. I am convinced that, based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, this contribution from Slovenian experts adds significant value to teacher training in the field of children’s rights. Together with children from around the world, you have created and shared with the United Nations origami doves containing written messages calling for the protection of your rights and for peace,” he said.

Also present was the Director of Education in the Municipality of Fushë Kosovë, Adriatik Zeqiri, who encouraged the students for their engagement and emphasized the importance of building a society that promotes peace and cooperation.

“Our support will be continuous. We will remain open to creating the best possible working environment so that our society can develop, become more progressive, and reflect peace, improvement, and cooperation throughout the world,” Zeqiri said.

The symbolic impact children can have through this project was highlighted by Veronica Vashchenko from UNICEF, who said that children can make a difference.

“Today, together with you and all our guests, we are excited to make doves, which are symbols of peace. Many children around the world face conflict. They are affected by these events and cannot experience peace. That is why your actions today matter, because your messages of peace will join similar peace messages from children around the world, so that one day no child will have to face war or conflict or suffer because of them,” she said.

The participating children shared their thoughts and messages about peace, reflecting on the importance of protecting their rights.

Elton Zabeli, a third-grade student at the “Daut Bogujevci” school in Fushë Kosovë, shared the message: “All children deserve peace.”

“This activity is very important because children who are in war should not be in war, but in peace, because they are innocent,” he said.

“We need a life without wars,” was the message from Bora Bugojevci from the same class and school.

“From this activity I learned that every child should live in peace and should not be in war, because they are innocent. We need peace in life and many other good things,” she said.

Meanwhile, Merjeme Tosumi, a student from Dragash, emphasized the message that children have the right to live.

“I would like to say that children have the right to go to school, have food, and have everything else they need,” she said.

From the “Fetah Sulejmani” school in Dragash, Ajla Sadiku delivered the message that all children should unite to help those affected by war.

“We believe this activity is very important not only for them but also for us, because it shows that as a society we can do something better, and even a small action from us can seem very big to the world. The message for children who are in war is that they should never give up and should continue moving forward because everyone is listening to their voices and we will all unite to help them,” she said.

Finally, third-grade teacher at the “Daut Bogujevci” school, Behaxhe Sopjani, who was part of the project, emphasized that the messages were written in English and would be read by international representatives.

“All of their messages are written in English, and these doves carrying their messages will be sent to New York. There, these messages from children will be read by world leaders, sending not only awareness from children but also a global message against war affecting children around the world,” she said.

The activity is also supported by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which for more than two decades has funded projects related to education and children’s rights in Kosovo.

The symbolic activity, “Prove Matters,” was held at the compound of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and organized by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict in New York.