With the highest internet access in the western Balkans, Kosovo faces vast threats to its information integrity. NDI’s global mission in supporting and strengthening democratic institutions recognizes this growing threat to democratic institutions and political and social fabrics globally. While the internet has empowered billions with access to knowledge, it has also empowered those seeking to undermine democracy. Since 2019, NDI/Kosovo has worked to identify the risks to Kosovo’s democracy by holding conferences to raise awareness of this threat, and by monitoring and reporting on the online information environment that is especially vulnerable to threats to information integrity.

NDI held its third conference on information integrity, DISICON, on April 13 and 14 in Pristina, Kosovo, with the overarching theme of “Information integrity’s role in defending democracy.” DISICON 2022 brought together local, regional, and international experts and guests to discuss the urgency of ensuring information integrity in the region and its role in maintaining democracy. World-renowned practitioners in journalism, academia, media and government, including the keynote speaker CNN Chief Correspondent Christiane Amanpour enriched the discussion. DISICON’s program also included journalism students from public and private universities in Kosovo to discuss the urgency of information integrity in Kosovo, and how they can contribute to strengthening democracy within their country. During the two-day event, 70 guests participated in person, with 68 others online. The Institute held two in-person workshops with journalism students where they addressed the vulnerability of youth to disinformation campaigns and the challenges of information integrity disorders during election processes. The sessions helped participants learn new skills and tools and galvanized them to protect the information integrity of the democracies of the Western Balkans.

A conference summary can be downloaded below. A recording of the first day can be viewed here; the second day can be viewed here.

This conference summary and the National Democratic Institute’s (NDI) Information Integrity Conference - DISICON - in Kosovo are made possible through the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors/speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, or United States Government.