Timespan: 11/05/2011 – 11/07/2013
Donor: European Union Delegation to BiH (IPA 2019 – Support to CSO networks)
Applicant: Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA) (Strasbourg / France)
Partners: Local Democracy Agency Mostar (Mostar / Bosnia and Herzegovina); Forum of Citizens of Tuzla (Tuzla / Bosnia and Herzegovina); DON Prijedor (Prijedor / Bosnia and Herzegovina); Breza Local Development Center (Breza / Bosnia and Herzegovina); Democratic Center for New Hope (Bihac / Bosnia and Herzegovina); LDA Zavidovici (Zavidovici / Bosnia and Herzegovina); LDA Subotica; LDA Osijek; City of Tuzla (Tuzla / Bosnia and Herzegovina); City of Mostar (Mostar / Bosnia and Herzegovina); Municipality of Zavidovići (Zavidovići / Bosnia and Herzegovina); Municipality of Breza (Breza / Bosnia and Herzegovina); Municipality of Bihać (Bihać / Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Description: Sectoral networking and building partnerships aim at helping strengthen the role of civil society in consolidation of participative democracy at local level, which is the essence of this Project. Basic activities of civil society include capacity building, information and advocacy campaigns, development of communication tools as well as exchange of good practices of local approach between municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina but through interaction with the neighbouring IPA countries and EU member states.
General Objective: The purpose of the Project is to assist in the fortification of the democratic role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in strengthening citizen participation in local politics and decision making
through promotion of the Agreement on co-operation and measures of sectoral networking during the two years of project implementation.
Specific Objective:
1) Improve organisational/governing capacities of nongovernmental associations that are engaged in democratic governance on local level;
2) Provide support to raising local awareness versus activities that promote democratic potential of civil society
organisations (CSOs) and their role in good local governance;
3) Provide support to CSOs networking actions that address the issues of problems in local community, on local and regional levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
4) Enhance awareness on the politics and those who decide on European standards of good local governance and citizen participation;
5) Assist in encouraging sectoral cooperation of CSOs and local authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina with their colleagues from other IPA member countries and EU member countries.
Activities realised in 2011:
Activities realised in 2012:
• 15. – 17. March 2012, Zavidovići:
– Training on the subject of ”Project Cycle Management” for NGOs;
– First meeting of thematic working groups:
1) Working group for implementation of local agreements
on co-operation (development of democratic participation of
citizens, transparency)
2) Working group for support to local organisations of civil
society (training, capacity building for establishment of local
partnerships);
– Meeting of the Steering Board;
• 25 March – 01 April 2012 – recording of documentary films
• June 2012 – address books of nongovernmental
organisations for Tuzla, Prijedor and Zavidovići published;
• 10 – 12 October 2012, Breza:
– Training on the subject of “Development of negotiating skills“ for NGOs;
– Press conference;
– Meeting of the Steering Board;
• 12 – 14 December 2012, Bihać:
– Training on the subject of “Communication and public relations skills“ for local authorities;
– Roundtable on the subject of “Co-operation of local authorities with civil society organisations, mechanisms,
transparency and participation in adoption of public policies“;
– Press conference;
– Meeting of the Steering Board;
• Four electronic newsletter issued.
Activities realised in 2013:
Final conference of the project was held in Mostar.
During the first day of the conference, three panels were held:
– an introductory panel on “Cooperation Agreements – from the legal framework to the effective
implementations “
– panel session “Implementation of municipal cooperation agreements and thematic networking in
Bosnia and Herzegovina”
– a panel session entitled “Effective Action and Local Government Service Delivery in
cooperation with civil society organizations: comparative analysis and practices in the European Union and the Western Balkans”
– a regional agreement on cooperation between project partners was signed
On the second day of the conference there were three themed original tables:
– The first roundtable entitled “Local Democracy Development and Citizen Participation in Adoption
decision “
– Second Round Table on Gender Equality
– Third Round Table “Youth Strengthening”
– the NGO fair was organized as an opportunity for all the participating organizations to participate present their activities to the conference, and take this opportunity to connect with organizations with a similar profile from other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
PUBLICATION
Newsletter
Newsletter no. 7 (english version)
Documentaries
Civil society in action for dialogue and partnership – short documentary
Civil society in action for dialogue and partnership – Mostar
Civil society in action for dialogue and partnership – Breza and Bihać
Civil society in action for dialogue and partnership – Tuzla
Civil society in action for dialogue and partnership – Prijedor and Zavidovici
NGO Address Books
Adresar NVO Tuzla
Adresar NVO Zavidovići
Adresar NVO Prijedor
Adresar NVO Mostar
Adresar NVO Bihać
Adresar NVO Breza
Handbook “Challenges and Prospects for Effective Co-operation between Government and Civil sectors in BiH and the region ”