Summary of organization’s strategic orientation (600 characters)
1.Promotion of participatory processes and responsible citizenship which are based on equal rights, a fair representation of interests, and inclusive decision-making 2.Building of a democratic culture contributes to a broad-based, inclusive, and sustainable development 3. Strengthening of local government structures to actively promote public services increases the democratic access to high-quality public services for the population, thus reducing social inequalities and poverty 4.Empowering of vulnerable, disadvantaged social groups (women, children/youth, minorities) contributes to the respect of their specific rights and the respect for Human Rights in general
Project title
Activation and awareness of citizens in decision-making processes
Summary of the project (no more than 600 characters)
The project intends to address three components: increasing the participation of the public in decision-making (consultation, citizen supervision, participatory budgeting), participation of citizens and CSOs in policy-making (harmonization of municipal regulations, work plans), and accountability (supervisory role of the municipal assembly, financial management, provision of services, etc.) as well as propose corrective actions for increasing participation, financial management and accountability for which targeted municipalities have had setbacks and unsatisfactory results in recent years.
Project goals
The main goal of the project aims to increase the participation of citizens in shaping issues of public interest, strengthening the role of civil society for advocacy, supervising decision-making at the municipal level, and strengthening the ties between civil society and citizens to improve accountability, inclusion and social, transparency towards to the public that will help improve citizen oversight of local government, influencing the improvement of public affairs management practices, information and arguments for executive performance. Specific goals of the project are: Improve three components that have been stagnating and unsatisfactory results in recent years: increasing public participation in decision-making (consultation, citizen oversight, participatory budgeting), accountability and transparency in decision-making, participation of citizens and CSOs in policy-making (drafting and implementation of policies, supervisory role of the municipal assembly, financial management, provision of services) and strengthening the role of civil society in advocacy and supervision, strengthening young people in the design and implementation of policies as well as educating citizens on human rights. Create a direct impact on increasing citizen participation in decision-making and policy-making, budget planning, transparency, accountability, social supervision, and provisioning of additional knowledge for municipal officials and the public in promoting participation in budget planning. Influence CSOs and citizens to be directly involved in decision-making processes, resulting in improvements related to access to public data, planning, budgeting, capital investments, direct assessment of public funds expenditures, more detailed monitoring of the provision of public services, as well as the investigation and direct monitoring of the implementation processes of public contracts through citizen activation. Impact the reform of the municipal government for the improvement of the quality of planning and provision of services and the awareness and increase of the active participation of citizens in the decision-making processes in the design and implementation of policies as well as the increase awareness and education of citizens. Toincrease the effort and communication between the municipal authorities and citizens to increase the performance of the institutions, the qualitative provision of services, increase the reliability and increase the responsibility of the municipal authorities.
Who will benefit from your work and how? (Based on target groups and expected impact)
Citizens: The beneficiaries of the project will be citizens of all nationalities living in the target municipalities, including categories such as women, youth, non-majority communities, persons with disabilities, and citizens of rural areas. This will be the main target group, as we want to place its role at the highest level in decision-making. Citizens’ involvement in the initial planning process for decision-making, enables them to be informed about each flow in the sphere of local decision-making. Local/Village Councils: An increased focus on participatory democracy will be cooperation with village councils. Also, they are a bridge with the local government in the function of consultation on their issues and they have the duty to keep the citizens informed about their demands and to mobilize as needed. Women’s and youth groups: At the local level, we will have a cooperation link in order to improve the representation of women and youth in decision-making, in working groups, mandatory and non-mandatory committees, gender equality, and raising the standard of life and social welfare through their rights in decision-making. Minority communities: At the same level, we will also cooperate with the Serbian and Roma minority communities, to support the achievement of integration objectives according to the strategic approach. But, at the same time, we will aim to improve democratic governance by increasing ethnic participation in decision-making processes, and inclusion in working groups for municipal regulations. Local authorities: These are the target group that we think will exert the greatest influence in view of the effort of participatory democracy and aiming to implement the principles of good local governance. In this area, we aim for this group to improve the approach to civil society and citizens by stimulating them to participate in the drafting and supervision of local policies, consulting the legal mechanization, and offering financial support. Collaborators: Trainings in schools on public participation in decision-making and policy-making. Students of junior high and high schools will be trained on public participation in decision-making and policy-making, and with special emphasis, the annual planning of the municipal budget 2024/2025 will also be part of the discussions.
Main activities
Capital investment planning through the distribution of citizens’ investment cards and three budget hearingsOrganizing meetings and roundtables with village/local councils to identify community needsPublic debates with decision-makers at the local level (executive and legislative)Initiating and amending six municipal regulations (two in each municipality) and organizing and organizing six public debates/consultations with citizensAdvocacy meetings and the broadcast of the video spotThe organization of workshops on financial management and the supervisory role of the municipal assembly and the committee for politics and finance towards the executiveFour trainings in schools, each municipality, on public participation in decision-making and policy-making.Raising the capacities of municipal directorates regarding the drafting and development of the annual work plan and reporting forms
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