OSCE Mission in Kosovo helps improve public participation in municipal decision making

A workshop on public participation in municipal affairs concluded in Mavrovo, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on 18 November 2011. The event was organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

Fifty-five central and local level officials and civil society representatives discussed the implementation of the legal framework regulating public participation in municipal decision making. A special emphasis was on the participation of young people through local youth action councils, and on the work of consultative committees, composed of civil society and community representatives who lobby and advise municipalities on issues ranging from education and social welfare to urban planning and agriculture.

“Building understanding between officials and civil society about their roles and responsibilities in ensuring public participation in the municipal decision-making process is crucial for the democratic development and the provision of better service  to local people,” said Jan Lueneburg, chief of the OSCE Mission’s local governance section. “The OSCE Mission in Kosovo seeks to contribute to shaping efficient mechanisms of public participation, including through municipal consultative committees.”

The Mavrovo workshop concludes year-long activities of the Mission in support for the establishment of 27 municipal consultative committees in Kosovo.

“Things are different now in our municipality,” said Sabit Nura, the chairperson of Vushtrri/Vučitrn municipal consultative committee on economic development. “For the first time, we have been given an opportunity to review the 2012 budget and give our recommendations, and are encouraged to see that our suggestion to increase the budget for agriculture was taken on board.”

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is mandated with democratic institution building. It is helping municipalities in Kosovo to carry out reforms in line with the European Charter of Local Self-Government.