Improving local governance and economic planning to implement sustainable development goals in the Republic of Serbia - Support to the establishment of a planning system and development of medium-term local government development plans

The project was part of a broader, more comprehensive local development program in 5 local self-governments (LSGs) in Serbia and was piloting a new policy coordination approach in accordance with the Law on the Planning System. The project was funded by a Slovak Development Assistance grant (SlovakAid) and implemented through the United Nations Development Program in Serbia (UNDP), with SCTM being the implementing partner for the piloting.

The project was implemented between April and the end of December 2019. Although the relevant legal framework has not yet been fully completed, the project enabled the preparation of the first LSG Development Plans based on available methodological guidance. In addition, as these are the first LSG pilot development plans, the project served to further elaborate and adapt the approach, which will then be subject to systematic advocating, support and implementation in other local governments in the period after 2019.

The target groups were the employees in LSG in charge of local development, as well as representatives of civil society, private sector and wider local community. The final beneficiaries are five (5) LSGs: Mali Zvornik, Petrovac na Mlavi, Backi Petrovac, Kursumlija, and Sjenica, as well as their citizens, who will benefit from improved planning and services provided by local governments.

Support objectives were achieved through the implementation of two key activities:

1. Development of local development plans based on a preliminary assessment of the situation (economic development) in LSG through the organization of interactive, thematic workshops with participation of local government employees, representatives of CSOs and the private sector.
2. Organization of three-day trainings for LSG employees on project cycle management and project implementation (from various funding sources, including EU funds/PRAG procedures)

Of great importance for the success of the project was also cooperation with the competent national institutions, above all the Public Policy Secretariat of the Republic of Serbia, as a public administration body responsible for coordinating public policies.

Project results

Within the project, development plans were developed for 5 beneficiaries local self-government units (Backi Petrovac, Mali Zvornik, Petrovac na Mlavi, Sjenica, and Kursumlija) in accordance with the requirements of the Law on Planning System, which were also adopted by local assemblies. Also, the employees in the local self-governments are trained in project cycle management and for the development and implementation of projects according to EU procedures in accordance with the training program for employees under the program of the National Academy for Public Administration.

A final conference was organized at which all five municipalities presented their development plans. Experiences in the process of making development plans were presented, as well as the results of previously performed socio-economic analyzes of the current situation for each municipality individually.

Contact person: Milica Jovicic, project coordinator milica.jovicic@skgo.org