The EU funded project “Strengthening Local Democracy (LOD) III”, implemented by the UNDP, organised a conference for NGOs on providing services in local communities on 16 and 17 April in Sarajevo.
The aim of the event was to exchange good practices in the implementation of the project at the local level and to create future action plans. The conference was attended by more than 50 NGOs working in the areas of social inclusion, disabilities and employment, which were the key topics of the Conference.
One of the Conference’s conclusions was that a major problem in the segment of employment in BiH, a country with half a million of unemployed people, is the lack of strategic action. The main recommendation was the definition of strategic documents in the local communities that are often not aligned with the real economic needs of the population. Reorganisation of the obsolete education system is necessary, as well as the introduction of new standards and defining the field of informal education that is not adequately addressed in the legislation.
Problems that people with disabilities have are numerous. Correct and early diagnosis of children with disabilities is one of the key problems in BiH. Social inclusion, and social life is one of the most basic needs of people and children with disabilities, and the social life is often limited to the rehabilitation institutions, such as healthcare facilities, day care centres and similar. The big disadvantages are opportunities for permanent employment of persons with disabilities although there are certain legal possibilities and benefits that are provided to employers.
Head of Operations Section for Social Development, Civil Society and Cross Border Co-operation in the EU Delegation to BiH, Natalia Dianiskova stated that this is the sixth year that EU is implementing this project together with UNDP, local NGOs and municipalities. “The EU financed all three phases of this project with around 5 million EUR. On top of this we had also allocated 2 million EUR for the next phase of the project which is starting this summer“, she stressed.
UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in BiH, Zahira Virani stated that LOD project continues to strengthen local democratic processes through the improvement of cooperation between civil society and local authorities. „We are trying to provide the tools for transparency and accountability on both sides. Civil society is becoming reliable partners for local communities. We see that service delivery is actually improving, because the resources are now allocated based on the real needs and priorities“, she explained.
The project emphasises the importance of the role of NGOs in local communities and aims to create long-lasting partnerships between them.
