NINE MUNICIPALITIES TO RECEIVE USD 558,000 AS PART OF SWISS-FUNDED PROGRAM TO STRENGTHEN LOCAL DEMOCRACY

Skopje, 13 September 2018

 

Marking the International Day of Democracy, the presidents of more than 70 of the country’s 81 municipal councils gathered in Skopje today to discuss ways to make local government more inclusive, transparent and accountable.

The event, organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), featured the launch of a public call for municipalities to apply to participate in the “Empowering Municipal Councils” project.

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The project already covers six municipalities: Chair, Ohrid, Strumica, Sveti Nikole, Valandovo and Veles. Another nine municipalities will now be selected to join the program, in a competitive process, with a further nine to follow in 2019. The successful applicants will be announced in November 2018.

Participating municipalities will receive focused training designed to improve the ability of municipal councilors to exercise effective oversight over local budgets and engage more directly with citizens in setting spending priorities.

In this way, the project aims to reinforce the position of municipal councils in democratic decision-making at local level, where traditionally mayors have played a dominant role, and to ensure that every single municipal denar is spent wisely, efficiently and transparently.

Municipal councils that successfully complete the training program will each receive USD 62,000 to dedicate to public-interest projects identified as priorities by local residents.

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The USD 3.4 million project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, reflecting a long-standing commitment to promote inclusive, responsive and accountable governance at local level. It is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, which commit all UN member states to “ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.”

The statement issued by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for this year’s International Day of Democracy sparked a lively discussion at today’s forum. “Democracy is showing greater strain than at any time in decades,” Guterres warned, appealing to the world to “invigorate democracy” by fighting inequality and making political systems more inclusive, innovative and resilient to threats.